Shijiazhuang and Economic Trends

Shijiazhuang is a prefecture-level city located in North China's Hebei Province. It is considered one of the main industrial cities of the northern part of the country in addition to being the economic center of the province, of which it is the capital and largest city. With a population of 11 million and an area of 14,072 square kilometers, it has jurisdiction over eight districts, two county-level cities, and 12 counties.

The city is located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Shijiazhuang Hi-Tech Industrial Belt, one of China's main Hi-Tech Belts. Shijiazhuang also developed into a machine-making base, significantly increasing farm machinery and mining equipment production. Other main industries are pharmaceuticals, chemicals, electronic products, processed foods, and building materials.

In 2021, the GDP reached 649 billion RMB, up 6.6% compared to 2020, while the GDP per capita amounted to 70,000 RMB. The total value of Shijiazhuang’s international trade reached 541 billion RMB in 2021, with the exports amounting to 302 billion RMB and the total value of imports to 239 billion RMB.

The Chinese City Tier System consists of a system of tiers used by analysts to classify Chinese cities and rank them in a hierarchy. Cities in different tiers reflect differences in consumer behaviour, income level, population size, consumer sophistication, infrastructure, talent pool, and business opportunity.