In the first half of 2025, the GDP data of 27 provincial capital cities across the country were released. Among them, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, ranked second in the country with a total GDP of 1210.821 billion yuan. Compared with Nanjing, Jiangsu, which is also ranked fifth, its GDP value reached 917.918 billion yuan, becoming the strongest economy in the southwest. Immediately followed by Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, ranked 7th with 732.93 billion yuan. Zhengzhou is also the core city of my country's Central Plains Economic Zone. Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, ranked 13th with 429.323 billion yuan. Compared with the previous two years, Shenyang has gradually increased its economic output. As an old industrial base, the transformation has achieved significant results. Next, we will briefly analyze the total economic output of these three cities.
Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, The sub-provincial city is Chengdu, located in the western hinterland of the Great Wall in the western Sichuan Basin. It is a major central city in the southwest region. From the perspective of regional layout, Chengdu is at a key node of the Belt and Road Initiative, connecting the southwest and northwest, Central Asia and Southeast Asia, and is an important external window in the west. At the economic level, in the first half of 2025, Chengdu's GDP was 1210.821 billion yuan, ranking behind Guangzhou's 1508.099 billion yuan, ranking second among the 27 provincial capital cities. Nanjing at the same time was 917.918 billion yuan, ranking fifth. Chengdu's economy in this regard was nearly 300 billion yuan higher than Nanjing, with a huge gap. This is due to Chengdu's industrial structure, electronic information, equipment manufacturing, and biomedicine are pillar industries. The digital economy has developed rapidly in recent years. Tencent, Alibaba and other companies have arranged major projects in Chengdu to bring new energy to economic growth.
Chengdu has Shuangliu, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Shuangliu International Airport at the same time, making Chengdu one of the few cities in my country with dual airports. The high-speed rail connects Bafang, the Chengdu-Chongqing high-speed rail can reach Chongqing in one hour, and the Xicheng high-speed rail reaches Xi'an in three hours. The transportation convenience ranks among the best in the western region. In terms of education, key universities such as Sichuan University and the University of Electronic Science and Technology have sent a large number of talents to Chengdu. Southwest Jiaotong University and Sichuan Agricultural University also provide a lot of intellectual support for Chengdu. In terms of tourism, Chengdu is known for its leisure capital, Wuhou Temple, Dujiangyan, and Qingchengshan, and other world heritage sites have attracted a large number of tourists. In particular, the Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Project has played a role for more than 2,000 years and has become a symbol of Chengdu. Hotpot and Chuanchuan are unforgettable to many food lovers.
Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan Province, the core city of the Central Plains Economic Zone is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains and the lower reaches of the Yellow River. As an important transportation hub in the country, it has obvious location advantages. Zhengzhou is at the intersection of the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and the Longhai Railway. It is a core node of the national railway network, an important connection point in the "Belt and Road" initiative, connecting the eastern coastal and the central and western regions. Economically, in the first half of 2025, Zhengzhou's GDP reached 732.93 billion yuan, ranking 7th among the 27 provincial capital cities in the country, and has a steady and progressive development trend. This is related to Zhengzhou's industrial support. Automobile manufacturing, electronic information, new materials and other industries form a complete industrial chain, providing strong support for economic growth.
Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport is an important aviation hub in the country. The opening of multiple international routes is conducive to the international connection of the aviation network and the formation of urban hub structure. The high-speed rail network is in the shape of the rice. The Beijing-Guangzhou, Longhai, Zhengxi, Zhengxu high-speed rail lines connect important cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, and Xuzhou. It only takes 2 hours to get to Beijing in the city and 3 hours to get to Shanghai. Education, Zhengzhou University and Henan University have brought urban academics to a higher level, and the professional talent training of Henan University of Technology and Henan Agricultural University has provided a large number of important talents for urban development. Tourism, famous tourist attractions such as Shaolin Temple, Songshan, and Erqi Memorial Tower coexist. Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of Chinese Buddhist Zen Buddhism to attract a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. Songshan is one of the Five Mountains in China to attract a large number of mountaineering enthusiasts. The Erqi Memorial Tower is a landmark building in Zhengzhou. The historical development and changes of the city have witnessed a multi-stage development history in the Erqi Memorial Tower.
Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning Province and the core city of the old industrial base in Northeast China. Shenyang is located in the center of the Northeast Asia Economic Circle and the hinterland of the Liaodong Peninsula. It is an important transportation hub in the Northeast and Guanlin. It has obvious location advantages. Shenyang is the intersection of the Harbin-Da Railway and the Shenshan Railway. It is the center of the Northeast Railway network. It is also an important node in the "Belt and Road" initiative. It has economic ties with Russia, North Korea and other countries. From an economic perspective, in the first half of 2025, Shenyang's GDP reached 429.323 billion yuan, ranking 13th among 27 provincial capital cities. The three northeastern provinces are leading. This development result comes from Shenyang's industrial transformation. After upgrading and improvement, traditional equipment manufacturing has gradually transformed to high-end equipment manufacturing. Emerging industries such as new energy and new materials have developed, adding new impetus to economic growth.
Shenyang Taoxian International Airport is a Northeastern aviation hub, with multiple domestic and international routes opened. In terms of high-speed rail, Harbin, Shenshan and other routes are connected to Harbin, Dalian, Beijing and other cities. It takes about 2 hours to reach Harbin and about 3 hours to Beijing. In terms of education, Shenyang has universities such as Northeastern University and Shenyang University of Technology. Northeastern University is a "Double First-Class" university. It has strong strength in steel, machinery, automation, etc., providing technical support for Shenyang's industrial transformation. In terms of tourism, Shenyang has attractions such as the Forbidden City, Beiling Park, and Zhang's Mansion. Shenyang's Forbidden City was the imperial palace before the Qing Dynasty entered the pass, which was earlier than the Forbidden City in Beijing, and it preserved a large number of precious cultural relics. Beiling Park is the tomb of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty and is also the largest park in Shenyang. The Zhang's Mansion records the history of Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Xueliang and became a cultural landmark in Shenyang.
From the data point of view, the location advantages + industrial layout of the southwest Chengdu region, with rapid economic growth and surpassing Nanjing; Zhengzhou's position as a transportation hub in the heart of the Central Plains, seeking progress while maintaining stability, and its economic ranking 7th; Shenyang's old industrial base has transformed and recovered, and its economic ranking is 13th. In the future, with the advancement of the "Belt and Road" initiative and the acceleration of industrial upgrading, the performance of these three cities is expected. Whether Chengdu can break through Guangzhou, whether Zhengzhou can enter the top five, and whether Shenyang's transformation can have a greater breakthrough, welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss.
