Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

Xiangzhou of Zhuhai has been listed among China's top 100 districts with most comprehensive strengths in 2017, for performing exceptionally well in economic development and improving people's livelihoods.

It is the only district in the Guangdong Province city to claim the honor, taking 45th position. On top of the list were Shunde and Nanhai districts in Guangdong's Foshan, followed by Wujin District in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province.

The result, announced by People's Daily on Oct 9, recorded the systematic study into a scientific development index of small and medium-sized cities across the country including 684 municipal districts.

Seaside Xiangzhou District in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province

Performance measurement is based on criteria covering per capita GDP, public budget revenue, per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents and their minimum living standards.

The ranking also reflects the vitality of development in the districts as well as how much their market demands. Five indicators evaluated the place's investment potential, including GDP growth rate, total retail sales of social consumer goods, and per capita consumption expenditure.

The core city on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary achieved 7.7 percent of year-on-year growth in regional GDP to around 105.7 billion yuan ($16 billion) in 2016 while registering an increase of 8.2 percent year-on-year in added value for its tertiary industry, pushing the total value to 62.5 billion yuan ($9.5 billion).

Furthermore, Xiangzhou is home to 284 of China's High & New-Technology Enterprises (HNTE), the most in the city and also houses three national key laboratories, 14 public technology platforms, and new-type R&D institutes.

Busy marine traffic at Jiuzhou Port [File Photos]

The selection was the joint efforts of the Economic Development Committee of Chinese Small & Medium Cities and the Research Institute of Development Strategy for Small-Medium Cities, joined by the Institute for Urban & Environmental Studies Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The program was initiated in 2005.