China's three major megalopolises compared

(11) Convenience of Container Port

The three megalopolises account for 69.5 percent of the country's total container throughput, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis 8.3 percent, the Yangtze River Delta Megalopolis 35.2 percent and the Pearl River Delta Megalopolis 26 percent, respectively.

The performance of the three megalopolises can be gauged by observing the top 30 cities among the nation's cities at prefecture level and above in terms of port convenience.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis has two cities in the top 30, including Tianjin in sixth place, and Tangshan in 28th.

The Yangtze River Delta Megalopolis dominates the rankings with 11 cities in the top 30, including Shanghai in first place, Ningbo in third, Suzhou in ninth, Zhoushan in 12th, Nanjing in 15th, Nantong in 17th, Jiaxing in 20th, Wuxi in 23rd, Huzhou in 26th, Changzhou in 29th, and Shaoxing in 30th.

The Pearl River Delta Megalopolis has eight cities in the top 30, including Shenzhen in second place, Guangzhou in fourth, Dongguan in 13th, Foshan in 14th, Zhongshan in 18th, Zhuhai in 21st, Jiangmen in 25th, and Huizhou in 27th.

It turns out that the three megalopolises have 21 of the top 30 cities by container port convenience that bolster the development of the three megalopolises, especially the development of manufacturing.

(12) Airport Convenience

The three megalopolises account for 41.5 percent of the country's passenger throughput, and 67.8 percent of the country's cargo traffic.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis accounts for 11.9 percent of the country's passenger throughput, the Yangtze River Delta Megalopolis 18.7 percent and the Pearl River Delta Megalopolis 10.9 percent.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis accounts for 14.7 percent of the country's cargo traffic, the Yangtze River Delta Megalopolis 34.6 percent and the Pearl River Delta Megalopolis 18.5 percent.

The performance of the three megalopolises can be measured by observing the top 30 cities among the nation's 298 cities at prefecture level and above in terms of airport convenience.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis has three cities that make it into the list of the top 30 cities with the most airport convenience--Shanghai ranked first, Hangzhou ranked eighth, and Nanjing ranked 12th.

The Pearl River Delta Megalopolis has three cities in the top 30 cities with the most airport convenience--Guangzhou ranked third, Shenzhen ranked fourth, and Zhuhai ranked 27th.

Eight cities in the three megalopoliss make it into the top 30. In particular, the international aviation hubs in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen make the three megalopolises the areas best served by air transport, and bolster the communication economy for megalopolises.