Besides Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, another 15 cities have joined the elite club of China's first-tier cities due to their commercial charm, according to a report by the China Business Network (CBN) Co., Ltd.

A giant panda is seen at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 31, 2015. (Photo: Xinhua/Xu Yubin)

The new ranking, released by Shanghai-based media group CBN on Monday, lifted Chengdu and six other provincial capital cities, two municipalities and six coastal cities in the east as China's new first-tier cities.

The city of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, tops the list, which also includes Hangzhou, Wuhan, Tianjin, Nanjing, Chongqing, Xi'an, Changsha, Qingdao, Shenyang, Dalian, Xiamen, Suzhou, Ningbo and Wuxi.

Instead of GDP and population, the number of brand outlets, catering industry, cinemas and skyscrapers are emphasized more in the list. Chongqing, a municipality in southwest China, comes No. 2 in the amount of high-rises after Shanghai.

To compile the list, CBN emphasized a city's connectivity with the outside world, given its capability of delivering merchandise, cash, talents, lifestyle and even values to neighboring areas.

The use of smartphone apps in transport and online shopping, the availability of subway and the active number of LinkedIn users are also important to measure the vitality of urban residents. Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, tops the subindex among the 15 new first-tier cities.

More interestingly, a city with more cafe and restaurant varieties would rank higher in the sub-index of lifestyle diversity, where Xiamen, a popular tourism city in southeast China, gets the top scores.

In addition, the air quality, the number of universities and venture companies would also help boost a city's ranking, as Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, beat its peers in the sub-index.

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