The China Western Development strategy started in 2000 as the mainland sought to spread the economic vitality of its booming eastern cities across the country. This resulted in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, transitioning into a kinetic 14-million person hub of manufacturing, hi-tech research and development, financial services, retail and trade, and tourism.

Sanya's clean air is making it an increasingly popular destination for tourists, part-time residents and investors from across mainland China, as pollution becomes more of a concern. 

Large shopping malls are significant catalysts of service sector growth in mainland cities, and Zhengzhou has built its consumer economy around them. 

With 60 skyscrapers in two concentric circles, Zhengzhou's Zhengdong central business district (CBD) aims to become a financial and banking hub in central China.

Zhengzhou's Zhengdong New District was once cited as one of the mainland's ghost cities by the international media, but the steady increase in public services, transport infrastructure, commercial outlets, educational facilities and employment opportunities has transformed the district into a place that is ready to sustain a large population. At least 1.4 million people have already moved in, and more are on the way. 

The mainland often revitalises its new cities, districts and towns with new university campuses. It is a logical strategy because an influx of students, faculty and staff can help to populate a newly developed area, instantly create a sizeable consumer base and encourage investment in shops and entertainment. 

When Chinese manufacturers entered the global hi-tech space, they were known for copying the designs of big companies from other countries. Fledgling manufacturers became notorious for Nokia and Motorola knock-offs in the early days, while Apple and Samsung became the main sources for replication later. Although as China’s hi-tech manufacturers evolved, their propensity for producing knock-offs transitioned into a driver for innovation and niche market adaption which has allowed them to compete against the big brands they copy in many global markets.

Grassroots hardware innovators from around the world have been drawn to Shenzhen for one reason: its capacity to produce. Prototypes and products are easier and cheaper to develop and roll out here than anywhere else on the planet, and a vibrant international community of hardware innovators have formed around the city’s electronics markets, startup incubators, and factories.

In January, Premier Li Keqiang went on a three-day inspection tour of Guangdong province under the banner of promoting reform and structural adjustment to counteract a slowing export market and a stagnating domestic economy. Along with visiting Qianhai Webank, the mainland's first virtual bank; Huawei Technologies, a rising domestic tech giant; and the new Guangdong Free Trade Zone, the premier also made two stops at less typical locations: the Chaihuo makerspace and Seeed Studios, a hardware development platform for makers.

China has long been seen as the final frontier of new customers for Western companies, a place where the commercial wells are deep – 1.35 billion people deep, to be precise.

Shenzhen is known as the Silicon Valley of China for good reason: tech giants Tencent, BYD, Huawei and ZTE have their headquarters there, and the infrastructure, investment and government support enables the city in the Pearl River Delta to generate more hi-tech enterprises.

As China transitions from an export to domestic consumption-based economy, many imported goods have gone from being rare and expensive to becoming readily available. Once the preserve of cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, it is now common to find imported food shops, foreign-food sections in supermarkets, and authentic international restaurants in third and fourth-tier cities.