Tianhe district of Guangzhou was placed second on the list of China's top 100 districts in 2024, only second to Shenzhen's Nanshan district, according to a recent report from the market research firm CCID Consulting.

The list took a "double threshold" evaluation principle, setting the bar at a district having a GDP of over 80 billion yuan ($11.16 billion) and general public budget revenue topping 2 billion yuan.

A rating system with 23 indexes was also adopted to conduct assessments from the five aspects of economic strength, growth impetus, endogenous support, regional development level, and sharing development.

Going up in the world: The vibrant Tianhe district scored super high among China’s districts. [Photo/WeChat account: gztzth]

In 2023, Tianhe's GDP stood at 655.13 billion yuan, accounting for 21.6 percent of Guangzhou's total and having topped the city for 17 consecutive years.

The district now has more than 750,000 business entities, over 580,000 companies, and over 9,000 enterprises above a designated size – those that have an annual revenue of 20 million yuan or more.

It hosts 77 percent of the licensed financial institutions, 46 percent of the software enterprises above the designated size, one-third of the accounting firms, one-third of the law firms, and 70 percent of human resources agencies in Guangzhou.

It is also the country's only urban area with a national-level central business district and a national high-tech zone. It boasts 11 national titles including being a national digital service export base and a national cultural export base.