More cities in China have entered the first-tier city club as they catch up with traditional metropolises like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Financial news portal Yicai.com recently released its 2019 ranking of China's new first-tier cities, with Southwest China's Kunming of Yunnan province a newcomer this year. Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province, on the other hand, has missed out in this year's list.

Evaluation statistics include big data from 170 major consumer brands as well as consumer data from 18 internet companies from different sectors in 337 cities. Criteria include the cities' business resources, potential to function as a hub, resident activity, lifestyle diversity and future adaptability.

Let's take a look at the top 15 new first-tier cities in China this year.

Shoppers examine flowers in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. [Photo by Yang Zheng/For China Daily]

To better manage its exports, Ningbo Customs has strengthened actions during a four-month national campaign code-named Longteng. [Photo provided to China Daily]

An aerial photo of Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province, shot by a drone on May 6, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

Cargo is unloaded from a container ship docked at Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, on Jan 11, 2019. [Photo/IC]

A girl poses in front of Golden Trumpet trees at a park in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong province, on Feb 26, 2019. [Photo/VCG]

A night view of Zhengzhou, Henan province. [Photo/VCG]

The development of intelligent vehicles mirrors how Changsha is leveraging its advantages to pursue high-quality development. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A guide introduces the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System to visitors at a space-themed exhibition in Nanjing, Jiangsu province on Feb 18, 2019. [Photo/IC]

A photo taken on May 22, 2019 shows a multi-functional AI-based autonomous driving bus with the features of a giant panda in Tianjin. [Photo/IC]

A drone captures a night view of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park. [Photo/Xinhua]

An aerial view of the Bell Tower, buildings and streets at night in Xi'an city, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on March 9, 2018. [Photo/IC]

The Wuhan section of the Yangtze River. [Photo/Xinhua]

A view of the illuminated Hongyadong housing complex in Jiangbei district, Chongqing on June 8, 2018. [Photo/IC]

West Lake in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on July 14, 2018. [Photo/VCG]

A 15-meter-tall panda sculpture at the Chengdu International Finance Square building is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan province on June 24, 2018. [Photo/VCG]