Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, ranked fourth among 15 new first-tier cities, according to the 2022 city commercial charm list released on June 1 by Chinese financial news outlet Yicai.

The other new first-tier cities are, in sequence: Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, Tianjin, Changsha, Dongguan, Ningbo, Foshan, Hefei, and Qingdao.

Xi'an ranks fourth among 15 new first-tier cities. [Photo/Xi'an municipal government's WeChat account]

Xi'an's ranking in the list of new first-tier cities has jumped from eighth in 2017 to fourth in 2022.

The index system of the 2022 list includes five first-level indicators, 17 second-level indicators and 78 third-level indicators. Xi'an performed well in multiple indicators.

Xi'an ranked sixth among the 15 cities in terms of the gathering of commercial resources. In recent years, Xi'an's business gathering has continued to increase, with the nighttime economy developing rapidly.

A total of 212 first stores of various brands opened in Xi'an in 2021, including nine first stores in China and 139 in Northwest China.

Tourists flock to Datang Everbright City in Xi'an at night. [Photo/Xi'an municipal government's WeChat account]

The city also ranked as the third most important transportation hub among the 15 cities. In 2022, Xi'an will start the construction of Xi'an East Railway Station and accelerate major projects such as the Xi'an-Yan'an, Xi'an-Ankang and Xi'an-Shiyan high-speed railways.

In addition, Xi'an ranked sixth in terms of future flexibility. Xi'an's population has grown by more than 40 percent in the past decade.

According to the country's Seventh National Census conducted in 2020, the average age of the population in Xi'an is 37.1 years old, which is lower than the national average, meaning it has strong development prospects.