China's three major megalopolises compared

(3) Companies Listed on Main Boards

The three megalopolises are home to more than half of the companies listed on the main boards in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis accounting for 15.9 percent, the Yangtze River Delta Megalopolis 28 percent, and the Pearl River Delta Megalopolis 10.3 percent, meaning 54.2 percent combined.

The three major megalopolises can be gauged by the performance of the top 30 cities among the nation's 298 cities at prefecture level and above in terms of the number of companies listed on the main boards.

The Yangtze River Delta Megalopolis has seven cities in the top 30 cities with the most companies listed on the main boards. They are Shanghai in first place, Nanjing and Hangzhou in forth, Ningbo in ninth, Hefei in 13th, Suzhou in 21st, and Wuxi in 24th.

The Pearl River Delta Megalopolis has only two cities in the top 30, including Shenzhen in third place, Guangzhou in seventh. The megalopolis's Dongguan and Foshan, who are well known for manufacturing, are still powered by the "factory economy."

The three megalopolises have 11 cities making it to the list of the top 30 cities with the most companies listed on the main boards. In particular, Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen together are home to 31.3 percent of the country's main-board-listed companies.

(4) Chinese Enterprises in Fortune 500

The three megalopolises are home to 80 percent of the country's Chinese enterprises entering the Fortune Global 500 list, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis 54.3 percent, the Yangtze River Delta Megalopolis 14.3 percent, and the Pearl River Delta Megalopolis 11.4 percent.

The performance of the three regions can be measured by observing the top 30 cities among China's 298 cities at prefecture level and above in terms of the number of Chinese companies on the Fortune Global 500 list.

Three cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis make the top 30, including Beijing coming first, and Tianjin and Shijiazhuang in 11th.

Four cities in the Yangtze River Delta Megalopolis make it into the top 30, including Shanghai in second place, Hangzhou in fourth, and Nanjing and Suzhou in seventh.

The Pearl River Delta Megalopolis has three cities in the top 30, including Shenzhen in third, Guangzhou in fourth, and Foshan in seventh.

The three regions have a total of 10 cities making the top 30. Beijing tops the list, as it has 52.4 percent of Fortune 500 Chinese companies.