Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Beijing and Guangzhou are the top Chinese cities by their inflow of talent over the past 10 years, Yicai reported on Nov 25. The Chinese financial media outlet analyzed data from 35 cities, including municipalities, provincial cities with five million populations, those with GDP of over a trillion yuan and Dongguan, a manufacturing-focused city in Guangdong province.

Compared to 2010, Shanghai has added 3.37 million talents as of 2020, obtaining first place. The city has many multinational companies and financial institutions, as well as outstanding capabilities in research and innovation. As a leading city in the Yangtze River Delta region, Shanghai also gathers talents from the Yangtze River Delta, East and Central China and Yangtze River Economic Belt.

The report defined talent as people who have completed their university study. The full top 10 list is below.