The original 15 sub-provincial cities were created on February 25, 1994 by the Central Organization Committee out of prefecture-level cities. They are sometimes the capitals of the provinces in which they are located. Currently, there are 15 sub-provincial cities. Listed below in descending population.

Name	Province	Population	Area sq km	Density sq km
Chengdu	Sichuan	14,047,625	12,390	1133.8
Guangzhou	Guangdong	12,700,800	7,434.4	1,708.4
Harbin	Heilongjiang	10,635,971	53,791	197.7
Shenzhen	Guangdong	10,357,938	2,050	5,052.7
Wuhan	Hubei	9,785,392	8,467.11	1,155.7
Qingdao	Shandong	8,715,100	10,654	818.0
Hangzhou	Zhejiang	8,700,400	16,596	524.2
Xi'an	Shaanxi	8,467,837	9,983	848.2
Shenyang	Liaoning	8,106,171	12,924	627.2
Nanjing	Jiangsu	8,001,680	6,587	1,214.8
Changchun	Jilin	7,677,089	20,532	373.91
Ningbo	Zhejiang	7,605,689	9,816	774.8
Jinan	Shandong	6,814,000	8,177	833.3
Dalian	Liaoning	6,690,432	13,237	505.1
Xiamen	Fujian	3,531,347	1,565	2,256.5