Foshan, located in the hinterland of the Pearl River Delta, is one of the most powerful and dynamic areas in China. Together with Guangzhou, the "Guangfo Metropolitan Circle" is an important part of the "Guangfo-Zhao Economic Circle" and the "Pearl River Xijiang Economic Belt", and it is in a leading position in the economic and social development map of Guangdong Province. Second-tier cities are capital cities, coastal open cities and economically developed prefecture-level cities in the central and eastern regions. There are only four recognized first-tier cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and second-tier cities are regional central cities other than the above four cities.

Second-tier cities include Suzhou, Ningbo, Xuzhou, Zhenjiang, Quanzhou, Huai 'an, Nantong, Changzhou, Hefei, Taiyuan, Yangzhou, Daqing, Nanning, Guilin, Baotou, Hohhot, Kunming, Harbin, Wenzhou, Zhuhai, Guiyang, Foshan, Zhongshan, Jiaxing, Zhengzhou, Nanchang, Dongguan, Weihai, Linyi and Huizhou.