China Excellent Tourism Cites are selected according to the ways and standard set up by China National Tourism Administration. Since 1998, there are 9 batches of the cities up to the standards with the total number of 339 cities.
After the reform and opening up, the tourism in China has developed rapidly. For promoting the development of the city tourism and to drive the whole tourism industry in China, in March, 1995, China National Tourism Administration issued the Notice of Build and Select Excellent Tourism Cities in China. In April, 1996, along with the tourism conference of part of the cities held in Beijing, the excellent tourism cities’ selecting begins. After the in-depth research and preparing in 1997, China National Tourism Administration unveil the China Excellent Tourist City Inspection Standard (trial implementation) and Acceptance Method of China Excellent Tourism City in 1998. In 2003, China National Tourism Administration issued the revised China Excellent Tourist City Inspection Standard.
The Tourism City’s selection can be divided in 6 processes. And the Inspection Standard has 20 large categories, 176 items, with the total points 1000.
China Excellent Tourism Cities
| Province | Excellent Tourism City |
| Municipalities | Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing |
| Hebei Province | Qinhuangdao, Chengde, Shijiazhuang, Zhuozhou, Langfang, Baoding, Handan, Wuan, Zhunhua, Tangshan |
| Shanxi Province | Taiyuan, Datong, Yongji, Jincheng, Changzhi |
| Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | Baotou, Xilinhot, Hohhot, Hulun Buir, Manzhouli City, Zhalantun City, Chifeng City, Arxan, Holingol, Tongliao City, Erdos City |
| Liaoning Province | Dalian, Shenyang, Dandong, Jinzhou city, Benxi, Anshan, Fushun City, Huludao City, Liaoyang, Xingcheng City, Tieling, Panjin City, Chaoyang City, Yingkou City, Fuxin City, Zhuanghe City, Kaiyuan City, Fengcheng City |
| Jilin Province | Changchun, Jilin, Jiaohe City, Jian City, Yanji, Duihua City, Huadian City |
| Heilongjiang Province | Harbin, Mudanjiang City, Yichun City, Daqing City, Acheng City, Suifenhe City, Qiqihar City, Tieli City, Hulin City, Heihe City, Hailin |
| Jiangsu Province | Nanjing, Wuxi, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Zhenjiang, Xuzhou City, Kunshan City, Jiangyin City, Wujiang City, Yixing City, Changshu City, Jurong City, Wuxian City, Changzhou, Nantong, Lianyungang City, Liyang City, Huai'an, Yancheng, Zhangjiagang City, Taicang City, Rugao City, Jintan, Dongtai, Pizhou City, Taizhou City, Suqian City, Dafeng City |
| Zhejiang Province | Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jinhua City, Lin'an City, Zhuji City, Jiande City, Wenzhou, Dongyang City, Tongxiang City, Huzhou, Jiaxing City, Linhai City, Wenling City, Fuyang City, Haining City, Quzhou City, Zhoushan City, Ruian City, Lanxi City, Fenghua City, Taizhou City, Jiangshan City, Yuyao City, Yiwu City, Yueqing City, Lishui City |
| Anhui Province | Huangshan, Hefei, Bozhou City, Maanshan, Anqing, Wuhu, Chizhou, Tongling City, Sun City, Huainan City |
| Fujian Province | Xiamen, Wuyishan City, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Yong'an, Sanming City, Zhangzhou City, Changle City |
| Jiangxi Province | Jinggangshan, Nanchang, Jiujiang, Ganzhou City, Yingtan City, Jingdezhen, Shangrao City, Yichun City, Ji'an City |
| Shandong Province | Qingdao, Jinan, Weihai, Yantai, Tai'an, Qufu City, Penglai City, Wenden, Wing city, Jiaonan City, Zibo City, Qingzhou, Weifang, Liaocheng, Rizhao City, Rushan City, Linyi City , Jining City, Zoucheng, Shouguang City, Haiyang City, Longkou City, Zhangqiu, Laiwu City, Dezhou, Xintai City, Zhucheng, Jimo City, Qixia City, Zaozhuang City, Heze City, Binzhou City, Dongying City, Laizhou, Zhaoyuan |
| Henan Province | Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Puyang City, Jiyuan City, Dengfeng, Luoyang, Sanmenxia City, Anyang City, Jiaozuo, Hebi City, Lingbao, Xinzheng City, Xuchang City, Xinxiang City, Shangqiu City, Nanyang City, Yuzhou, Changge, Wugang City, Pingdingshan City, Xinyang City, Luohe, Zhumadian, Zhoukou City, Qinyang City, Gongyi City, Ruzhou |
| Hubei Province | Wuhan, Yichang, Jingzhou City, Shiyan City, Zhongxiang City, Xiangfan City, Jingmen City, Ezhou, Chibi, Xiaogan City, Enshi City, Icheon City |
| Hunan Province | Changsha, Yueyang City, Shaoshan City, Changde, Zhangjiajie, Chenzhou City, Zixing, Liuyang City, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan, Yiyang, Loudi City |
| Guangdong Province | Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan, Foshan, Jiangmen, Shantou, Huizhou City, Nanhai City, Shaoguan, Qingyuan City, Yangjiang City, Dongguan, Chaozhou, Zhanjiang, Heyuan City , Kaiping City, Meizhou City, Maoming City, Yangchun City |
| Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | Guilin, Nanning, Beihai, Liuzhou, Yulin, Wuzhou City, Guiping City, Qinzhou, Baise City, Hezhou, Pingxiang City, Yizhou |
| Hainan Province | Haikou, Sanya, Chonhan City, Danzhou, Qionghai |
| Sichuan Province | Chengdu, Emei City, Dujiangyan City, Leshan City, Chong City, Mianyang City, Guang'an City, Zigong City, Langzhong, Yibin, Luzhou City, Panzhihua City, Ya'an City, Jiangyou, Nanchong, Xichang City, Huaying City Qionglai, Deyang, Guangyuan, Suining City |
| Guizhou Province | Guiyang, Duyun City, Kaili, Zunyi, Anshun City, Chishui, Xingyi City |
| Yunnan Province | Kunming, Jinghong, Dali, Ruili, Luxi City, Lijiang, Baoshan City |
| Tibet Autonomous Region | Lhasa |
| Shaanxi Province | Xian, Xianyang, Baoji, Yan'an City, Hancheng City, Hanzhong City |
| Gansu Province | Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Tianshui, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Wuwei City, Jiuquan City, Pingliang City, Hezuo City |
| Qinghai | Golmud, Xining |
| Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region | Yinchuan |
| Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region | Turpan, Korla, Urumqi, Kashi, Karamay City, Hami City, Aksu, Yining, Altay, Changji City, Bole City, Fukang City, Shihezi City |