Chinese cities are not really "cities". They are closer to counties and in some instances like Chongqing, a literal province. The bigger cities are a administratively half a level above counties.
Ya, CQ is about the size of Maine, hardly just a city. Core urban CQ is only around 9.5 million people, which isn't that large by Chinese standards. Shanghai is much less rural at around 22-24 million people.
seanmcdirmid|2 years ago