This paper examines the dynamic spatial and temporal patterns of China’s urban hierarchy from 1950 to 2005. We limit the study to mainland China’s 137 urban agglomerations of 750,000 or more population as of 2005. The paper improves upon a classic approach to measuring shifting ranks within an urban hierarchy by applying advanced spatial analysis techniques. We use a Getis-Ord , a space-time Moran scatter plot, and dynamic LISA paths to examine the regional difference and change for these urban agglomerations. Our study revealed a north-south divide in the changing urban hierarchy of China after 1990. The analysis demonstrated that the spatial and temporal shift of urban dominance in China was closely associated with policy and economic factors. The paper concludes with a discussion of the differences across the six different time periods of change from 1950 to 2005. 1. Introduction The United Nations estimates on urban population show that China has urbanized rapidly between 1985 and 2005 with a 23 percent urban population in 1985 that had grown to 40 percent by 2005 [1]. This is even more remarkable when considering newer 2011 estimates that show 311,760,000 people living in China’s 237 urban agglomerations with 500,000 or more population [2]. This makes China the country with the world’s largest population living in large urban agglomerations. A number of warnings often accompany such world urban comparisons, especially when Chinese cities are involved as they are often overbounded—that is, referring to a larger territory, which may include a substantial rural population [3]. The use of an urban agglomeration definition by the United Nations lessens these concerns as it is a more standardized measure. An urban agglomeration is composed of a contiguous territory of a built-up area with urban density levels regardless of the placement of administrative boundaries [4]. Therefore, it is safe to say that China’s recent urban growth is spectacular in both contemporary and historical contexts. Under this background, our study aims to examine the dynamic spatial and temporal patterns of China’s urban hierarchy from 1950 to 2005. We limit the study to mainland China’s 137 urban agglomerations of 750,000 or more population as of 2005. Since 1950, China’s population has experienced steady growth. Although the urban population grew dramatically particularly after the 1990s, there was a considerable variation in growth rates among these urban agglomerations. As a result, China’s urban agglomeration hierarchy has changed significantly in this period as some urban
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