Rethinking Regional Division: Incorporating Urban Development Level for Accurate Economic Analysis

Traditional regional classifications based solely on geographical location often fail to capture the true economic landscape. Figure 2, derived from the 'China City Commercial Attraction Ranking in 2020', demonstrates this limitation by illustrating the average trend of cities ranked by their commercial attractiveness. This visualization highlights the significant economic disparities that exist within geographically defined regions, emphasizing the need to incorporate urban development levels as a key factor in regional division for more accurate economic analysis.