Tai'an, East China's Shandong province [Photo/VCG]

The city of Tai'an, East China's Shandong province made the list of China's 100 strongest cities in 2020, along with other 11 cities in the province.

The list was compiled by the Shanghai-based Warton Economic Institute based on 2020 data regarding gross domestic product, household savings, and development in science, education, culture, healthcare and environmental protection.

The top 10 cities were Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, Tianjin, Wuhan and Nanjing.

Tai'an ranked 78th on the list, while another 11 cities in Shandong including Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, Weifang, Zibo, Jining, Weihai, Dongying, Linyi, Dezhou, and Heze were also listed.

In recent years, Tai'an has seen rapid development in its business environment, transportation, manufacturing industry, and tourism resources.

The city's economy is gradually recovering from the impact of the epidemic. Its gross domestic product totaled 128.8 billion yuan ($18.4 billion) in H1, a year-on-year growth of 0.3 percent.

The city's government has emphasized the upgrading of industrial technology, with a growth rate of 90.3 percent.

Warton Economic Institute, founded in 1988 with approval from the Shanghai Municipal Government, is the first comprehensive research institute to focus on macroeconomics, regional economics and business development in China.