The skyline of Qianjiang New Town in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province [Photo/IC]

The National Smart City Joint Lab of the Chinese Society for Urban Studies released a report on the digital development of Chinese cities on Dec 17. Hangzhou, Zhejiang province ranked first among the "top 10 first-tier digital cities".

The report, entitled the 2019 Urban Digital Development Index, ranks major Chinese cities in terms of their digital environment, governance, living standards, and natural environment.

Hangzhou currently leads the nation in terms of digital development. It is the first city in China to allow residents to take buses and metros by scanning a QR code, and to access medical services by using an electronic social insurance card. It also boasts the nation's first cross-border e-commerce comprehensive experimental zone.

In addition, Hangzhou is pioneering the establishment of a "city brain", a cloud-powered and artificial intelligence-driven urban traffic management system that aims to boost the city's overall efficiency.

As of 2018, Hangzhou had seen double-digit growth in its digital economy for 14 consecutive quarters. Its digital sector contributes more than 50 percent of the city's economic growth.

Ningbo, another city in Zhejiang, also made the list, as did Shanghai and Nanjing, two other cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region.

The YRD has been prioritizing digital economic development in recent years. Statistics show that the region's digital economy was valued at 8.63 trillion yuan ($1.23 trillion) last year, accounting for 41 percent of regional GDP and 28 percent of the nation's digital economic output.

By leveraging digital technology, the region hopes to establish a smart logistics system, a new retail system, and a coordinated social governance platform.