The concept of the 城市 (chéngshì) is central to understanding modern China. The country's transformation over the past four decades has been defined by unprecedented urbanization (城市化 - chéngshìhuà), with hundreds of millions of people moving from rural areas to cities in search of opportunity. A key difference from the Western concept is administrative scope. In the West, a “city” usually refers to the core urbanized area. In China, a 市 (shì) is an administrative division that can be vast, often including extensive suburbs, towns, and even large swaths of rural farmland. For example, the “city” of Beijing (北京市 - Běijīng Shì) is a municipality that is administratively larger than some small European countries. When Chinese people say they are from a particular 城市, they might be referring to this larger administrative region, not just the downtown core. This concept is also tied to the *hukou* (户口) system, or household registration, which historically tied citizens to their place of birth, creating a sharp divide between urban (城市) and rural (农村 - nóngcūn) residents. While reforms are ongoing, this distinction still impacts access to social services and opportunities, making the 城市 a symbol of modernity, wealth, and social mobility.
城市 (chéngshì) is a high-frequency, neutral term used in almost every context imaginable.