Suzhou, officially upgraded.
Recently, Suzhou officials released a statement to refute the recent rumors about the adjustment of internal administrative divisions. Officials said that this adjustment is not a change in administrative divisions, but only an adjustment of the statistical caliber of urban and rural classification. According to the new statistics, the number of permanent residents in Suzhou has reached 512510,000 people. 
As we all know, China's urban scale level is divided according to the number of permanent residents in urban areas, and is divided into five categories and seven grades. This means that after this adjustment of statistical caliber, Suzhou has been promoted from a large city to a megacity. This news is undoubtedly an important milestone for Suzhou, and it also further consolidates its position as the "most bullish prefecture-level city". Suzhou not only stands out in the camp of prefecture-level cities, but its economic strength is even comparable to that of many sub-provincial cities. In 2023, Suzhou's GDP reached 246 trillion yuan, ranking sixth among cities in the country, second only to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chongqing. The size of the permanent population reached 129110,000 people. It is one of the few cities in the country with a GDP of one trillion yuan and a population of 10 million.
The strongest prefecture-level city: Suzhou
At the third session of the 17th Suzhou Municipal People's Congress, which opened on the morning of January 16, Suzhou Mayor Wu Qingwen made a work report, which disclosed the report card of the past year, which was amazing. According to the report, Suzhou won a number of "firsts" in 2023. First of all, the main indicators of per capita disposable income and economic growth of Suzhou residents remain at the forefront of the national cities, and this achievement is due to the rapid development of Suzhou's economy and the continuous increase of residents' income. This not only improves the living standards of residents, but also provides strong support for Suzhou's economic development. 
Secondly, Suzhou ranks first in the world in terms of the number of "lighthouse factories", national science and technology business incubators, and national science and technology small and medium-sized enterprises. The achievement of these achievements shows that Suzhou has made remarkable progress in scientific and technological innovation and industrial upgrading, and has become a highland of scientific and technological innovation in the country and even the world. In addition, Suzhou has ranked first in the consumer satisfaction evaluation of 100 cities in China Consumers Association for two consecutive years, and this achievement is inseparable from Suzhou's attention to and maintenance of consumer rights and interests. This also shows that Suzhou has made significant progress in urban management and public services. Finally, the total number of newly established market entities in Suzhou ranks first in the province. This achievement shows that Suzhou has made remarkable progress in optimizing the business environment and stimulating market vitality. This also provides a strong guarantee for the sustainable development of Suzhou's economy.
The reason why Suzhou is so strong is first of all because of its strategic location, located in the Yangtze River Delta region, which is one of the most economically developed regions in China. In addition, Suzhou is also blessed with unique natural conditions, such as the beautiful scenery on the shore of Taihu Lake and the unique culture of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, which provide strong support for the development of Suzhou.
Suzhou has a profound historical and cultural heritage and is one of the famous historical and cultural cities in China. It has a rich historical and cultural heritage and beautiful garden landscape, which attracts a large number of tourists to come for sightseeing and tourism, and injects vitality into Suzhou's economic development.
In addition, Suzhou's industrial layout is also very reasonable, dominated by high-tech industries, manufacturing and modern service industries, and the rapid development of these industries has also provided a strong impetus for Suzhou's economic development. At the same time, Suzhou has also introduced a series of support policies to encourage the innovation and development of enterprises, attracting a large number of outstanding talents and enterprises to invest in business.
In addition, Suzhou's transportation, education, medical and other infrastructure is also very perfect, the construction of these infrastructure not only improves the people's living standards, but also provides a strong guarantee for Suzhou's economic development.
However, behind the glamorous, Suzhou also hides an indescribable embarrassment. Due to various historical reasons, Suzhou has not been able to have its own airport, which has become a major pain point in Suzhou.
For many people in Suzhou, every time they need to fly, they have to run to nearby cities such as Shanghai or Wuxi. This kind of travel not only consumes time and energy, but also brings a lot of inconvenience to the journey. Imagine a journey that should have been completed in a short amount of time and became long and tiring due to a transfer along the way. For business people and tourists, this inconvenience greatly affects their efficiency and experience.
More worryingly, Suzhou, which does not have an airport, also faces huge challenges in attracting investment and tourism resources. Many potential investors and tourists may choose other cities because of the lack of transportation, which is undoubtedly a big loss for Suzhou's economic development. As an important transportation hub of a city, the airport can not only enhance the city's image, but also promote the development of related industries, such as air tourism and logistics. The pain point of not having an airport has made countless Suzhou people feel lost, and it has also affected the development of related industries.