North vs South: A Historical Pivoting

China’s economy grew by 2.3 percent year-on-year in 2020. But there is a big imbalance among regions. In the top 10 provinces in terms of total GDP in 2020, only two, Henan and Shandong, are in the north. In the top 10 cities, Beijing is the only northern one. By contrast, in early years of China’s reform and opening-up about 40 years ago, the north contributed more than the south to the national economy. Analysts have noticed that the south has outperformed the north since the 1990s, and the gap has widened since 2013.  In history, there was also a process of a southward pivot of China’s economic and cultural centers.  Even brutal intervention from the emperor did not stop this process.