Beijing(People's Daily) - China’s 13 provinces gained over 2 trillion yuan ($289 billion) in GDP during the first three quarters, according to data local governments released on Monday.

Guangdong Province, home to the Pearl Delta, ranked first with a GDP exceeding 7 trillion yuan ($1.01 billion), followed by Jiangsu, the high-tech and smart manufacturing hub in the Yangtze River Delta.

The third and fourth coastal candidates are Shandong in East China and Zhejiang in Southeast China. They have vied against each other in economic performance for years, yet Shandong often performs better due to a larger population.

(Bar chart produced by Bai Yuanqi/People's Daily)

As for economic growth, 17 provinces did better than the national average, with Yunnan Province topping the list at 9.1 percent. Not to be outdone, neighboring Guizhou Province registered 9 percent with huge central government support and poverty-reduction efforts.

As expected, Tianjin, one of the nation’s four provincial cities which also borders Beijing, again ranked at the bottom. It has vowed to revitalize industries and has been offering incentives to lure talent over the past few years following the fake GDP data scandal.

Northeast China, the erstwhile center of heavy industries, gained following years fighting falsified data. The growth rate of Liaoning Province, the best in the rust belt, stood at 5.4 percent in the first three quarters, the biggest jump in 2018. 

However, Heilongjiang Province recovery seemed mediocre. Officials attributed it to pressure to cut steel and coal production, poor investments and less fruitful animal husbandry efforts.