Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province topped a list of Chinese cities with the highest development potential in 2019, according to a report by Sina Finance.

China's capital city Beijing and financial center Shanghai grabbed the second and third spots on this year's list, followed by Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong province.

Population numbers continued to swell in first- and second-tier cities with prominent industrial foundations and development potential. These cities, especially Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, take a leading role in industrial innovation, hosting 70 percent of the country's listed companies and obtaining 75 percent of granted invention patents in the country.

However, the absolute purchasing power in first- and second-tier cities outweighed other cities, creating a wide disparity. In 2017, savings deposits from both urban and rural residents in first- and second-tier cities was 115,000 yuan ($16,164) and 66,000 yuan, respectively. Third- and fourth-tier cities had, by contrast, only 41,000 and 32,000 yuan.

Let's take a look at the top 10 Chinese cities with the highest development potential in 2019.