The cities in the south include Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guilin, and Zhuhai. The south is also called the southern region, which generally refers to the southern part of the monsoon zone in eastern China, mainly the area south of the Qinling Mountains and the Huaihe River. The southern region accounts for about 25% of the country's land area.

The terrain in the south is higher in the west and lower in the east. The terrain consists of plains, basins and plateaus, with rivers and branches crisscrossing them and lakes dotted around them.

According to data from various local statistical bureaus, in 2020, the top ten cities in southern China are Shanghai (3,870.06 billion yuan), Shenzhen (2,767.02 billion yuan), Guangzhou (2,501.91 billion yuan), and Chongqing (2,500.28 billion yuan) , Suzhou (2017.05 billion yuan), Chengdu (1771.67 billion yuan), Hangzhou (1610.60 billion yuan), Wuhan (1561.61 billion yuan), Nanjing (1481.80 billion yuan), Ningbo (1240.87 billion yuan).