The first 24 ancient cities of historical and cultural significance published by the State Council in 1982 are: Beijing, Chengde, Datong, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Quanzhou, Jingdezhen, Qufu, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Jingzhou, Changsha, Guangzhou, Guilin, Chengdu, Zunyi, Kunming, Dali, Lhasa, Xian, and Yan'an.

The second group of 38 cities published in 1986 includes: Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Nanchang, Chongqing, Baoding, Pingyao, Hohhot, Zhenjiang, Xuzhou, Ningbo, Shexian, Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinan, An'yang, Nanyang, Lijiang, Shigatse, Wuwei, Zhangye, Dunhuang, Yinchuan, Kashgar, etc.

The third batch announced in 1994 includes 37 cities, which are mainly: Harbin, Jilin, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Yueyang, Leshan, Dujiangyan, Tianshui and so on.