  This paper examines the dynamic behavior of city size using a distribution
dynamics approach with Chinese city data for the period 1984-2010. Instead of
convergence, divergence or paralleled growth, multimodality and persistence are
the dominant characteristics in the distribution dynamics of Chinese
prefectural cities. Moreover, initial city size matters, initially small and
medium-sized cities exhibit strong tendency of convergence, while large cities
show significant persistence and multimodality in the sample period.
Examination on the regional city groups shows that locational fundamentals have
important impact on the distribution dynamics of city size.
