On November 20, 2014, the State Council announced new guidelines on the classification of cities based on the size of their population.
According to the new classifications, cities with a population of over 10 million are "super large cities." Those having a population between 5 million and 10 million are called "extra large cities." "Large cities" have a population from 1 to 5 million; "medium cities" are between 500,000 and 1 million; and "small cities," have a population under 500,000. As a result, most cities will be downgraded. The number of super large cities will be reduced from the current 140 to 16. The new classifications are meant to redirect the flow of migrants from large cities to smaller cities.
Source: Beijing Times, November 21, 2014
http://epaper.jinghua.cn/html/2014-11/21/content_145671.htm