Visualizing the urban network constructed by the most innovative enterprises in China

As important actors in innovation, global innovative enterprises have shaped the innovative pattern of the world. China’s most innovative enterprises have also transformed the innovative landscape in China. Using the location information of the 1778 most innovative enterprises in China and the headquarter–branch method, we visualized the Chinese urban network constructed by these enterprises. Although the network covers 353 cities across China, its spatial distribution is extremely uneven. A few cities dominate the structure of the network, and Beijing stands in a strong control position. Megacities and provincial capitals have become the favoured headquarter locations of innovative enterprises. The five major urban agglomerations form the uneven diamond structure in the innovation network.