China's smaller cities also showing signs of property risk

Beijing

BEIJING and Shanghai are now well known for their ballooning house prices - double-digit gains last year prompted more regulatory tightening. But the risk factors that could decide the fate of China's property boom can be found well beyond the capital and biggest city.

A close look at the available economic data of 10 cities reveals big differences in the factors that can inflate - and deflate - property bubbles, including population growth, income gains and the ratio between house prices and pay.