Chengdu is an exception among large Chinese cities. It's the only urban area of over 7 million people not in East China, near the Pacific coast. The largest city in mostly mountainous or arid West China, it is a concentration of the population of the Sichuan Basin. The pace of life is the most relaxed of China's large cities. Though industry does play a part in Chengdu's economy, its growth is more a result of the tide of urbanization driving the rural population towards the cities in search of better paid work, than of foreign or domestic investment.