The Chinese Government has formulated a national urban policy aimed at controlling the growth of large cities. However, this paper reveals that Chinese large cities still grow rapidly and that the control policy has not been well implemented. Economic reforms and rapid growth have been the major forces driving large city expansion. It suggests that the Government should recognize the limitations of government policies and should put more efforts into harmonizing the relationship between urban policy and economic policy, to improving urban facilities, and planning and management of large cities.