Why is it a coincidence that many first-and second-tier cities in China are developing in the east of the city?

What a coincidence. Why do you say that? I randomly analyzed three cities. Beijing's International Trade Zone was originally an embassy area near the East Third Ring Road, with embassies of all countries nearby, gradually forming a gathering of foreign trade and gradually evolving into today's international trade CBD. However, when Shanghai proposed development around 90 years ago, there was a huge difference between the two sides of the Huangpu River. Pudong was still a country and a field, and Puxi was "Great Shanghai". At that time, there was a proverb "I would rather have a bed in the west than a house in Pudong", which vividly reflected the differences between the two sides of Huangpu at that time. As for Tianhe in Guangzhou, there is guangzhou east railway station near Tianhe, plus Tianhe City, Guangzhou Computer City and CITIC Building. Tianhe sports center and other places have gradually become another center of Guangzhou.

However, you have a little misunderstanding, that is, Guo Mao and Tianhe do not belong to new areas or development zones, but are just settlements spontaneously formed with commerce and development, which are not specially planned, and Tianhe, for example, is originally the traditional old city of Guangzhou. Only Pudong can belong to the nature of a new district or development zone.