Globally cities are on the front lines of dealing with greenhouse gas and air pollution issues, particularly Chinese cities that are growing rapidly. Steps Chinese cities take to become truly low carbon will ultimately determine China's success to address climate change emissions. Through the case studies of three cities - Shenzhen, Nanchang, Xiamen and Zhenjiang - the research seeks to bring a more nuanced understanding to how China’s pioneer low-carbon city model contributes to China’s climate governance and the bottom-up approach in the world.