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Average Engineering Project Leader Salary in China for 2026

An engineering project leader in China earns about 394,300 CNY a year. That's 12% above the national average of 351,900 CNY.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in China sit around 190,500 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 619,000 CNY. Everything on this page is in Chinese yuan (CNY, symbol ¥), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in China, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does an engineering project leader make in China?

Average salary
394,300 CNY
32,858 CNY per month
Lowest reported
190,500 CNY
15,875 CNY per month
Highest reported
619,000 CNY
51,583 CNY per month

A typical engineering project leader working in China brings home around 32,858 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 190,500 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 619,000 CNY for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior engineering project leader working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How engineering project leader pay ranges in China

A good way to think about salary in China is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all engineering project leaders in China earn less than 411,400 CNY a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 271,300 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 535,800 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of engineering project leaders sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 190,500 CNY. The highest stretch to 619,000 CNY, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

190,500
Low
411,400
Median
619,000
High
271,300
25th
535,800
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Engineering project leader pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an engineering project leader in China, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical engineering project leader salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    222,300 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +42% from previous
    315,700 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +31% from previous
    414,000 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    507,300 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    538,600 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +10% from previous
    592,600 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a engineering project leader typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Engineering project leader pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving engineering project leader pay in China. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average engineering project leader salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    349,300 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +43% from previous
    498,000 CNY

Engineering project leader gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male engineering project leaders in China earn an average of 412,000 CNY a year, while female engineering project leaders earn around 384,500 CNY. That works out to a 7% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Engineering Project Leader gender pay gap

7%

Men earn this much more than women on average in China.

Men 412,000 CNY
Women 384,500 CNY

Pay raises for an engineering project leader in China

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in China sees a raise of about 12% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in China, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in China:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education
    2%

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Engineering project leader bonus rates in China

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

84%

84% of engineering project leaders in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an engineering project leader a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 16% of engineering project leaders reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in China

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Engineering project leader: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in China is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in China on average.

Public sector 362,200 CNY
Private sector 341,400 CNY

Engineering project leader salary by city and region in China

Engineering project leader pay is not even across China. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Sichuan
  • Guangzhou
  • Jiangsu
  • Hebei
  • Beijing (city)
  • Shandong
  • Wuhan
  • Shanghai (city)
  • Hunan
  • Guangdong
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
SichuanRegion467,100 CNY485,200 CNY225,700-735,500 CNY
GuangzhouCity464,400 CNY480,300 CNY222,300-725,700 CNY
JiangsuRegion459,300 CNY440,200 CNY238,900-704,300 CNY
HebeiRegion457,300 CNY431,100 CNY240,500-694,700 CNY
Beijing (city)City451,000 CNY451,000 CNY225,700-696,700 CNY
ShandongRegion451,000 CNY413,900 CNY243,000-680,100 CNY
WuhanCity450,300 CNY450,300 CNY225,300-698,200 CNY
Shanghai (city)City447,300 CNY447,300 CNY221,500-693,100 CNY
HunanRegion442,300 CNY407,300 CNY238,900-669,100 CNY
GuangdongRegion442,300 CNY425,100 CNY231,000-679,200 CNY
ZhejiangRegion442,200 CNY466,900 CNY207,700-694,700 CNY
HenanRegion440,200 CNY450,300 CNY215,100-691,200 CNY
Tianjin (city)City437,900 CNY448,500 CNY214,000-684,900 CNY
ChengduCity437,900 CNY414,000 CNY232,400-665,300 CNY
HangzhouCity431,100 CNY394,300 CNY232,900-646,600 CNY
HubeiRegion428,400 CNY453,200 CNY200,000-675,100 CNY
Chongqing (city)City425,100 CNY459,300 CNY196,800-677,100 CNY
YunnanRegion424,900 CNY431,300 CNY207,700-663,200 CNY
JinanCity424,300 CNY404,600 CNY221,500-648,200 CNY
ShantouCity421,400 CNY403,100 CNY217,900-643,400 CNY
HarbinCity419,400 CNY399,900 CNY216,800-639,100 CNY
AnhuiRegion417,100 CNY394,800 CNY222,300-637,500 CNY
GuangxiRegion414,000 CNY414,000 CNY207,800-639,900 CNY
Xi anCity414,000 CNY447,300 CNY190,500-659,400 CNY
FujianRegion413,900 CNY437,900 CNY194,600-656,800 CNY
LiaoningRegion406,300 CNY437,300 CNY187,500-642,800 CNY
ShenzhenCity398,300 CNY415,900 CNY192,000-626,800 CNY
ShanxiRegion396,300 CNY396,300 CNY197,600-615,300 CNY
ShenyangCity394,500 CNY428,400 CNY183,600-629,800 CNY
NanjingCity392,300 CNY384,500 CNY200,000-605,700 CNY
SuzhouCity392,300 CNY417,200 CNY185,100-620,300 CNY
JiangxiRegion392,300 CNY392,300 CNY195,200-608,500 CNY
WenzhouCity390,000 CNY397,900 CNY192,600-612,500 CNY
GansuRegion389,200 CNY357,700 CNY209,700-588,500 CNY
GuizhouRegion384,500 CNY397,900 CNY185,100-603,400 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region384,200 CNY388,100 CNY187,300-595,300 CNY
ShaanxiRegion384,200 CNY407,100 CNY180,500-605,700 CNY
ChangchunCity381,800 CNY381,800 CNY192,000-589,400 CNY
DalianCity376,800 CNY404,600 CNY172,400-596,800 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion376,800 CNY367,200 CNY192,600-578,500 CNY
QingdaoCity375,200 CNY406,300 CNY172,200-596,100 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion371,100 CNY348,300 CNY195,200-563,300 CNY
FoshanCity367,900 CNY367,900 CNY183,700-566,900 CNY
KunmingCity367,200 CNY353,600 CNY192,600-562,600 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region366,200 CNY351,900 CNY192,000-559,000 CNY
JilinRegion366,200 CNY381,800 CNY174,000-575,100 CNY
DongguanCity365,400 CNY348,300 CNY190,500-556,000 CNY
ChangshaCity362,200 CNY384,200 CNY169,000-568,500 CNY
WuxiCity361,500 CNY349,300 CNY189,300-553,400 CNY
XiamenCity359,900 CNY351,900 CNY183,600-552,400 CNY
FuzhouCity357,300 CNY365,400 CNY172,200-555,800 CNY
QinghaiRegion357,300 CNY365,400 CNY174,000-556,000 CNY
HainanRegion354,000 CNY382,600 CNY161,600-563,300 CNY
QuanzhouCity353,600 CNY383,300 CNY161,300-562,200 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion353,600 CNY332,500 CNY187,300-535,900 CNY
NingxiaRegion353,600 CNY345,700 CNY181,600-545,300 CNY
Beijing (region)Region351,900 CNY345,100 CNY180,300-539,700 CNY
ZhengzhouCity341,400 CNY341,400 CNY172,200-529,600 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region340,000 CNY366,200 CNY157,600-539,800 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region335,800 CNY330,700 CNY172,200-519,300 CNY

Engineering Project Leader in China: FAQs

  • How much does an engineering project leader make per month in China?

    An engineering project leader in China earns about 32,858 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 394,300 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for an engineering project leader in China?

    Entry-level engineering project leaders in China start near 190,500 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 619,000 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 271,300 and 535,800 CNY.

  • Is the median engineering project leader salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 411,400 CNY, higher than the average of 394,300 CNY. Half of engineering project leaders in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for engineering project leaders in China?

    Men working as an engineering project leader in China earn around 7% more than women on average (412,000 vs 384,500 CNY a year).

  • Do engineering project leaders in China get bonuses?

    About 84% of engineering project leaders in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.

  • Do engineering project leaders earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays an engineering project leader about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do engineering project leaders in China get a pay raise?

    An engineering project leader in China sees a raise of around 12% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.