Abstract:Talent is a primary resource, a driving engine of structural transformation of economy in a region or a country and a key factor for improving the functions of a city. Since the beginning of 2017, nearly 60 first- to fourth-tier cities have launched "the wars for talents" and the wars among cities are becoming more and more intense. Thus, how to attract talents, retain talents and make good use of talents has become a gap for breakthrough in developing economy in big cities. This paper, based on the comparative analysis of the current situation of attracting talents among the first- and second-tier cities, has pointed out some issues in attracting talents, explored the in-depth causes of the talent war and put forward some strategies in promoting talent acquisition among cities.