This thesis investigates the determinants of bureaucratic promotion in China. By analyzing the 2005-2016 panel data on 283 prefecture-level cities, I find unlike previous studies, the effect of economic performance, as the typical criteria for the meritocratic political selection system, is not strong in these years. Instead, factional ties, i.e. connections built through work, education, or shared birthplaces, as a symbol of cronyism in the system, are found to be positively correlated with promotion. Individual characteristics including age and education exert positive effects as well. Further analyses also show that in recent years, land revenue does not have the distortionary effect of reducing GDP growth in promotion.