In 2013, the property market propelled Beijing's land transfer fees to a record high of 182.18 billion yuan ($30 billion), 2.8 times more than in 2012.

The fees for the whole year were roughly equivalent to the city's public fiscal revenue for the first half of 2013.

Land prices soared as real estate developers flocked into top-tier cities to compete in developing land, and they remained bullish on the prospects of first-tier cities while bearish on the growth potential of third and fourth-tier cities.

Shanghai's land sales topped the value stakes with 218.6 billion yuan ($36.13 billion) for 2013, 126 percent higher than in 2012.

The combined value of land sales for four first-tier cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, hit 512.7 billion yuan ($84.7 billion), up 150 percent from the year before.