Abstract: Based on the DEA-Malmquist index method, panel data from 2000 to 2012 was selected and the stock of human capital as the labor input quantity was measured through the Maddison education method. The Total Factor Productivity(TFP)and its composition were calculated on both provincial and the national level. A systematic clustering analysis was employed to explore characteristics of the total factor productivity growth including the East, Central and West China with the Malmquist productivity index of 31 provinces. The paper used the absolute and relative β convergence analysis of the growth of TFP from the national level, eastern, and western provinces to find the change of the three regional and inter-regional economic growth quality with time. Results indicate that during the period of 2001 to 2012, the average TFP of national, eastern, western regions are 0.983, 1.003, 0.964, 0.976 respectively, and their growth of TFP are negative except the eastern region. The contribution from technical progress is better than technical efficiency. Technical efficiency is the main influencing factor which limits TFP improving. In term of TFP growth, most of the eastern provinces and part of the western provinces belong to the best area, and most of central provinces to the medium or poor area. There are obvious differences among western provinces which have both high level TFP growth provinces and low level ones. Instead of absolute convergence, there is conditional convergence in growth of TFP for whole nation and East, Central and West region, which means TFP from West to East have obvious gap and which will not be narrowing with time, but tend to be stable, and non-equilibrium phenomena of provincial economic development will exist for a long time. The innovation point of this paper is that labor'education effect to TFP is considered, and that the regional TFP's U distribution is found which East and West grow fast and Central shows obvious depression. This is not consistent with traditional view which TFP growth is decreasing from East to West gradually. This paper put some suggestions as follows: (1)to promote provincial technical efficiency is effective to improvement of TFP; (2)more attentions should be paid on the Central region of low quality growth; (3)different development policy should be taken among East, Central, andWest region.

Key words: total factor productivity, Malmquist index, technical progress, cluster analysis, convergence