Province (China)

Administrative divisions
of the People's Republic
of China
This article is part of the
Political divisions of China
series
Province level
Provinces
Autonomous regions
Municipalities
Special Administrative
Regions (SARs)
Prefecture level
Prefectures
Autonomous prefectures
Prefecture-level cities
Sub-provincial cities
Leagues
County level
Counties
Autonomous counties
County-level cities
Sub-prefecture-level cities
City districts
Banners
Autonomous banners
Township level
Townships (ethnic)
Sumu (ethnic)
Towns
Subdistricts
County districts
(defunct)

A province, in the context of China, is a translation of sheng (Chinese: 省; pinyin: shěng), which is an administrative division. Together with municipalities, autonomous regions, and the special administrative regions, provinces make up the first level (known as the province level) of administrative division in China.[1] Provinces are also the first level division of the Republic of China, commonly called "Taiwan", though this role has been diminished.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) currently controls 22 provinces. The PRC also claims, but does not control, Taiwan as a 23rd province. The Republic of China (ROC) controls Taiwan, as well as some offshore islands including Kinmen and Matsu, very near to Fujian province.

In the People's Republic of China, every province has a Communist Party of China provincial committee, headed by a secretary. The committee secretary is first-in-charge of the province, rather than the governor of the provincial government.

Contents

Facts about the provinces

Map and list

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Tibet Autonomous Region Qinghai Gansu Sichuan Yunnan Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Shaanxi Chongqing Municipality Guizhou Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Shanxi Henan Hubei Hunan Guangdong Hainan Hebei Heilongjiang Jilin Liaoning Beijing Municipality Tianjin Municipality Shandong Jiangsu Anhui Shanghai Municipality Zhejiang Jiangxi Fujian Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Macau Special Administrative Region
China administrative.gif

For a larger version of this map, see .

Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China. Note: this map depicts the theoretical administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China, which are not synchronized with the actual administrative divisions of the Republic of China. The People's Republic of China (PRC) controls mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao while the Republic of China controls Taiwan and nearby islands.

Map of provinces divisions in the People's Republic of China
China provinces numbered.png
Province of the People's Republic of China[2]
Map # Name Chinese (T) Chinese (S) Pinyin Postal map Abb.¹ Area² Capital Region ISO Admin. Division
1 Heilongjiang 黑龍江 黑龙江 Hēilóngjiāng Heilungkiang 黑 hēi 454,000 Harbin Northeast CN-23 List
2 Jilin 吉林 吉林 Jílín Kirin 吉 jí 187,400 Changchun Northeast CN-22 List
3 Liaoning 遼寧 辽宁 Liáoníng Fengtien 辽 liáo 145,900 Shenyang Northeast CN-21 List
4 Qinghai 青海 青海 Qīnghǎi Tsinghai 青 qīng 721,200 Xining Northwest CN-63 List
6 Shaanxi 陝西 陕西 Shǎnxī Shensi 陕 shǎn or 秦 qín 205,600 Xi'an Northwest CN-61 List
5 Gansu 甘肅 甘肃 Gānsù Kansu 甘 gān or 陇 lǒng 454,300 Lanzhou Northwest CN-62 List
7 Shanxi 山西 山西 Shānxī Shansi 晋 jìn 156,300 Taiyuan North CN-14 List
8 Hebei 河北 河北 Héběi Hopeh 冀 jì 187,700 Shijiazhuang North CN-13 List
9 Sichuan 四川 四川 Sìchuān Szechuan 川 chuān or 蜀 shǔ 485,000 Chengdu Southwest CN-51 List
10 Hubei 湖北 湖北 Húběi Hupeh 鄂 è 185,900 Wuhan South Central CN-42 List
11 Henan 河南 河南 Hénán Honan 豫 yù 167,000 Zhengzhou South Central CN-41 List
12 Shandong 山東 山东 Shāndōng Shantung 鲁 lǔ 153,800 Jinan East CN-37 List
13 Anhui 安徽 安徽 Ānhuī Anhwei 皖 wǎn 139,700 Hefei East CN-34 List
14 Jiangxi 江西 江西 Jiāngxī Kiangsi 赣 gàn 167,000 Nanchang East CN-36 List
15 Yunnan 雲南 云南 Yúnnán Yunnan 滇 diān or 云 yún 394,000 Kunming Southwest CN-53 List
16 Guizhou 貴州 贵州 Gùizhōu Kweichow 黔 qián or 贵 gùi 176,000 Guiyang Southwest CN-52 List
17 Hunan 湖南 湖南 Húnán Hunan 湘 xiāng 210,000 Changsha South Central CN-43 List
18 Jiangsu 江蘇 江苏 Jiāngsū Kiangsu 苏 sū 102,600 Nanjing East CN-32 List
19 Zhejiang 浙江 浙江 Zhèjiāng Chekiang 浙 zhè 102,000 Hangzhou East CN-33 List
20 Hainan 海南 海南 Hǎinán Hainan 琼 qióng 34,000 Haikou South Central CN-46 List
21 Guangdong 廣東 广东 Guǎngdōng Kwangtung 粤 yuè 180,000 Guangzhou South Central CN-44 List
22 Fujian 福建 福建 Fújiàn Fukien 闽 mǐn 121,300 Fuzhou East CN-35 List
23 Taiwan † 臺灣 台湾 Táiwān Taiwan 台 tái 35,581 Taibei East CN-71 List

Notes:

¹: Abbreviation for each Province level region
²: in km²
†: Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China has considered Taiwan Province to be its 23rd province even though it has never controlled any part of Taiwan. The Republic of China currently controls this area, which consists of Taiwan island and the Pescadores. The ROC also controls one county of Fuchien (or Fukien) province: Kinmen; and part of a second county: Lienchiang.

History

See also: History of the political divisions of China
This article is part of
a series on the
Administrative divisions
of the Republic of China
In effect
Provinces
(streamlined)
Municipalities
Counties
Provincial cities
County-controlled cities
Districts
Urban townships
Rural townships
Urban villages
Rural villages
Neighborhoods
Suspended
Regions
(also known as "Areas")
Special administrative
regions (SARs)
Leagues
Special banners
Bureaus
Management bureaus
Banners
Compare
Administrative levels
and divisions of the
People's Republic of China
Administrative divisions of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Note: this map depicts the theoretical administrative divisions of the Republic of China, which are not synchronized with the actual administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China. The ROC controls Taiwan and nearby islands while the PRC controls Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The provinces of China were first set up during the Yuan Dynasty. There were initially 10 provinces. By the time the Qing Dynasty was established, there were 18, all of which were in China proper. These were:

For every province, there was a xunfu (巡撫), a political overseer on behalf of the emperor, and a tidu (提督), a military governor. In addition, there was a zongdu (總督), a general military inspector or governor general, for every two to three provinces.

Outer regions of China (those beyond China proper) were not divided into provinces. Manchuria (consisting of Fengtian (now Liaoning), Jilin, Heilongjiang), Xinjiang, and Mongolia were overseen by military leaders or generals (將軍) and vice-dutong (副都統), and civilian leaders were heads of the leagues (盟長), a subdivision of Mongolia. Tibet was administratively overseen by the ambans (驻藏大臣).

In 1878, Xinjiang became a province, in 1909, Fengtian, Jilin, and Heilongjiang were made provinces as well. Taiwan was made a province in 1887, but it was ceded to Japan in 1895. As a result, there were 22 provinces in China (Outer China and China proper) near the end of the Qing Dynasty.

The Republic of China, established in 1912, set up 4 more provinces in Inner Mongolia and 2 provinces in historic Tibet, bringing the total to 28. 4 provinces were however lost with the establishment of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria. After the defeat of Japan in World War II, Manchuria was reincorporated as 10 provinces, and control of Taiwan was assumed by the Republic of China. As a result, the Republic of China had 35 provinces. Although the Republic of China now only controls one province (Taiwan) and some islands of a second province (Fujian), it continues to formally claim all 35 provinces.

List of defunct provinces

Name Chinese (T) Chinese (S) Pinyin Postal map Area¹ Capital China Regions (including Taiwan).png
Region		 Present Annexation
Andong 安東 安东 Āndōng Antung 62,279 Tonghua Northeast Liaoning, Jilin
Chahar 察哈爾 察哈尔 Cháhār Chahar 278,957 Zhangjiakou Northeast Inner Mongolia, Hebei
Hejiang 合江 合江 Héjiāng Hokiang 135,406 Jiamusi Northeast Heilongjiang
Liaobei 遼北 辽北 Liáoběi Liaopeh 121,624 Liaoyuan Northeast Liaoning, Jilin, Inner Mongolia
Nenjiang 嫩江 嫩江 Nènjiāng Nunkiang 67,034 Qiqihar Northeast Heilongjiang
Rehe 熱河 热河 Rèhé Jehol 179,982 Chengde Northeast Hebei, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia
Songjiang 松江 松江 Sōngjiāng Sungkiang 84,559 Mudanjiang Northeast Heilongjiang
Suiyuan 綏遠 绥远 Suíyuǎn Suiyuan 329,397 Guisui (Hohhot) Northeast Inner Mongolia
Xikang 西康 西康 Xīkān Sikang 451,521 Kangding Southwest Tibet, Sichuan
Xing'an 興安 兴安 Xīng'ān Hsingan 278,437 Hailar Northeast Inner Mongolia

Notes:

¹: in km²

The People's Republic of China abolished many of the provinces in the 1950s and converted a number of them into autonomous regions. Hainan was set up as a separate province in 1988, bringing the total number of provinces under its control to 22.

References

  1. ↑ Administrative divisions of China
  2. ↑ References and details on data provided in the table can be found within the individual provincial articles.

External links

See also

Articles on first-level administrative divisions of Asian countries

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