Administrative divisions of China

See also: Administrative divisions of the Republic of China

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Due to China's large population and area, the administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times. The constitution of the People's Republic of China provides for three de jure levels of government. Currently, however, there are five practical (de facto) levels of local government: the province, prefecture, county, township, and village.

Since the 17th century, provincial boundaries in China have remained largely static. Major changes since then have been the reorganization of provinces in the northeast after the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the formation of autonomous regions, based on Soviet ethnic policies. The provinces serve an important cultural role in China, as people tend to identify with their native province.

Contents

Levels

The Constitution of the People's Republic of China provides for three levels: the province, county, and township. However, two more levels have been inserted in actual implementation: the prefecture, under provinces; and the village, under townships. There is a sixth level, the district public office, below counties, but it is being abolished. The People's Republic of China administers 33 province-level regions, 333 prefecture-level regions, 2,862 county-level regions, 41,636 township-level regions and even more village-level regions.

Each of the levels correspond to a level in the Civil service of the People's Republic of China.

Summary

This table summarizes the divisions of the area administered by the People's Republic of China as of December 31, 2005.

Level Name Types
1 Province level
省级行政区
2 Prefecture level
地级行政区
  • Prefectures (地区 dìqū) (17)
  • Autonomous prefectures (自治州 zìzhìzhōu) (30)
  • Prefecture-level cities (地级市 dìjíshì) (283)
  • Leagues (盟 méng) (3)
3 County level
县级行政区
  • Counties (县 xiàn) (1,464)
  • Autonomous counties (自治县 zìzhìxiàn) (117)
  • County-level cities (县级市 xiànjíshì) (374)
  • Districts (市辖区 shìxiáqū) (852)
  • Banners (旗 qí) (49)
  • Autonomous banners (自治旗 zìzhìqí) (3)
  • Forestry areas (林区 línqū) (1)
  • Special districts (特区 tèqū) (2)
4 Township level
乡级行政区
  • Townships (乡 xiāng) (14,677)
  • Ethnic townships (民族乡 mínzúxiāng) (1,092)
  • Towns (镇 zhèn) (19,522)
  • Subdistricts (街道办事处 jiēdàobànshìchù) (6,152)
  • District public offices (区公所 qūgōngsuǒ) (11)
  • Sumu (苏木 sūmù) (181)
  • Ethnic sumu (民族苏木 mínzúsūmù) (1)
5 Village level (informal)
村级自治组织
  • Neighborhood committees (社区居民委员会 jūmínwěiyuánhùi) (80,717)[1]
    • Neighborhoods or communities (社区)
  • Village committees (村民委员会 cūnmínwěiyuánhùi) (623,669)[2] or Village groups (村民小组 cūnmínxiǎozǔ)
    • Administrative villages (行政村 xíngzhèngcūn)
    • Natural villages (自然村 zìráncūn)

Province level

Main article: Province of China

The People's Republic of China administers 33 province-level divisions, including 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two special administrative regions:

Provinces are theoretically subservient to the PRC central government, but in practice provincial officials have large discretion with regard to economic policy. Unlike the United States, the power of the central government was (with the exception of the military) not exercised through a parallel set of institutions until the early 1990s. The actual practical power of the provinces has created what some economists call federalism with Chinese characteristics.

Most of the provinces, with the exception of the provinces in the northeast, have boundaries which were established long ago in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Sometimes provincial borders veer markedly away from cultural or geographical boundaries. This was an attempt by the imperial government to discourage separatism and warlordism through a divide and rule policy. Nevertheless, provinces have come to serve an important cultural role in China. People tend to be identified in terms of their native provinces, and each province has a stereotype that corresponds to their inhabitants.

The most recent administrative changes have included the elevation of Hainan (1988) and Chongqing (1997) to provincial level status and the organization of Hong Kong (1997) and Macau (1999) as Special Administrative Regions.

Province-level governments vary in details of organization:

Province-level
Administrative divisions of the
People's Republic of China by:
Area
Population
Population density
GDP
GDP per capita
Disposable income per capita
HDI
Highest point
Natural growth rate
Life expectancy
Illiteracy rate
Tax Revenues
Historical capitals

Province level subdivisions

 22 Provinces (省; shěng)— A standard provincial government is nominally led by a provincial committee, headed by a secretary. The committee secretary is first-in-charge of the province, come in second is the governor of the provincial government.
5 Autonomous Regions (自治区; zìzhìqū)— A minority subject which has a higher population of a particular minority ethnic group along with its own local government, but an autonomous region theoretically has more legislative rights than in actual practice. The governor of the Autonomous Regions is appointed from the respective minority ethnic group.
4 Municipalities (直辖市; zhíxiáshì)— A higher level of city which is directly under the Chinese government, with status equal to that of the provinces.
2 Special Administrative Regions (SARs) (特别行政区; tèbiéxíngzhèngqū)— A highly autonomous and self-governing subnational subject of the People's Republic of China. Each SAR has a provincial level chief executive as head of the region and head of government. The region's government is not fully independent, as foreign policy and military defense are the responsibility of the central government, according to the constitution.
1 Claimed Province — The People's Republic of China claims the island of Taiwan and its surrounding islets, including Penghu, as "Taiwan Province". The territory is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC, commonly called "Taiwan").
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
About this image

For a larger version of this map, see .

List of province-level subdivisions

Provinces-level divisions of the People's Republic of China[3]
ISO[4] Division name Trad. Simp. Pinyin Postal Abbr. Region Type Capital Population¹ Density² Area³ Divisions
CN-11 Beijing 北京 北京 Běijīng Peking 京 jīng North Municip. Dongcheng 15,810,000 941 16,800 List
CN-12 Tianjin 天津 天津 Tiānjīn Tientsin 津 jīn North Municip. Heping 11,519,000 980 11,305 List
CN-13 Hebei 河北 河北 Héběi Hopeh 冀 jì North Province Shijiazhuang 68,090,000 363 187,700 List
CN-14 Shanxi 山西 山西 Shānxī Shansi 晋 jìn North Province Taiyuan 33,350,000 213 156,300 List
CN-15 Inner Mongolia 內蒙古 内蒙古 Nèiměnggǔ Mongolia 蒙 měng North AR Hohhot 23,840,000 20 1,183,000 List
CN-21 Liaoning 遼寧 辽宁 Liáoníng Fengtien 辽 liáo Northeast Province Shenyang 42,170,000 289 145,900 List
CN-22 Jilin 吉林 吉林 Jílín Kirin 吉 jí Northeast Province Changchun 27,090,000 145 187,400 List
CN-23 Heilongjiang 黑龍江 黑龙江 Hēilóngjiāng Heilungkiang 黑 hēi Northeast Province Harbin 38,170,000 83 454,000 List
CN-31 Shanghai 上海 上海 Shànghǎi Shanghai 沪 hù East Municip. Huangpu 18,450,000 2,622 6,341 List
CN-32 Jiangsu 江蘇 江苏 Jiāngsū Kiangsu 苏 sū East Province Nanjing 75,495,000 736 102,600 List
CN-33 Zhejiang 浙江 浙江 Zhèjiāng Chekiang 浙 zhè East Province Hangzhou 47,200,000 464 102,000 List
CN-34 Anhui 安徽 安徽 Ānhuī Anhwei 皖 wǎn East Province Hefei 64,610,000 463 139,700 List
CN-35 Fujian 福建 福建 Fújiàn Fukien 闽 mǐn East Province Fuzhou 35,110,000 289 121,300 List
CN-36 Jiangxi 江西 江西 Jiāngxī Kiangsi 赣 gàn East Province Nanchang 42,840,000 257 167,000 List
CN-37 Shandong 山東 山东 Shāndōng Shantung 鲁 lǔ East Province Jinan 91,800,000 586 153,800 List
CN-41 Henan 河南 河南 Hénán Honan 豫 yù South Central Province Zhengzhou 98,690,000 591 167,000 List
CN-42 Hubei 湖北 湖北 Húběi Hupeh 鄂 è South Central Province Wuhan 60,160,000 324 185,900 List
CN-43 Hunan 湖南 湖南 Húnán Hunan 湘 xiāng South Central Province Changsha 66,980,000 316 210,000 List
CN-44 Guangdong 廣東 广东 Guǎngdōng Kwangtung 粤 yuè South Central Province Guangzhou 113,040,000 467 180,000 List
CN-45 Guangxi 廣西 广西 Guǎngxī Kwangsi 桂 Guì South Central AR Nanning 48,890,000 207 236,000 List
CN-46 Hainan 海南 海南 Hǎinán Hainan 琼 qióng South Central Province Haikou 8,180,000 241 34,000 List
CN-50 Chongqing 重慶 重庆 Chóngqìng Chungking 渝 yú Southwest Municip. Yuzhong 31,442,300 382 82,300 List
CN-51 Sichuan 四川 四川 Sìchuān Szechuan 川 chuān Southwest Province Chengdu 87,250,000 180 485,000 List
CN-52 Guizhou 貴州 贵州 Gùizhōu Kweichow 黔 qián Southwest Province Guiyang 39,040,000 222 176,000 List
CN-53 Yunnan 雲南 云南 Yúnnán Yunnan 滇 diān Southwest Province Kunming 44,150,000 112 394,000 List
CN-54 Tibet 西藏 西藏 Xīzàng Tibet 藏 zàng Southwest AR Lhasa 2,740,000 2 1,228,400 List
CN-61 Shaanxi 陝西 陕西 Shǎnxī Shensi 陕 shǎn Northwest Province Xi'an 37,050,000 180 205,600 List
CN-62 Gansu 甘肅 甘肃 Gānsù Kansu 甘 gān Northwest Province Lanzhou 26,190,000 58 454,300 List
CN-63 Qinghai 青海 青海 Qīnghǎi Tsinghai 青 qīng Northwest Province Xining 5,390,000 7 721,200 List
CN-64 Ningxia 寧夏 宁夏 Níngxià Ningsia 宁 níng Northwest AR Yinchuan 5,880,000 89 66,400 List
CN-65 Xinjiang 新疆 新疆 Xīnjiāng Sinkiang 新 xīn Northwest AR Ürümqi 19,630,000 12 1,660,400 List
CN-91 Hong Kong 香港 香港 Xiānggǎng Hongkong 港 gǎng South Central SAR Central 6,985,200 6,352 1,104 List
CN-92 Macau 澳門 澳门 Àomén Macau 澳 ào South Central SAR Our Lady of Fatima 520,400 17,310 29 List
CN-71 Taiwan† 臺灣 台湾 Táiwān Formosa 台 tái East Claimed Province † Taibei 23,000,000 636 35,581 List

Notes:

¹: as of 2004
²: per km²
³: km²
†: Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has considered Taiwan to be its 23rd province. However, the PRC has never controlled Taiwan. The Republic of China (ROC, "Taiwan") currently controls Taiwan which it governs as Taiwan Province, consisting of Taiwan island and Penghu. The ROC also controls one county of Fuchien (or Fukien) province: Kinmen; and part of a second county: Lienchiang.

List of former province-level subdivisions

Division Chinese abbreviation Capital Administration period Type belongs today to
Andong 安东
Āndōng		 安
Ān		 Tonghua
通化		 1934–1939, 1945–1949 Province today part of Liaoning and Jilin
In 1949 it became Liaodong
Anshan 鞍山
Ānshān		 鞍
Ān		 Tiedong District
铁东区		 1949–1954 Municipality today part of Liaoning
Benxi 本溪
Běnxī		 本
Běn		 Pingshan District
平山区		 1949–1954 Municipality today part of Liaoning
Chahar 察哈爾
Cháhāěr		 察
Chá		 Zhangyuan
张垣		 1928–1936, 1945–1952 Province today part of Inner Mongolia
Changchun 长春
Chángchūn		 春
Chūn		 Nanguan District
南关区		 1953–1954 Municipality today part of Jilin
Changdu (Qamdo) 昌都
Chāngdū		 昌
Chāng		 Changdu Town
昌都镇		 1949–1965 Territory today part of Tibet
Chuanbei 川北
Chuānběi		 充
Chōng		 Nanchong
南充		 1949–1928 Administrative territory today part of Sichuan
Chuandong 川东
Chuāndōng		 渝
Yú		 Chongqing
重庆		 1949–1928 Administrative territory today part of Sichuan
Chuannan 川南
Chuānnán		 泸
Lú		 Luzhou
泸州		 1949–1928 Administrative territory today part of Sichuan
Chuanxi 川西
Chuānxī		 蓉
Róng		 Chengdu
成都		 1949–1928 Administrative territory today part of Sichuan
Dalian 大连
Dàlián		 连
Lián		 Xigang District
西岗区		 1927–1949, 1950–1954 Municipality today part of Liaoning
Fengtian 奉天
Fèngtiān		 奉
Fèng		 Shengjing
盛京		 1911–1929 Province today part of Liaoning. The former name of Liaoning province from 1907 to 1929.
Under the Manchukuo regime, the name was revived, but was again abolished in 1945.
Fushun 抚顺
Fǔshùn		 抚
Fǔ		 Shuncheng District
顺城区		 1949–1954 Municipality today part of Liaoning
Guangzhou 广州
Guǎngzhōu		 穗
Suì		 Yuexiu District
越秀区		 1927–1954 Municipality today part of Guangdong
Hankou 汉口
Hànkǒu		 汉
Hàn		 Jiang'an District
江岸区		 1927–1949 Municipality today part of Hubei
In 1949 it merge with Hanyang and Wuchang to form Wuhan
Harbin 哈尔滨
Hāěrbīn		 哈
Hā		 Nangang District
南岗区		 1927–1949, 1953–1954 Municipality today part of Heilongjiang
Hejiang 合江
Héjiāng		 合
Hé		 Jiamusi
佳木斯		 1945–1948 Province today part of Heilongjiang
In 1948 it became part of Songjiang
Liaobei 遼北
Liáoběi		 洮
Tāo		 Liaoyuan
辽源		 1947–1949 Province today part of Inner Mongolia
Liaodong 辽东
Liáoodōng		 关
Guān		 Andong
安东		 1949–1954 Province today part of eastern Liaoning
Liaoxi 辽西
Liáoxī		 辽
Liáo		 Jinzhou
锦州		 1949–1954 Province today part of western Liaoning and Jilin
Nenjiang 嫩江
Nènjiāng		 嫩
Nèn		 Qiqihar
齐齐哈尔		 1947–1950 Province today part of Heilongjiang
In 1949 it merged with Xing'an
In 1950 it merged with Heilongjiang
Mudanjiang 牡丹江
Mǔdānjiāng		 丹
Dān		 Mudanjiang
牡丹江		 1946–1948 Province today mostly part of Heilongjiang
In 1948 it became Songjiang
Nanjing 南京
Nánjīng		 京(1927) / 宁(1949)
Jīng / Níng		 Xuanwu District
玄武区		 1927–1952 Municipality today part of Jiangsu
Mongolia (Outer) 蒙古
Měnggǔ		 蒙
Měng		 Kulun
库伦		 1911–1921 Area today part of the country of Mongolia
Pingyuan 平原
Píngyuán		 平
Píng		 Xinxiang
新乡		 1949–1952 Province today part of Hebei and Henan
Qingdao 青岛
Qīngdǎo		 青
Qīng		 Shinan District
市南区		 1927–1949 Municipality today part of Shandong
Rehe 熱河
Rèhé		 熱
Rè		 Chengde
承德		 1928–1955 Province today mostly part of Hebei
Shenyang 沈阳
Shěnyáng		 沈
Shěn		 Shenhe District
沈河区		 1929–1954 Municipality today part of Liaoning
Songjiang 松江
Sōngjiāng		 松
Sōng		 Mudanjiang
牡丹江		 1948–1950 Province today part of Heilongjiang
In 1948 it merge with Hejiang
In 1950 it became Heilongjiang
Subei 苏北
Sūběi		 扬
Yáng		 Yangzhou
扬州		 1949–1928 Administrative territory today part of Jiangsu
Suiyuan 绥宁
Suīyuǎn		 綏
Suī		 Guisui
归绥		 1946–1947 Province today part of Inner Mongolia
Sunan 苏南
Sūnán		 锡
Xī		 Wuxi
无锡		 1949–1928 Administrative territory today part of Jiangsu
Wanbei 皖北
Wǎnběi		 合 or 庐
Hé or Lú		 Hefei
合肥		 1949–1928 Administrative territory today part of Anhui
Wannan 皖南
Wǎnnán		 芜
 Wuhu
芜湖		 1949–1928 Administrative territory today part of Anhui
Wuhan 武汉
Wǔhàn		 汉
Hàn		 Jiang'an District
江岸区		 1927–1949 Municipality today part of Hubei
Xi'an 西安
Xī'ān		 鎬
Hào		 Weiyang District
未央区		 1927–1954 Municipality today part of Shaanxi
Xikang 西康
Xīkāng		 康
Kāng		 Kangding
康定		 1939–1955 Province Its western part today belongs to Tibet, its eastern part to Sichuan.
Xing'an 兴安
Xīng'ān		 兴
Xīng		 Hailar
海拉尔		 1947–1949 Province today part of Heilongjiang and Liaoning
In 1949 it became part of Nenjiang
Zhili 直隶
Zhílì		 直
Zhí		 Tianjin
天津		 1911–1928 Province today part of Hebei, Liaoning and the Inner Mongolia

Prefecture level

Map of China's prefecture-level divisions

Prefecture-level divisions are the second level of the administrative structure. Most provinces are divided into only prefecture-level cities and contain no other second-level administrative units. Of the 22 provinces and 5 autonomous regions only 3 provinces (Yunnan, Guizhou, Qinghai) and 2 autonomous regions (Xinjiang, Tibet) have more than three second-level or prefecture-level divisions that are not prefecture-level cities. As of December 31, 2005, there were 333 prefecture-level divisions:

17 Prefectures (地区; dìqū) — formerly the dominant second-level division, thus this administrative level is often called "prefecture-level". They were mostly replaced by prefecture-level cities from 1983 to the 1990s. Today, prefectures exist mostly in Xinjiang and Tibet.
30 Autonomous Prefectures (自治州; zīzhìzhōu) — prefectures with one or more designated ethnic minorities, mostly in China's western regions.
283 Prefecture-level Cities (地级市; dìjíshì) — the largest number of prefecture-level divisions, generally composed of an urban center and surrounding rural areas much larger than the urban core, and thus are not "cities" but municipal in the strict sense of the term
3 Leagues (盟; méng)— effectively the same as prefectures, but found only in Inner Mongolia. Like prefectures, leagues have mostly been replaced with prefecture-level cities. The unique name is a holdover from earlier forms of administration in Mongolia.

County level

Map of China's county-level divisions

As of December 31, 2005, there were 2,872 county-level divisions:

1,464 Counties (县; xiàn) — the most common county-level divisions, continuously in existence since the Warring States Period, much earlier than any other level of government in China. Xian is often translated as "district" or "prefecture".
117 Autonomous Counties (自治县; zìzhìxiàn) — counties with one or more designated ethnic minorities, analogous to autonomous regions and prefectures
374 County-level cities (县级市; xiànjíshì) — similar to prefecture-level cities, covering both urban and rural areas. It was popular for counties to become county-level cities in the 1990s, though this has since been halted.
852 Districts (市辖区; shìxiáqū) — formerly the subdivisions of urban areas, consisting of built-up areas only. Recently many counties have become districts, so that districts are now often just like counties, with towns, villages, and farmland.
49 Banners (旗; qí) — the same as counties except in the name, a holdover from earlier forms of administration in Mongolia
3 Autonomous Banners (自治旗; zìzhìqí) — the same as autonomous counties except in the name, a holdover from earlier forms of administration in Mongolia
1 Forestry Area (林区; línqū) — a special county-level forestry district located in Hubei province
2 Special Districts (特区; tèqū) — a special county-level division exclusively located in Guizhou province

Township level

Township level subdivisions

14,677 Townships (乡; xiāng)— in smaller rural areas division they are divided into this subject
 Ethnic Townships (民族乡; mínzúxiāng)— in a small one or more designated ethnic minorities rural areas division they are divided into this subject
19,522 Towns (镇; zhèn)— in larger rural areas division they are divided into this subject
6,152 Subdistricts (街道办事处; jiēdàobànshìchù)— in a small urban areas division they are divided into this subject
11 District Public Offices (区公所; qūgōngsuǒ)— are a vestigial level of government. These once represented an extra level of government between the county- and township-levels. Today there are very few of these remaining and they are gradually being phased out.
181 Sumus (苏木; sūmù)— are the same as townships, but are unique to Inner Mongolia.
1 Ethnic Sumus (民族苏木; mínzúsūmù)— are the same as ethnic townships, but are unique to Inner Mongolia.

Village level

The village level serves as an organizational division (census, mail system) and does not have much importance in political representative power. Basic local divisions like neighborhoods and communities are not informal like in the West, but have defined boundaries and designated heads (one per area):

In urban areas, every subdistrict of a district of a city administers many communities or neighborhoods. Each of them have a neighborhood committee to administer the dwellers of that neighborhood or community. Rural areas are organized into village committees or villager groups. A "village" in this case can either be a natural village, one that spontaneously and naturally exists, or an administrative village, which is a bureaucratic entity.

Village level subdivisions

80,717 Neighborhood Committees (社区居民委员会; jūmínwěiyuánhùi)
  Neighborhoods / Communities (社区; shèqū)
623,669 Village Committees / Village groups ((村民委员会 / 村民小组; cūnmínwěiyuánhùi / cūnmínxiǎozǔ)
  Administrative Villages (行政村; xíngzhèngcūn)
   Natural Villages (自然村; zìráncūn)
Informal
   City-Type Neighborhood (居民区; jūmínqū)
   City-Type Communities (社区; shèqū)

Special cases

Although every single administrative division has a clearly defined level associated with it, sometimes an entity may be given more autonomy than its level allows for.

Five cities formally on prefectural level have a special status in regard to planning and budget. They are separately listed in the five-year and annual state plans on the same level as provinces and national ministries, making them economically independent of their provincial government. These cities specifically designated in the state plan (simplified Chinese: 计划单列市) are Dalian (Liaoning Province, Ningbo (Zhejiang Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Shenzhen (Guangdong Province)and Xiamen (Fujian Province). In terms of budget authority, their governments have the de-facto status of a province, but their legislative organs (People's Congresses and People's Political Consultative Conferences) and other authorities not related to the economy are on the level of a prefecture and under leadership of the province.[5][6]

Some other large prefecture-level cities, known as sub-provincial cities, are half a level below a province. The mayors of these cities have the same rank as a vice governor of a province. The capitals of most provinces (seat of provincial government) are sub-provincial cities.

A similar case exists with some county-level cities. Some county-level cities are given more autonomy. These cities are known as sub-prefecture-level cities, meaning that they are given a level of power higher than a county, but still lower than a prefecture. Such cities are also half a level higher than what they would normally be. Sub-prefecture-level cities are often not put into any prefecture (i.e. they are directly administered by their province).

Examples are Pudong, Shanghai and Binhai, Tianjin. Although its status as a district of a direct-controlled municipality would define it as prefecture-level, the district head of Pudong is given sub-provincial powers. In other words, it is half a level higher than what it would normally be.

Special cases subdivisions

1 Sub-Provincial Autonomous Prefecture (副省级自治州); fùshěngjízìzhìzhōu)
15 Sub-Provincial Cities (副省级城市; fùshěngjíchéngshì)
3 Sub-Provincial Districts (副省级城市辖区; fùshěngjíchéngshìxiáqū)
8 Sub-Prefecture-Level Cities (副地级市); fùdìjíshì)

Ambiguity of the word "city" in China

Due to the complexity of the administrative divisions, the Chinese word "市"(shì) or in English "city", has many different meanings.

By its political level, when a "city" is referred to, it can be a:

  • Sub-provincial city, for example, Shenyang
  • Prefecture-level city, for example, Baoding
  • Sub-prefecture-level city, for example, Jiyuan
  • County-level city, for example, Yiwu

When used in the statistical data, the word "city" may have three different meanings:

It is important to specify the definition of "city" when referring to statistical data of Chinese cities. Otherwise, confusion may arise. For example, Shanghai is the largest city in China by the population in the urban area, but it is a smaller city than Chongqing by the population within the administration area.

History

Before the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, China was ruled by a network of kings, nobles, and tribes. The rivalry of these groups culminated in the Warring States Period, and the state of Qin eventually emerged dominant.

The Qin Dynasty was determined not to allow China to fall back into disunity, and therefore designed the first hierarchical administrative divisions in China, based on two levels: jùn commanderies and xiàn counties. The Han Dynasty that came immediately after added zhōu (usually translated as "provinces") as a third level on top, forming a three-tier structure.

The Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty abolished commanderies, and added circuits (dào, later lù under the Song) on top, maintaining a three-tier system that lasted through the Song Dynasty. (As a second-level division, zhou are translated as "prefectures".) The Mongol-established Yuan Dynasty introduced the modern precursors to provinces, bringing the number of levels to four. This system was then kept more or less intact until the Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty to rule China.

The Republic of China streamlined the levels to just provinces and counties in 1928, and made the first attempt to extend political administration beyond the county level by establishing townships below counties. This was also the system officially adopted by the People's Republic of China in 1949, which defined the administrative divisions of China as three levels: provinces, counties, and townships.

In practice, however, more levels were inserted. The ROC government soon learned that it was not feasible for a province to directly govern tens and sometimes hundreds of counties. Started from Jiangxi province in 1935, Prefectures were later inserted between provinces and counties. They continue be ubiquitously applied by the PRC government to nearly all areas of China until 1980s. Since then, most of the prefectures were converted into prefecture-level cities. Greater administrative areas were inserted on top of provinces by the PRC government, but they were soon abolished, in 1954. District public offices were inserted between counties and townships; once ubiquitous as well, they are currently being abolished, and very few remain.

The most recent developments major developments have been the establishment of Chongqing as a municipality and the creation of Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions.

Reform

In recent years there have been calls to reform the administrative divisions and levels of China. Rumours of an impending major reform have also spread through various online bulletin boards.[7]

The district public offices is an ongoing reform to remove an extra level of administration from between the county and township levels. There have also been calls to abolish the prefecture level, and some provinces have transferred some of the power prefectures currently hold to the counties they govern. There are also calls to reduce the size of the provinces. The ultimate goal is to reduce the different administration levels from five to three, (Provincial, County, Village) reducing the amount of corruption as well as the number of government workers, in order to lower the budget.

See also

References

  1. ↑ China Statistical Yearbook 2007, Ch. 23-28 Basic Conditions of Civil Affairs Agencies"
  2. ↑ China Statistical Yearbook 2007, Ch. 23-28, op.cit.
  3. ↑ References and details on data provided in the table can be found within the individual provincial articles.
  4. ↑ ISO 3166-2:CN (ISO 3166-2 codes for the provinces of China)
  5. ↑ "Baidu Baike" (in Chinese). http://baike.baidu.com/view/112105.htm. 
  6. ↑ "Hudong Wiki" (in Chinese). http://www.hudong.com/wiki/%E8%AE%A1%E5%88%92%E5%8D%95%E5%88%97%E5%B8%82. 
  7. ↑ Consulte-General of the People's Repiblic of China in New York: 民政部官员：“中国将要设50个省区市”报道失实

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