| Municipality (Zhixiashi) | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 直辖市 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 直轄市 | ||||||
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This article is part of the series: |
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Provinces Autonomous regions Municipalities Special administrative regions |
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Sub-provincial autonomous prefectures Sub-provincial cities Sub-provincial new areas |
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Prefectures Autonomous prefectures Prefecture-level cities Leagues |
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Sub-prefecture-level
Sub-prefectural-level cities |
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Counties Autonomous counties County-level cities City districts Banners Autonomous banners Forestry areas Special districts |
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Townships Ethnic townships Towns Subdistricts Sumus Ethnic sumus District public offices (abolishing) |
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Village Committees Neighborhood Committees |
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Municipality (Chinese: 直辖市; pinyin: zhíxiáshì) also translated as Direct-controlled municipality or municipality directly under the central government is the highest level classification for cities used by People's Republic of China.
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The first municipalities were the 11 cities of Nanjing, Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Chongqing, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Hankou (now part of Wuhan), Shenyang, and Harbin when the ROC government ruled China. They were established in 1927 soon after they were designated as "cities" during the 1920s. Nominally Dalian was a municipality as well, although it was under Japanese Occupation. These cities were first called special municipalities/cities (Chinese: 特別市; pinyin: Tébíeshì), but were later renamed Yuan-controlled municipalities (simplified Chinese: 院辖市; traditional Chinese: 院轄市; pinyin: Yùanxíashì), then direct-controlled municipalities (simplified Chinese: 直辖市; traditional Chinese: 直轄市; pinyin: Zhíxiáshì) by the Central Government.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Anshan, Benxi, and Fushun were also made municipalities, while Qingdao, Dalian, and Harbin were reduced to provincial municipalities.[1] Hankou was merged into Wuhan. Hence there remained 12 municipalities, until Dalian was elevated in 1950. In November 1952, Nanjing was reduced to a provincial municipality.[2] In July 1953, Harbin was restored to municipality status, along with Changchun.[3] Except Beijing and Tianjin, which were under central control, all other municipalities were governed by the greater administrative areas.
In June 1954, 11 of the 14 municipalities were reduced to sub-provincial cities; many of them became capitals of the provinces they were in. Only Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin remained municipalities, until Chongqing was restored in 1997 with a much enlarged area. Tianjin was also temporarily reverted to sub-provincial city status around the 1960s.
Municipalities are the highest-ranked cities in the PRC. Some cities of lower levels may also refer to themselves as municipalities in the English language.
Three levels of cities in the People's Republic of China:
In municipalities, the highest ranking government official is the Mayor. The mayor is also a delegate in the National People's Congress (the legislature).[4] and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Municipal Committee. However, the highest administrative authority in the municipality belongs to the Secretary of the CPC Municipal Committee or Party Secretary.
| ISO[5] | Division name | Simp. Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Abbr. | Region | Population[6] | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) | Divisions | City seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN-11 | Municipality of Beijing | 北京市 | Běijīng Shì | 京 jīng | North | 19,612,368 | 16,801 | 1,167 | List (14 districts & 2 counties) | Dongcheng District (东城区) |
| CN-12 | Municipality of Tianjin | 天津市 | Tiānjīn Shì | 津 jīn | North | 12,938,224 | 11,760 | 1,100 | List (13 districts & 3 counties) | Heping District (和平区) |
| CN-31 | Municipality of Shanghai | 上海市 | Shànghǎi Shì | 沪 hù | East | 23,019,148 | 6,340 | 3,630 | List (16 districts & 1 county) | Huangpu District (黄浦区) |
| CN-50 | Municipality of Chongqing | 重庆市 | Chóngqìng Shì | 渝 yú | Southwest | 28,846,170 | 82,300 | 350 | List (19 districts, 15 counties, & 4 autonomous counties) | Yuzhong District (渝中区) |
| Name | Simp. Hanzi | Pinyin | Abbr. | Region | Current province | City seat | Administration period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Nanjing | 南京市 | Nánjīng Shì | 宁 níng | East | Jiangsu | Xuanwu District (玄武区) | 1927–1952 |
| City of Qingdao | 青岛市 | Qīngdǎo Shì | 青 qīng | East | Shandong | Shinan District (市南区) | 1927–1949 |
| City of Xi'an | 西安市 | Xī'ān Shì | 鎬 hào | Northwest | Shaanxi | Weiyang District (未央区) | 1927–1954 |
| City of Guangzhou | 广州市 | Guǎngzhōu Shì | 穗 suì | South Central | Guangdong | Yuexiu District (越秀区) | 1927–1954 |
| City of Hankou (Wuhan) | 汉口市 (武汉市) | Hànkǒu Shì (Wǔhàn Shì) | 汉 hàn | South Central | Hubei | Jiang'an District (江岸区) | 1927–1949 |
| City of Harbin | 哈尔滨市 | Hāěrbīn Shì | 哈 hā | Northeast | Heilongjiang | Nangang District (南岗区) | 1927–1949, 1953–1954 |
| City of Dalian | 大连市 | Dàlián Shì | 连 lián | Northeast | Liaoning | Xigang District (西岗区) | 1927–1949, 1950–1954 |
| City of Shenyang | 沈阳市 | Shěnyáng Shì | 沈 shěn | Northeast | Liaoning | Shenhe District (沈河区) | 1929–1954 |
| City of Anshan | 鞍山市 | Ānshān Shì | 鞍 ān | Northeast | Liaoning | Tiedong District (铁东区) | 1949–1954 |
| City of Benxi | 本溪市 | Běnxī Shì | 本 běn | Northeast | Liaoning | Pingshan District (平山区) | 1949–1954 |
| City of Fushun | 抚顺市 | Fǔshùn Shì | 抚 fǔ | Northeast | Liaoning | Xinfu District (新抚区) | 1949–1954 |
| City of Changchun | 长春市 | Chángchūn Shì | 春 chūn | Northeast | Jilin | Nanguan District (南关区) | 1953–1954 |
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