Editing Administrative divisions of China

{{Short description|none}}
{{Other uses}}
{{About|the administrative divisions in the People's Republic of China|those of the Republic of China commonly known as Taiwan|Administrative divisions of Taiwan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Administrative levels and divisions of China sidebar}}
{{Politics of China |expanded = Related }}

The '''administrative divisions of China''' have consisted of several levels since 1412, due to [[mainland China]]'s large [[Demographics of China|population]] and geographical area. In the [[People's Republic of China]], the [[constitution of China|constitution]] provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there are five levels of local government; the provincial (province, autonomous region, municipality, and special administrative region), prefecture, county, township, and village.

Since the 17th century, provincial boundaries in mainland 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]] in 1949 and the formation of [[Autonomous regions of China|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.

==Levels==
The [[Constitution of the People's Republic of China]] provides for three levels: the provincial, the county level, and the township level. However, in practice, there are four levels of government: the provincial, the prefectural level, the county level, and the township level. Rural villages and urban communities are sometimes considered as the fifth level, however they are defined by the constitution as "basic level autonomies" and there is no government on this level. {{As of|2017}}, China administers 33 provincial-level regions, 334 prefecture-level divisions, 2,862 county-level divisions, 41,034 township-level administrations, and 704,382 basic-level autonomies.<ref name="social">{{Cite web |last=King |first=Gary |date=14 January 2017 |title=How the Chinese Government Fabricates Social Media Posts for Strategic Distraction, not Engaged Argument |url=http://gking.harvard.edu/50c |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119042525/http://gking.harvard.edu/50c |archive-date=2017-01-19 |access-date=19 January 2017 |publisher=Self-published at [[Harvard University]]}}</ref>

Each of the levels (except "special administrative regions") corresponds 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|alt=as of June 2017|2017|06}}.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Level
! Name
! Types
|-
| 1
| [[#Provincial level (1st)|Provincial level (1st)]]<br>(33)<br>(1 claimed)
| style="text-align:left;" |
* 22 [[Provinces of China|Provinces]] (1 [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|claimed]])
* 5 [[Autonomous regions of China|Autonomous regions]]
* 4 [[Direct-controlled municipalities of the People's Republic of China|Municipalities]]
----
* 2 [[Special administrative regions of China|Special administrative region]]s
|-
| 2
| [[#Prefectural level (2nd)|Prefectural level (2nd)]]<br>(333)<br>(6 claimed)
| style="text-align:left;" |
* 293 [[Prefecture-level cities of the People's Republic of China|Prefecture-level cities]] (6 [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|claimed]])
* 7 [[Prefectures of China|Prefectures]]
----
* 30 [[Autonomous prefecture]]s
* 3 [[Leagues of China|Leagues]]
|-
| 3
| [[#County level (3rd)|County level (3rd)]]<br>(2,850)<br>(173 claimed)
| style="text-align:left;" |
* 954 [[Districts of the People's Republic of China|Districts]] (158 [[District (Taiwan)|claimed]])
* 366 [[County-level cities of the People's Republic of China|County-level cities]] (3 [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|claimed]])
* 1,359 [[Counties of China|Counties]] (12 [[Counties of Taiwan|claimed]])
----
* 117 [[Autonomous county|Autonomous counties]]
* 49 [[Banners of Inner Mongolia|Banners]]
* 3 [[Banners of Inner Mongolia#Autonomous banners|Autonomous banners]]
----
* 1 [[Liuzhi Special District|Special district]]
* 1 [[Shennongjia|Forestry district]]
|-
| 4
| [[#Township level (4th)|Township level (4th)]]<br>(39,863)<br>(214 claimed)
| style="text-align:left;" |
* 8,122 [[Subdistricts of the People's Republic of China|Subdistricts]]
::Subdistrict offices<ref>{{Cite book |date=2011 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] and [[The Commercial Press]]. |page=248 |script-title=zh:精选汉英词典(第四版) |trans-title=Concise Chinese-English Dictionary (Fourth Edition). |quote="{{lang|zh|街道}} {{Transliteration|zh |jiēdào}} ({{lang |zh |名}})1 street 2 what concerns the neighborhood: ~ {{lang |zh-hans |办事处}} subdistrict office. {...}"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |date=1 September 2016 |publisher=[[The Commercial Press]]. |isbn=978-7-100-12450-8 |page=663 |script-title=zh:現代漢語詞典(第七版) |trans-title=[[Contemporary Chinese Dictionary]] (Seventh Edition). |quote="{{lang|zh-hans|【街道办事处】}} {{Transliteration|zh |jiēdào bànshìchù}} {{lang |zh-hans |市辖区、不设区的市的人民政府派出机关。 在上一级政府领导下，负责本辖区内的社区服务、经济发展、社会治安等工作。}}"}}</ref> (26 [[County-administered city|claimed]])
* 20,942 [[Towns of the People's Republic of China|Towns]] (41 [[Township (Taiwan)|claimed]])
* 9,659 [[Townships of the People's Republic of China|Townships]] (147 [[Township (Taiwan)|claimed]])
* 2 [[District (PRC)|County-controlled districts]]
::District public offices ({{lang-zh|labels=no|s=区公所|p=qūgōngsuǒ}})
----
* 985 [[Ethnic townships of the People's Republic of China|Ethnic townships]]
* 152 [[Sums of Inner Mongolia|Sums]]
* 1 [[Ethnic townships of the People's Republic of China|Ethnic sum]]
|-
| 5
| [[#Village level (5th)|Basic level autonomy (5th)]]<br>(662,393)<br>(7,761 claimed)
| style="text-align:left;" |
* 104,083 Residential Committees ({{lang-zh|c=居民委员会|p=Jūmín wěiyuánhuì|labels=no}}) (5,876 [[Village (Taiwan)|claimed]])
:: Communities ({{lang-zh|labels=no|s=社区 / 社|p=shèqū / shè}})
* 558,310 Village Committees ({{lang-zh|labels=no|s=村民委员会|p=cūnmínwěiyuánhuì}}) (1,885 [[Village (Taiwan)|claimed]])
:: [[Village (China)|Village]]/Administrative Villages ({{lang-zh|labels=no|c=行政村|p=xíngzhèngcūn}})
:: Gaqa ({{lang-zh|labels=no|c=嘎查 |p=gāchá}})
|}

===Table===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!bgcolor=lightblue colspan=5|Structural hierarchy of the administrative divisions and basic level autonomies of the People's Republic of China
|-
! [[#Provincial level (1st)|Provincial level (1st)]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-04-17 |script-title=zh:中国的行政区划——省级行政单位 |url=http://www.gov.cn/test/2009-04/17/content_1288035.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715231343/http://www.gov.cn/test/2009-04/17/content_1288035.htm |archive-date=2015-07-15 |access-date=2015-09-07 |publisher=Government of the People's Republic of China}}</ref> {{Color box|lightblue|border=darkgray}}

! [[#Prefectural level (1nst)|Prefectural level (2nd)]] {{Color box|light|border=darkgray}}
! [[#County level (3rd)|County level (3rd)]] {{Color box|#FFF6C6|border=darkgray}}
! [[#Township level (4th)|Township level (4th)]] {{Color box|#CCFFCC|border=darkgray}}
! [[#Village level (5th)|Basic level autonomy (5th)]] {{Color box|#FFC0CB|border=darkgray}}
|-
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="lightblue"| [[Autonomous regions of China|Autonomous region]]
| [[Sub-provincial division|Sub-provincial-level autonomous prefecture]]
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| [[District (China)|District]]<br>[[County-level city]]<br>[[Counties of China|County]]<br>[[Autonomous county]]<br>[[Banners of Inner Mongolia|Banner]]<br>[[Banners of Inner Mongolia#Autonomous banners|Autonomous banners]]
| rowspan="14" bgcolor="#CCFFCC"| [[Subdistricts of China|Subdistrict]]<br>[[Towns of China|Town]]<br>[[Township (China)|Township]]<br>[[Ethnic townships, towns, and sums|Ethnic township]]<br>[[District (China)#County-controlled districts (obsolete)|County-controlled districts]]<br>[[Sum (administrative division)|Sum]]<br>[[Ethnic townships, towns, and sums|Ethnic sum]]
| rowspan="14" bgcolor="#FFC0CB"| Community ({{lang|zh-hans|社区}} / {{lang|zh-hans|社}})<br>{{small|(Residential committees; {{lang|zh-hans|居民委员会}})}}<br>[[Village (China)|Village]] / Gaqa ({{lang|zh-hans|嘎查}})<br>{{small|(Villager committees; {{lang|zh-hans|村民委员会}})}}
|-
| [[Prefecture-level city|Prefectural-level city]]
|-
| [[Autonomous prefecture]]<br />[[Prefectures of China|Prefecture]]<br />[[Leagues of China|Leagues]]
|- style = "background:#606060; height: 2pt"
| colspan = "3" |
|-
| rowspan="6" bgcolor="lightblue"| [[Provinces of China|Province]]
|-
| [[Sub-provincial division|Sub-provincial-level city]]
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| [[District (China)|District]]<br>Special district<br>[[County-level city]]<br>[[Counties of China|County]]<br>[[Autonomous county]]
|-
| [[Prefecture-level city|Prefectural-level city]]
|-
| [[Autonomous prefecture]]<br>[[Prefectures of China|Prefecture]]
|-
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| [[Sub-prefectural city|Sub-prefectural-level city]]
|-
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| Forestry district ({{lang|zh-hans|林区}})
|- style = "background:#606060; height: 2pt"
| colspan = "3" |
|-
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="lightblue"| [[Direct-administered municipalities of China|Municipality]]
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| [[Sub-provincial division|Sub-provincial-level new area]]
|-
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| [[District (China)|District]]
|-
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| [[Counties of China|County]]
|- style = "background:#606060; height: 2pt"
| colspan = "5" |
|-
| rowspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue"| [[Special administrative regions of China|Special administrative region]]<br><small>(Part of the [[One country, two systems]])</small>
| colspan="1"| ''see'' [[Districts of Hong Kong|Region]] <small>(informal)</small>
| colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| ''see'' [[Districts of Hong Kong|District]]
|-
| colspan="1"| ''see'' [[Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau]]<br>
| colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFF6C6"| ''see'' [[Parishes of Macau|Freguesia]]
|}

===Provincial level (1st)=== <!--linked from [[Template:People's Republic of China politics]]-->
{{Main|Province-level divisions of China}}

The [[China|People's Republic of China]] (PRC)<!--do not change to short-form--> lays claims to 34 [[province-level divisions of China|province-level divisions]], including 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, and 2 special administrative regions and 1 claimed province.

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 "[[Chinese federalism|federalism with Chinese characteristics]]".

Most of the [[Provinces of China|provinces]], with the exception of those in the [[Northeast China|northeast]], have boundaries which were established long ago in the [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]], [[Ming dynasty|Ming]], and [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] dynasties. Sometimes provincial borders form 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 change have included the elevation of [[Hainan]] (1988) and [[Chongqing]] (1997) to provincial level status, and the creation of [[Hong Kong]] (1997) and [[Macau]] (1999) as [[special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China|Special administrative regions]].

Provincial level governments vary in details of organization:

{{China divisions by}}

====Provincial-level (1st) subdivisions====
{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; vertical-align:center;"
|-
|-
|<div style="background:#fbcece; border:solid black 2px; padding:1em;"></div>
| '''22&nbsp;[[Provinces of China|Provinces]]''': 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.
|-
|<div style="background:#fdf9d0; border:solid black 2px; padding:1em;"></div>
| '''5&nbsp;[[Autonomous regions of China|Autonomous regions]]''': 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 usually appointed from the respective minority ethnic group.
|-
|<div style="background:#8fff92; border:solid black 2px; padding:1em;"></div>
| '''4&nbsp;[[Direct-controlled municipalities of the People's Republic of China|Municipalities]]''': A higher level of city that is directly under the Chinese government, with status equal to that of the provinces. In practice, their political status is higher than that of common provinces.
|-
|<div style="background:#94ffff; border:solid black 2px; padding:1em;"></div>
| '''2&nbsp;[[Special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China|Special administrative regions]]''': A highly autonomous and self-governing subnational subject of the People's Republic of China. Each SAR has a  chief executive as head of the region and head of government. The SAR's government is not fully independent, as foreign policy and military defence are the responsibility of the central government, according to the Basic Laws of the two SARs.<ref>{{Citation |date=15 June 2005 |url=http://www.gov.cn/test/2005-06/15/content_18253.htm |trans-title=Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China |script-title=zh:中华人民共和国行政区划 |access-date=5 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723031844/http://www.gov.cn/test/2005-06/15/content_18253.htm |url-status=live |archive-date=2010-07-23}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Chapter II : Relationship between the Central Authorities and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Article 12 |url=http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/chapter_2.html |access-date=5 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729032916/http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/chapter_2.html |url-status=live |archive-date=2010-07-29}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Chapter II Relationship between the Central Authorities and the Macau Special Administrative Region, Article 12 |url=http://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/1999/leibasica/index_uk.asp#c2 |access-date=5 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205042947/http://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/1999/leibasica/index_uk.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 February 2012}}</ref>

|-

|<div style="background:#fffff; border:solid blue 2px; padding:1em;"></div>
| '''1&nbsp;[[Political status of Taiwan|Claimed province]]''': The People's Republic of China claims the island of Taiwan and its surrounding islets, including Penghu, as [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Taiwan Province]]. (Kinmen and the Matsu Islands are claimed by the PRC as part of its Fujian Province. Pratas and Itu Aba are claimed by the PRC as part of Guangdong and Hainan provinces respectively.) The territory is controlled by the [[Republic of China]] (ROC, commonly called "Taiwan"). 
|}

{{PRC provinces imagemap}}

=== Prefectural level (2nd) ===
{{Main|Prefecture-level divisions of China}}
{{Main list|List of prefectures in China}}

[[File:China prefectural-level divisions and administrative divisions (PRoC claim).png|thumb|200px|Map of China's prefectural level divisions]]
[[File:China population density 2022.png|thumb|200px|Map of China's population density on prefecture level, based on the official 2022 census]]

Prefectural level divisions or second-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 1 autonomous region ([[Xinjiang]]) have more than three second-level or prefectural-level divisions that are not prefecture-level cities. As of June 2020, there were 339 prefectural level divisions:

{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; vertical-align:center;"
|-
| '''7&nbsp;[[Prefectures of the People's Republic of China#Prefecture|Prefectures]]''': formerly the dominant second level division, thus this administrative level is often called "prefectural level". They were mostly replaced by [[prefecture-level city|prefecture-level cities]] from 1983 to the 1990s. Today, prefectures exist only in [[Heilongjiang]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]] and [[Xinjiang]].
|-
| '''30&nbsp;[[Autonomous prefecture]]s''': prefectures with one or more designated [[list of Chinese nationalities|ethnic minorities]], mostly in China's western regions.
|-
| '''299&nbsp;[[prefecture-level city|prefecture-level cities]]''': the largest number of prefectural-level divisions, generally composed of an urban center and surrounding rural areas much larger than the urban core and thus not "[[cities]]" but municipalities in the strict sense of the term
|-
| '''3&nbsp;[[Leagues of China|Leagues]]''': 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.
|}

{{anchor|County level}}

=== County level (3rd) ===
{{Main|County-level divisions of China}}
{{Main list|List of counties in China}}

[[File:China county-level divisions and administrative divisions (PRoC claim).png|thumb|200px|Map of China's county-level divisions]]

As of 18 August 2015, there were 2,852 county-level divisions:
{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; vertical-align:center;"
|-
| '''1,408&nbsp;[[Counties of China|Counties]]''': 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&nbsp;[[Autonomous county|Autonomous counties]]''': counties with one or more designated [[List of Chinese nationalities|ethnic minorities]], analogous to autonomous regions and prefectures
|-
| '''360&nbsp;[[County-level city|County-level cities]]''': 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.
|-
| '''913&nbsp;[[District (China)|Districts]]''': 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&nbsp;[[Banners of Inner Mongolia|Banners]]''': the same as counties except in the name, a holdover from earlier forms of administration in Mongolia
|-
| '''3&nbsp;[[Banners of Inner Mongolia#Autonomous banners|Autonomous banners]]''': the same as autonomous counties except in the name, a holdover from earlier forms of administration in Mongolia
|-
| '''1&nbsp;Forestry area''' ({{lang-zh|c=林区|p=línqū}}): a special county-level forestry district located in [[Hubei]] province
|-
| '''1&nbsp;Special district''' ({{lang-zh|c=特区|p=tèqū}}): a special county-level division located in [[Guizhou]] province
|}

===Township level (4th)===
{{Main|Townships of China}}

====Township-level (4th) subdivisions====
{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; vertical-align:center;"
|-
| '''13,749 [[Township (China)|Townships]]''': in smaller rural areas division they are divided into this subject
|-
| '''1,098 [[Ethnic townships, towns, and sums|Ethnic townships]]''': small rural areas divisions designated for one or more [[list of ethnic groups in China|ethnic minorities]] are divided into this subject
|-
| '''19,322 [[Towns of China|Towns]]''': in larger rural areas division they are divided into this subject
|-
| '''6,686 [[Subdistricts of China|Subdistricts]]''': in a small urban areas division they are divided into this subject
|-
| '''2 ''[[:zh:县辖区 (中华人民共和国)|County-controlled districts]]''''' 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 [[Sums of Inner Mongolia|Sums]]''' are the same as townships, but are unique to [[Inner Mongolia]].

|-
| The '''1 [[Ethnic townships, towns, and sums|Ethnic sum]]''' is the same as an ethnic township, but is unique to [[Inner Mongolia]].

|}

===Basic level autonomy (5th)===
{{Main|Villages of China}}

The '''basic level autonomy''' serves as an organizational division (census, mail system) and does not have much importance in political representative power. Basic local divisions such as [[neighborhoods]] and [[community (China)|communities]] are not informal, but have defined boundaries and elected heads (one per area):

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

====Village-level (5th) subdivisions====
{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%; margin:1em 1em 1em 0; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse; vertical-align:center;"
|-
| '''80,717&nbsp;Residential committees''' ({{lang|zh-hans|居民委员会}}; ''jūmínwěiyuánhuì'')<br><small>Residential groups ({{lang|zh-hans|居民小组}}; ''jūmínxiǎozǔ'')</small>
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;'''Communities''' ({{lang|zh-hans|社区 / 社}}; ''shèqū / shè'')
|-
| '''623,669&nbsp;Village committees''' ({{lang|zh-hans|村民委员会}}; ''cūnmínwěiyuánhuì'')<br><small>Village groups ({{lang|zh|村民小组}}; ''cūnmínxiǎozǔ'')</small>
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;'''Administrative Villages / [[Village (China)|Villages]]''' ({{lang|zh-hans|行政村 / 村}}; ''xíngzhèngcūn / cūn'')
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;'''Gaqa''' ({{lang|zh-hans|嘎查}}; ''gāchá'')
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;'''Ranch''' ({{lang|zh-hans|牧委会}}; ''mùwěihuì'')
|}

===Special cases===
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]] ({{lang-zh|s=计划单列市|links=no}}) are
* [[Dalian]] ([[Liaoning]])
* [[Ningbo]] ([[Zhejiang]])
* [[Qingdao]] ([[Shandong]])
* [[Shenzhen]] ([[Guangdong]])
* [[Xiamen]] ([[Fujian]])

In terms of budget authority, their governments have the ''de facto'' status of a province, but their legislative organs ([[National People's Congress]] and [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]]) and other authorities not related to the economy are on the level of a prefecture and under the leadership of the province.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hudong Wiki |url=http://www.hudong.com/wiki/%E8%AE%A1%E5%88%92%E5%8D%95%E5%88%97%E5%B8%82 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906221236/http://www.hudong.com/wiki/%E8%AE%A1%E5%88%92%E5%8D%95%E5%88%97%E5%B8%82 |archive-date=2010-09-06 |access-date=2010-09-04 |language=zh}}</ref>

Some other large prefecture-level cities, known as [[Sub-provincial divisions in the People's Republic of China|sub-provincial cities]], are ''half a level'' below a province. The [[mayor]]s of these cities have the same [[Political position ranking of the People's Republic of China|rank]] as a vice [[Governor#People's Republic of China|governor]] of a province, and their district governments are half a rank higher than those of normal districts. The capitals of some provinces (seat of provincial government) are sub-provincial cities. In addition to the five cities specifically designated in the state plan, sub-provincial cities are:{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}
* [[Harbin]] ([[Heilongjiang]])
* [[Changchun]] ([[Jilin]])
* [[Shenyang]] ([[Liaoning]])
* [[Jinan]] ([[Shandong]])
* [[Nanjing]] ([[Jiangsu]])
* [[Hangzhou]] ([[Zhejiang]])
* [[Guangzhou]] ([[Guangdong]])
* [[Wuhan]] ([[Hubei]])
* [[Chengdu]] ([[Sichuan]])
* [[Xi'an]] ([[Shaanxi]])

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 of sub-prefecture-level cities include [[Jiyuan]] ([[Henan]] province), [[Xiantao]], [[Qianjiang, Hubei|Qianjiang]] and [[Tianmen]] ([[Hubei]]), [[Golmud]] ([[Qinghai]]), [[Manzhouli]] ([[Inner Mongolia]]), [[Shihezi|Shihanza]], [[Tumushuk]], [[Aral, Xinjiang|Aral]], and [[Wujiaqu]] ([[Xinjiang]]).

Some districts are also placed at ''half a level'' higher that what it should be. Examples are [[Pudong]], [[Shanghai]]  and [[Binhai]], [[Tianjin]]. Although its status as a  [[District of China|district]] of a [[Direct-controlled municipalities of the People's Republic of China|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 ====
{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%; margin:1em 1em 1em 0; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse; vertical-align:center;"
|-
| '''1&nbsp;[[Sub-provincial divisions in the People's Republic of China#Sub-provincial autonomous prefecture|Sub-provincial autonomous prefecture]]'''
|-
| '''15&nbsp;[[Sub-provincial divisions in the People's Republic of China#Sub-provincial cities|Sub-provincial cities]]'''
|-
| '''2&nbsp;[[Sub-provincial divisions in the People's Republic of China#Sub-provincial new areas|Sub-provincial new areas]]'''
|-
| '''8&nbsp;[[Sub-prefecture-level city|Sub-prefecture-level cities]]'''
|}

== Ambiguity of the word "city" in China<span class="anchor" id="City"></span> ==
The Chinese word "{{lang|zh-hans|市}}" (shì) is usually loosely translated into English as "city". However, it has several different meanings due to the complexity of the administrative divisions used in China. Despite being urban or having urban centers, the [[Special administrative regions of China|SARs]] are almost never referred to as "Hong Kong City"/"Macau City" in contemporary Chinese and thus are not covered by the description below.

By its political level, when a "city" is referred to, it can be a:
* LV 1 (provincial-level):
** [[Municipalities of China|Municipality of China]], literally "direct-controlled city" in Chinese, there being actually four: [[Beijing]], [[Tianjin]], [[Shanghai]] and [[Chongqing]]
* LV 2 (prefecture-level):
** [[Sub-provincial city]], for example, [[Shenzhen]] in [[Guangdong Province]]
** [[Prefecture-level city]], for example, [[Shijiazhuang]], capital of [[Hebei Province]]
* LV 3 (county-level):
** [[Sub-prefecture-level city]], for example, [[Jiyuan]] (directly under the administration of [[Henan Province]])
** [[County-level city]], for example, [[Yiwu]] (under the administration of the prefecture-level city of [[Jinhua]])

By its actual area and population, it can be:
* Province-like, which is the municipality of [[Chongqing]], a merger of 4 former prefectures and similar to the former Eastern-Sichuan province.
* Prefecture-like, which are the other three municipalities and almost all prefectural-level cities, usually 10–1,000 times larger than the urban center and a conglomeration of several counties and county-level cities. Some of them in sparsely populated areas like [[Hulunbuir]] are even larger than Chongqing but have a population comparable to that of prefectures.
* County-like, which is all sub-prefecture-level and some county-level cities, and several extremely simple prefecture-level cities ([[Jiayuguan City|Jiayuguan]], [[Xiamen]], [[Haikou]], etc).
* Not substantially larger than urban establishment: some county-level cities, plus some members of the previous category. However, country-level cities converted from counties are unlikely to belong here. Shanghai, despite being prefecture-like in size, belongs here due to its subway already [[Line 11, Shanghai Metro|extending beyond]] municipality limits. Some other economically prosperous prefecture-level cities are also provoking inter-prefecture urban integration, although they still possess (and never intend to eliminate) large swaths of rural area.

When used in the statistical data, the word "city" may have three different meanings:
* The area administrated by the city. For the municipality, the sub-provincial city, or the prefecture-level city, a "city" in this sense includes all of the counties, county-level cities, and [[District (PRC)#Ethnic districts|city districts]] that the city governs. For the [[Sub-prefecture-level city]] or the [[County-level city]], it includes all of the [[Subdistricts of the People's Republic of China|subdistricts]], [[Towns of the People's Republic of China|towns]] and [[Townships of the People's Republic of China|townships]] that it has.
* The area comprising its urban [[District (PRC)#Ethnic districts|city districts]] and suburb [[Districts of the People's Republic of China|city districts]]. The difference between the urban district and the suburb districts is that an urban district comprises only the [[Subdistricts of the People's Republic of China|subdistricts]], while a suburb district also has [[Towns of the People's Republic of China|towns]] and [[townships of the People's Republic of China|townships]] to govern rural areas. In some sense, this definition is approximately the [[metropolitan area]]. This definition is not applied to the sub-prefecture-level city and the county-level city since they do not have city districts under them.
** Somewhat bizarrely, some districts such as [[Haidian District]] also possess towns. They have been treated clearly as urban districts for decades, but not from the inception, some areas are rural but other areas form an inseparable part of the central city.
* The urban area. Sometimes the urban area is referred as ({{lang-zh |s = 市区 |hp = shìqū |links = no }}). For the municipality, the sub-provincial city, and the prefecture-level city, it comprises the urban city district and the adjacent [[Subdistricts of China|subdistricts]] of the suburb city districts. For the sub-prefecture-level city and the county-level city, only central [[Subdistricts of the People's Republic of China|subdistricts]] are included. This definition is close to the strict meaning of "city" in western countries.

The choice of definition of "city" used for statistical data of Chinese cities can lead to different results.  For example, [[Shanghai]] is the largest city in China by population in the urban area but is smaller than [[Chongqing]] by the population within the administration area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Kam Wing |year=2007 |title=Misconceptions and Complexities in the Study of China's Cities: Definitions, Statistics, and Implications |url=http://courses.washington.edu/chinageo/ChanCityDefinitionsEGE2007.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115173048/http://courses.washington.edu/chinageo/ChanCityDefinitionsEGE2007.pdf |archive-date=2013-01-15 |access-date=2011-07-21 |website=Eurasian Geography and Economics |publisher=University of Washington}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of the administrative divisions of China}}

[[File:Qing Dynasty 1820.png|thumb|300px|Qing China in 1820, with provinces in yellow, military governorates and protectorates in light yellow, tributary states in orange]]
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.
[[File:China Administrative Areas - DPLA - 22a656e8833daa9fbe4263d11fb6d22f.jpg|thumb|300px|Administrative units of China in 1948 ([[CIA]] map)]]

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'' [[Commandery (China)|commanderies]] and ''xiàn'' [[Counties of the People's Republic of China#History|counties]]. The [[Han dynasty]] that came immediately after added ''[[zhou (political division)|zhōu]]'' (usually translated as "provinces") as the third level on top, forming a three-tier structure.

The [[Sui dynasty|Sui]] and [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] dynasties abolished commanderies, and added [[circuit (political division)|circuits]] (''dào'', later ''lù'' under the [[Song dynasty|Song]] and [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin]]) on top, maintaining a three-tier system that lasted through the 13th century. (As a second-level division, ''zhou'' are translated as "prefectures".) The Mongol-established [[Yuan dynasty]] introduced the modern precursors to [[Provinces of China|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 (1912–1949)|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 of the People's Republic of China|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, [[County (People's Republic of China)|counties]], and [[Townships of the People's Republic of China|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, [[Prefecture of China|prefectures]] were later inserted between provinces and counties.  They continued to be ubiquitously applied by the PRC government to nearly all areas of China until the 1980s.  Since then, most of the prefectures were converted into prefecture-level cities.  [[Greater administrative area]]s were inserted on top of provinces by the PRC government, but they were soon abolished, in 1954.  [[District public office]]s were inserted between counties and townships; once ubiquitous as well, they are currently being abolished and very few remain.

The most recent major developments have been the establishment of [[Chongqing]] as a [[municipality of China|municipality]] and the creation of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] as [[Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China|special administrative regions]].

==Reform==
{{Main|Reform of the administrative divisions of China}}
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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-05-10 |script-title=zh:民政部官员：“中国将要设50个省区市”报道失实 |url=http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/chn/xw/t97954.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923221313/http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/chn/xw/t97954.htm |archive-date=2009-09-23 |access-date=2009-10-01 |publisher=Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in New York |language=zh-hans}}</ref>

The [[District (PRC)|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 level, County level, Village level), reducing the amount of [[Corruption in China|corruption]] as well as the number of government workers, in order to lower the budget.

== See also ==
{{Portal|China}}
* [[List of regions of the People's Republic of China|Regions of China]]
* [[List of cities in China by population|Metropolitan cities of China]]
* [[Secession in China]]
* [[Language Atlas of China]]
* [[Tiao-kuai]]
* [[New areas]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{More footnotes needed|date=September 2017}}

== External links ==
* [http://xzqh.mca.gov.cn Ministry of Civil Affairs official website for administrative divisions]
* [http://www.china.org.cn/english/eng-shuzi2003/gq/biao/1-1.htm Statistics]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070209161035/http://www.guang.net/map.htm Provincial, prefecture, and county maps] {{in lang|zh}}
* [https://archive.today/20130101224306/http://www.allroadsleadtochina.com/index.php/regional-and-city-reports/ China's Regions and City Reports]

{{Clear}}
{{China topics |state = autocollapse }}
{{Regions and cities of China}}
{{Asia topic|Administrative divisions of}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Administrative Divisions Of China}}
[[Category:Administrative divisions of China| ]]
[[Category:Lists of administrative divisions of China| ]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions in Asia|China]]