Since the 15th century, the administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels due to China's large population and geographical area. The Ministry of Civil Affairs determines that there are four levels of divisions: provincial-level, prefecture-level, county-level, and township-level.
Since the 17th century, provincial-level division boundaries in China have remained largely static. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, major changes include the reorganization of provinces in the Northeast and the formation of autonomous regions, based on the subdivisions of the Soviet Union. Provincial-level divisions serve an important cultural role in China, as people tend to identify with their native province.
Levels The Ministry of Civil Affairs determines that there are four levels of divisions: provincial-level, prefecture-level, county-level, and township-level. Each of the levels, except for the provincial-level special administrative regions, corresponds to a level in the civil service.
Summary This table summarizes the divisions of the area administered by the People's Republic of China .
Level Name Types 1 33 provincial-level divisions(1 claimed) 22 provinces (1 claimed) 5 autonomous regions 4 municipalities 2 special administrative regions 2 333 prefectural-level divisions(6 claimed) 293 prefecture-level cities (6 claimed) 7 prefectures 30 autonomous prefectures 3 leagues 3 2,850 county-level divisions(173 claimed) 954 districts (158 claimed) 366 county-level cities (3 claimed) 1,359 counties (12 claimed) 117 autonomous counties 49 banners 3 autonomous banners 1 special district 1 forestry district 4 39,863 township-level divisions(214 claimed) 8,122 subdistricts (26 claimed) 20,942 towns (41 claimed) 9,659 townships (147 claimed) 985 ethnic townships 2 county-controlled districts 152 sums 1 ethnic sum
Table
Structural hierarchy of the administrative divisions and basic level autonomies of the People's Republic of China Provincial level (1st) Prefectural level (2nd) County level (3rd) Township level (4th) Basic level autonomy (5th) Autonomous region Sub-provincial-level autonomous prefecture DistrictCounty-level cityCountyAutonomous countyBannerAutonomous banners SubdistrictTownTownshipEthnic townshipCounty-controlled districtsSumEthnic sum Community ( / )Village / Gaqa () Prefectural-level city Autonomous prefecturePrefectureLeagues Province Sub-provincial-level city DistrictSpecial districtCounty-level cityCountyAutonomous county Prefectural-level city Autonomous prefecturePrefecture Sub-prefectural-level city Forestry district () Municipality Sub-provincial-level new area District County Special administrative region(Part of the One country, two systems) see Region (informal) see District see Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau see Freguesia
Provincial level (1st)
The People's Republic of China (PRC) lays claims to 34 province-level divisions, including 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, 2 special administrative regions, and 1 claimed province.
Provinces are theoretically subordinate to the PRC central government, but in practice, provincial officials have considerable discretion over economic policy. Unlike in the United States, the central government's power 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 those in the northeast, have boundaries which were established long ago in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Sometimes provincial borders coincide with cultural or geographic 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 associated with its inhabitants.
The most recent administrative changes have included the elevation of Hainan (1988) and Chongqing (1997) to provincial level status, and the designation of Hong Kong (1997) and Macau (1999) as special administrative regions.
Provincial level governments vary in details of organization:
Provincial-level (1st) subdivisions 22 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. 5 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. 4 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. 2 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. 1 Claimed province: The People's Republic of China claims the island of Taiwan and its surrounding islets, including Penghu, as 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").
Prefectural level (2nd)
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:
7 Prefectures: formerly the dominant second level division, thus this administrative level is often called "prefectural level". They were mostly replaced by prefecture-level cities from 1983 to the 1990s. Today, prefectures exist only in Heilongjiang, Tibet and Xinjiang. 30 Autonomous prefectures: prefectures with one or more designated ethnic minorities, mostly in China's western regions. 299 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 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.
County level (3rd)
As of 18 August 2015, there were 2,852 county-level divisions: 1,408 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 Autonomous counties: counties with one or more designated ethnic minorities, analogous to autonomous regions and prefectures 360 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 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 Banners: the same as counties except in the name, a holdover from earlier forms of administration in Mongolia 3 Autonomous banners: the same as autonomous counties except in the name, a holdover from earlier forms of administration in Mongolia 1 Forestry area (): a special county-level forestry district located in Hubei province 1 Special district (): a special county-level division located in Guizhou province
Township level (4th)
Township-level (4th) subdivisions 13,749 Townships: in smaller rural areas division they are divided into this subject 1,098 Ethnic townships: small rural areas divisions designated for one or more ethnic minorities are divided into this subject 19,322 Towns: in larger rural areas division they are divided into this subject 6,686 Subdistricts: in a small urban areas division they are divided into this subject 1 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 are the same as townships, but are unique to Inner Mongolia. The 1 Ethnic sum is the same as an ethnic township, but is unique to Inner Mongolia.
Basic level autonomy (5th)
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 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 communities or residential committees. Each of them has a residential 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 a virtual village, which is a bureaucratic entity.
Village-level (5th) subdivisions 80,717 Residential committees (; jūmínwěiyuánhuì)Residential groups (; jūmínxiǎozǔ) Communities (; shèqū / shè) 623,669 Village committees (; cūnmínwěiyuánhuì)Village groups (; cūnmínxiǎozǔ) Administrative Villages / Villages (; xíngzhèngcūn / cūn) Gaqa (; gāchá) Ranch (; mùwěihuì) Hamlet (; tún)
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 () 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.
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, 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: Harbin (Heilongjiang)