Administrative divisions of China
The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China 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 China have remained largely static. Major changes since then have been the reorganisation 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.
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[update], 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.[1]
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 June 2017[update].
| Level | Name | Types |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Provincial level (1st) (33) (1 claimed) |
|
| 2 | Prefectural level (2nd) (333) (6 claimed) |
|
| 3 | County level (3rd) (2,850) (173 claimed) |
|
| 4 | Township level (4th) (39,863) (214 claimed) |
|
| 5 | Basic level autonomy (5th) (662,393) (7,761 claimed) |
|
Table
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, 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 "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 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.
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.[5][6][7] | |
| 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"). |
<imagemap> Image:China administrative.gif|700px|center poly 238 62 219 74 211 97 181 87 158 114 126 115 126 152 115 166 83 171 61 173 53 181 42 179 42 173 16 177 3 200 17 207 14 230 3 230 39 276 59 277 73 291 98 298 113 294 126 305 165 304 200 300 231 314 246 297 232 277 265 267 281 243 315 220 336 220 338 205 329 178 305 159 270 147 279 120 271 95 254 88 247 65 Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region poly 75 292 90 299 110 296 130 310 167 307 202 305 216 314 210 352 219 372 294 402 294 414 316 418 333 408 344 426 347 467 335 484 318 482 303 478 307 471 301 457 287 461 276 452 248 464 220 474 189 462 172 458 116 440 73 386 59 389 33 352 33 333 35 340 50 340 46 313 56 312 Tibet Autonomous Region poly 238 274 252 302 240 307 243 322 219 318 214 354 224 372 234 369 243 380 275 393 285 391 299 410 315 414 332 386 336 374 350 377 365 399 389 403 395 393 386 377 401 377 407 375 402 366 421 341 416 320 382 300 365 282 355 287 340 276 335 299 300 289 273 270 Qinghai poly 337 212 339 221 322 228 295 245 285 245 282 269 297 279 302 287 331 292 337 275 355 282 365 280 384 294 419 318 426 342 405 367 410 374 403 381 388 375 401 395 410 391 407 384 417 374 426 386 435 389 443 408 454 410 463 404 467 392 474 393 475 378 475 364 487 370 497 368 495 362 509 362 509 341 480 327 476 341 484 344 483 352 473 359 458 352 458 330 449 319 432 311 444 288 441 280 413 287 408 295 378 269 389 253 362 248 353 234 358 230 350 209 339 209 Gansu poly 335 377 333 398 342 404 351 425 349 488 357 477 372 495 388 531 410 527 407 510 420 500 427 486 435 485 435 501 447 497 450 504 468 504 457 492 465 484 452 472 459 455 473 456 481 460 490 445 504 429 482 410 454 411 439 407 436 391 421 387 418 377 412 391 402 397 392 396 392 405 377 411 368 403 348 380 Sichuan poly 347 473 333 492 339 499 335 531 314 549 312 566 337 564 335 584 345 586 334 603 348 607 356 619 369 612 371 625 379 626 379 601 390 603 397 596 405 604 413 597 430 599 457 587 457 575 433 567 438 553 430 545 437 530 422 526 421 515 448 509 448 497 436 501 431 486 411 508 412 528 388 532 373 498 365 498 364 489 359 479 350 487 Yunnan poly 451 320 460 329 461 348 475 360 476 351 481 352 481 343 475 342 478 328 487 327 492 313 477 305 484 292 478 286 470 304 470 313 Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region poly 354 212 360 232 354 236 364 249 390 249 383 266 408 293 410 284 441 280 446 288 432 308 449 317 466 313 469 293 481 284 485 289 482 303 510 316 532 286 560 282 564 268 591 259 586 243 599 230 601 240 628 229 628 221 641 217 652 239 664 239 664 224 667 220 675 231 720 199 707 176 701 182 689 151 702 153 702 133 692 122 718 92 728 47 717 35 712 43 692 45 682 26 676 28 666 21 671 13 667 7 653 23 657 22 663 33 647 74 628 87 617 82 603 114 606 120 627 121 632 116 643 115 665 137 646 139 614 151 616 161 575 181 561 176 551 187 559 200 524 226 493 226 457 241 419 228 414 220 Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region poly 534 286 513 317 495 316 490 331 511 341 508 362 496 363 498 368 485 370 478 365 474 374 479 378 475 394 465 395 464 409 505 420 522 430 523 414 531 412 522 401 547 400 533 372 540 355 535 327 543 318 537 307 548 284 Shaanxi poly 506 422 503 428 506 429 495 449 490 448 484 462 475 462 459 454 461 463 452 469 467 483 467 488 474 490 480 484 486 485 486 478 493 479 493 483 502 481 513 497 517 481 506 467 507 454 520 452 532 443 533 437 Chongqing Municipality poly 459 489 469 504 453 505 450 512 425 513 426 526 435 524 438 528 431 542 440 552 434 562 446 557 457 562 476 553 480 547 487 553 496 553 520 541 520 520 511 521 520 508 517 496 513 499 500 484 490 481 476 492 Guizhou poly 437 565 459 573 462 586 450 592 472 599 470 614 500 626 502 621 525 626 555 601 554 588 566 574 563 564 557 565 549 556 555 543 548 532 536 540 491 556 480 548 477 555 461 565 447 557 Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region poly 549 285 538 307 543 317 539 358 534 374 585 357 587 343 583 337 592 316 583 305 588 290 596 286 595 274 587 271 596 266 592 260 566 267 561 280 Shanxi poly 588 341 590 356 538 374 548 396 557 413 590 415 594 428 616 432 626 424 626 413 620 414 614 411 610 403 616 393 620 391 619 383 625 384 628 388 636 384 629 372 617 372 607 365 616 351 613 345 Henan poly 522 401 534 412 524 415 525 431 533 435 532 447 520 453 505 454 506 464 517 476 530 467 541 467 541 462 574 471 578 465 582 472 590 463 594 468 596 477 623 463 632 463 626 446 629 440 621 439 617 431 610 433 594 427 591 416 567 417 553 411 548 401 Hubei poly 520 475 523 511 512 519 522 519 524 539 541 534 553 535 557 543 548 557 564 563 568 556 580 556 588 550 599 551 597 515 591 513 593 502 602 492 601 486 592 477 590 467 582 473 570 471 540 462 541 468 537 470 528 469 Hunan poly 570 557 565 581 556 589 555 599 530 621 523 638 531 652 540 650 535 639 539 630 580 621 595 608 592 601 600 604 629 600 648 595 657 581 650 563 633 558 632 564 626 561 607 566 613 555 611 550 600 552 587 549 583 559 Guangdong poly 518 658 466 657 462 686 505 685 524 694 527 687 531 687 540 682 548 664 545 656 Hainan poly 598 230 590 241 587 251 596 262 589 270 594 272 596 286 588 289 587 295 583 303 586 305 592 315 584 336 608 345 615 344 612 337 635 310 643 309 648 303 643 294 630 291 633 286 631 277 627 279 613 280 609 271 616 265 614 260 625 249 638 254 638 262 644 266 647 276 654 284 667 279 666 272 674 264 670 255 658 250 665 240 650 241 647 233 650 232 641 218 630 221 628 230 616 234 602 242 Hebei poly 668 8 673 14 667 22 676 28 676 25 684 28 690 45 712 41 716 35 730 47 722 66 725 82 718 98 694 122 707 141 716 141 722 154 741 152 750 157 760 155 762 164 768 164 777 173 779 163 793 180 793 176 809 168 821 175 815 149 824 140 840 140 845 94 849 84 847 82 845 73 815 94 803 96 797 89 793 76 778 69 754 68 723 11 707 6 692 1 Heilongjiang poly 706 142 702 152 689 151 695 158 700 181 711 174 721 194 730 197 733 202 737 198 748 216 747 220 756 237 769 218 789 221 785 209 796 207 806 198 806 188 813 190 823 185 821 175 813 173 809 169 796 174 793 181 780 164 777 172 772 173 768 165 763 164 761 156 754 155 748 157 741 152 725 155 715 141 Jilin poly 721 193 721 201 680 224 676 231 665 221 666 237 659 251 669 255 674 264 683 260 691 245 708 250 696 271 703 278 696 283 697 286 708 280 719 267 737 260 756 239 748 222 747 214 738 197 733 203 Liaoning poly 626 248 614 259 618 264 610 271 612 279 625 281 631 276 638 264 639 254 631 253 Beijing Municipality poly 639 264 631 277 633 285 630 291 643 295 649 282 646 280 647 277 643 276 642 267 643 267 Tianjin Municipality poly 664 303 645 304 633 311 612 337 616 353 605 365 613 367 615 371 629 374 631 367 640 366 646 373 656 368 660 373 675 359 695 337 696 327 719 320 721 310 704 311 690 306 678 320 665 318 Shandong poly 639 366 630 372 640 376 650 382 659 386 659 397 664 405 670 404 673 399 679 408 669 408 670 413 666 418 675 426 673 432 693 432 703 438 710 431 714 423 724 419 719 411 706 403 693 372 676 366 674 360 667 367 664 372 657 369 647 373 Jiangsu poly 628 373 636 384 628 389 620 384 620 392 609 403 616 411 625 413 627 425 619 434 630 440 627 446 634 463 645 459 643 467 650 459 668 467 678 456 676 451 685 449 683 445 688 434 675 433 676 427 666 421 669 413 669 410 677 408 678 404 673 400 671 404 665 405 662 398 658 397 659 387 653 386 Anhui poly 713 422 709 432 717 438 725 434 721 426 Shanghai Municipality poly 690 432 684 449 678 449 678 457 666 472 675 489 679 490 683 504 689 504 693 500 697 504 710 507 715 493 720 493 727 483 734 456 717 446 708 450 705 446 711 444 715 439 708 433 702 437 Zhejiang poly 595 480 602 493 593 512 597 513 601 552 611 549 614 555 606 565 627 561 632 566 637 540 643 535 642 531 645 527 643 521 653 512 651 504 660 498 674 490 666 475 668 468 655 465 650 460 642 467 645 459 640 457 630 465 623 463 621 466 Jiangxi poly 679 490 673 492 658 498 651 504 654 512 643 519 646 526 642 534 633 558 650 562 658 582 679 563 702 541 709 507 698 505 694 500 688 505 681 504 Fujian poly 600 605 602 615 669 616 668 604 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region poly 595 609 589 616 589 630 623 630 623 619 602 618 Macau Special Administrative Region poly 738 542 728 547 711 574 710 584 714 594 721 600 723 608 727 596 733 589 742 559 742 553 744 548 Taiwan desc top-right </imagemap>
Prefectural level (2nd)
.png)
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)
.png)
As of August 18, 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 (Chinese: 林区; pinyin: línqū): a special county-level forestry district located in Hubei province |
| 1 Special district (Chinese: 特区; pinyin: tèqū): 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 |
| 2 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 (居民委员会; jūmínwěiyuánhuì) Residential groups (居民小组; jūmínxiǎozǔ) |
| Communities (社区 / 社; shèqū / shè) |
| 623,669 Village committees (村民委员会; cūnmínwěiyuánhuì) Village groups (村民小组; cūnmínxiǎozǔ) |
| Administrative Villages / Villages (行政村 / 村; xíngzhèngcūn / cūn) |
| Gaqa (嘎查; gāchá) |
| Ranch (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 (Chinese: 计划单列市) are
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.[8]
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:[citation needed]
- 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 and Tianmen (Hubei), Golmud (Qinghai), Manzhouli (Inner Mongolia), Shihanza, Tumushuk, 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 a 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 |
| 15 Sub-provincial cities |
| 2 Sub-provincial new areas |
| 8 Sub-prefecture-level cities |
Ambiguity of the word "city" in China
The Chinese word "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 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):
- 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, 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 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 city districts that the city governs. For the Sub-prefecture-level city or the County-level city, it includes all of the subdistricts, towns and townships that it has.
- The area comprising its urban city districts and suburb city districts. The difference between the urban district and the suburb districts is that an urban district comprises only the subdistricts, while a suburb district also has towns and 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 (Chinese: 市区; pinyin: shìqū). For the municipality, the sub-provincial city, and the prefecture-level city, it comprises the urban city district and the adjacent subdistricts of the suburb city districts. For the sub-prefecture-level city and the county-level city, only central 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.[9]
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 the third level on top, forming a three-tier structure.
The Sui and Tang dynasties abolished commanderies, and added circuits (dào, later lù under the Song and 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, 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 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 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 major developments have been the establishment of Chongqing as a municipality and the creation of Hong Kong and Macau as 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.[10]
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 level, County level, Village level), reducing the amount of corruption as well as the number of government workers, in order to lower the budget.
See also
Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 346: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').
References
- ^ 精选汉英词典(第四版) [Concise Chinese-English Dictionary (Fourth Edition).]. Oxford University Press and The Commercial Press. 2011. p. 248.
街道 jiēdào (名)1 street 2 what concerns the neighborhood: ~ 办事处 subdistrict office. {...}
- ^ 現代漢語詞典(第七版) [Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Seventh Edition).]. The Commercial Press. 1 September 2016. p. 663. ISBN 978-7-100-12450-8.
【街道办事处】 jiēdào bànshìchù 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。
- ^ 中国的行政区划——省级行政单位. Government of the People's Republic of China. 2009-04-17. Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
- ^ 中华人民共和国行政区划 [Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China], 15 June 2005, archived from the original on 2010-07-23, retrieved 5 June 2010
- ^ Chapter II : Relationship between the Central Authorities and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Article 12, archived from the original on 2010-07-29, retrieved 5 June 2010
- ^ Chapter II Relationship between the Central Authorities and the Macau Special Administrative Region, Article 12, archived from the original on 5 February 2012, retrieved 5 June 2010
- ^ "Hudong Wiki" (in 中文). Archived from the original on 2010-09-06. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
- ^ Chan, Kam Wing (2007). "Misconceptions and Complexities in the Study of China's Cities: Definitions, Statistics, and Implications" (PDF). Eurasian Geography and Economics. University of Washington. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
- ^ 民政部官员：“中国将要设50个省区市”报道失实 (in 中文（简体）). Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in New York. 2004-05-10. Archived from the original on 2009-09-23. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2017) |