Provinces of China

This article is about provinces in the People's Republic of China. For all province-level divisions of China, see Province-level divisions of China. For the Republic of China, see Administrative divisions of Taiwan.

Provinces

Shěng

Category| Unitary state
Location|  People's Republic of China
Number| 22 (1 claimed)
Government|

* Unitary one-party socialist republic

Subdivisions|

* Sub-provincial city, Prefecture-level divisions

Provinces

Chinese name
Simplified Chinese| 省
Traditional Chinese| 省
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Shěng
Tibetan name
Tibetan| ཞིང་ཆེན།
| Transcriptions

Wylie| zhing chen
Tibetan Pinyin| Xingqên
Zhuang name
Zhuang| Swngj
Korean name
Hangul| 성
| Transcriptions

Revised Romanization| seong
McCune–Reischauer| sŏng
Mongolian name
Mongolian Cyrillic| муж
Mongolian script| ᠮᠤᠵᠢ
| Transcriptions

SASM/GNC| muǰi
Uyghur name
Uyghur| ئۆلكە
| Transcriptions

Latin Yëziqi| ölke
Yengi Yeziⱪ| ɵlkə
SASM/GNC| ölkä
Siril Yëziqi| өлкә
Manchu name
Manchu script| ᡤᠣᠯᠣ
Möllendorff| golo
Kazakh name
Kazakh| ولكە
өлке
ölke
Kyrgyz name
Kyrgyz| ۅلكۅ
өлкө
ölkö
Administrative divisions
of China

Province-level (1st)

Municipalities

* * *

Provinces

* * *

Autonomous regions

* * *

Special administrative regions

Sub-provincial level

Sub-provincial cities

* * *

Sub-provincial autonomous prefectures

* * *

Sub-provincial city districts

Prefecture-level (2nd)

Prefectural cities

* * *

Autonomous prefectures

* * *

Leagues (Aimag)
(abolishing)

* * *

Prefectures

(abolishing)

Sub-prefectural-level

Sub-prefectural cities

* * *

Provincial-controlled cities

* * *

Provincial-controlled counties

* * *

Provincial-controlled districts

County level (3rd)

Counties

* * *

Autonomous counties

* * *

County-level cities

* * *

Districts
Ethnic districts

* * *

Banners (Hoxu)
Autonomous banners

* * *

Shennongjia Forestry District

* * *

Liuzhi Special District

* * *

Wolong Special Administrative Region

* * *

Workers and peasants districts

(obsolete)

Analogous county level units

Management areas
Management committee

Township level (4th)

Townships

* * *

Ethnic townships

* * *

Towns

* * *

Subdistricts
Subdistrict bureaux

* * *

Sum

* * *

Ethnic sum

* * *

County-controlled districts
County-controlled district bureaux
(obsolete)

* * *

Management committees

* * *

Town-level city

(pilot)

Analogous township level units

Management areas
Management committee

* * *

Areas

* * *

Farms area (Overseas Chinese Farm Region [zh]), Prison area, University towns, etc.

Village level (5th)

(Grassroots Autonomous Organizations)

* * *

Villages · Gaqa · Ranches
Village Committees

* * *

Communities

Residential Committees

Others

Regions

* * *

Capital cities

* * *

New areas

* * *

Autonomous administrative divisions

* * *

National Central Cities

* * *

Special Economic Zones

History: before 1912, 1912–49, 1949–present

* * *

Administrative division codes

* v
* t
* e

Provinces (Chinese: 省; pinyin: Shěng) are the most numerous type of province-level divisions in the People's Republic of China (PRC). There are currently 22 provinces administered by the PRC and one province that is claimed, but not administered, which is Taiwan, currently administered by the Republic of China (ROC).

The local governments of Chinese provinces consists of a Provincial People's Government headed by a governor that acts as the executive, a Provincial People's Congress with legislative powers, and a parallel provincial branch of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that elects a Party Secretary and a Provincial Standing Committee.

## Government

[edit]

Provinces are the most common form of province-level governments. The legislative bodies of the provinces are the Provincial People's Congresses. The executive branch is the Provincial People's Government, led by a governor. The People's Government is answerable to both the State Council and the Provincial People's Congress. The provincial branch of the CCP has a Provincial Party Congress every five years, and elects a Standing Committee to exercise its authority when not in session. The Provincial Party Secretary is the de facto most important position in the province.[1][2][3]

## History

[edit]

Main article: History of the administrative divisions of China

The first provinces were created in the Yuan dynasty, and have remained one of the most stable forms of Chinese government since then.[4] They were created to help the Imperial court manage local county governments, which were too numerous and far-flung to be managed directly.[5] The number of provinces grew steadily during subsequent dynasties, reaching 28 by the time of the Republic of China.[6] During the Warlord Era, provinces became largely or completely autonomous and exercised significant national influence. Province-level units proliferated and under the early People's Republic there were over 50.[7] Political boundaries are, in part, established to counterbalance the influence of economic factors. For instance, the Yangtze Delta is divided among the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui. This division ensures that economic strength is distributed, preventing any single region from potentially overpowering the state.[8]

## List of provinces

[edit]

GB/T 2260-2007[9] | ISO[10] | Province  | Chinese
Hanyu Pinyin  | Capital  | Population
(2020)  | Density
(per km2)  | Area
(km2)  | Abbreviation[a]

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

HE  | CN-HE  | Hebei | 河北省
Héběi Shěng | Shijiazhuang | 74,610,235  | 393.08  | 189,809  | 冀

SX  | CN-SX  | Shanxi | 山西省
Shānxī Shěng | Taiyuan | 34,915,616  | 222.80  | 156,713  | 晋
Jìn
LN  | CN-LN  | Liaoning | 辽宁省
Liáoníng Shěng | Shenyang | 42,591,407  | 289.59  | 147,076  | 辽
Liáo
JL  | CN-JL  | Jilin | 吉林省
Jílín Shěng | Changchun | 24,073,453  | 126.51  | 190,282  | 吉

HL  | CN-HL  | Heilongjiang | 黑龙江省
Hēilóngjiāng Shěng | Harbin | 31,850,088  | 67.37  | 472,766  | 黑
Hēi
JS  | CN-JS  | Jiangsu | 江苏省
Jiāngsū Shěng | Nanjing | 84,748,016  | 847.91  | 99,949  | 苏

ZJ  | CN-ZJ  | Zhejiang | 浙江省
Zhèjiāng Shěng | Hangzhou | 64,567,588  | 615.67  | 104,873  | 浙
Zhè
AH  | CN-AH  | Anhui | 安徽省
Ānhuī Shěng | Hefei | 61,027,171  | 436.29  | 139,879  | 皖
Wǎn
FJ  | CN-FJ  | Fujian[b] | 福建省
Fújiàn Shěng | Fuzhou | 41,540,086  | 335.66  | 123,756  | 闽
Mǐn
JX  | CN-JX  | Jiangxi | 江西省
Jiāngxī Shěng | Nanchang | 45,188,635  | 270.69  | 166,939  | 赣
Gàn
SD  | CN-SD  | Shandong | 山东省
Shāndōng Shěng | Jinan | 101,527,453  | 643.78  | 157,704  | 鲁

HA  | CN-HA  | Henan | 河南省
Hénán Shěng | Zhengzhou | 99,365,519  | 600.52  | 165,467  | 豫

HB  | CN-HB  | Hubei | 湖北省
Húběi Shěng | Wuhan | 57,752,557  | 310.87  | 185,776  | 鄂

HN  | CN-HN  | Hunan | 湖南省
Húnán Shěng | Changsha | 66,444,864  | 313.65  | 211,842  | 湘
Xiāng
GD  | CN-GD  | Guangdong[c] | 广东省
Guǎngdōng Shěng | Guangzhou | 126,012,510  | 700.02  | 180,013  | 粤
Yuè
HI  | CN-HI  | Hainan[d] | 海南省
Hǎinán Shěng | Haikou | 10,081,232  | 294.27  | 34,259  | 琼
Qióng
SC  | CN-SC  | Sichuan | 四川省
Sìchuān Shěng | Chengdu | 83,674,866  | 174.93  | 484,056  | 川(蜀)
Chuān (Shǔ)
GZ  | CN-GZ  | Guizhou | 贵州省
Guìzhōu Shěng | Guiyang | 38,562,148  | 218.93  | 176,140  | 贵(黔)
Guì (Qián)
YN  | CN-YN  | Yunnan | 云南省
Yúnnán Shěng | Kunming | 47,209,277  | 123.20  | 383,195  | 云(滇)
Yún (Diān)
SN  | CN-SN  | Shaanxi | 陕西省
Shǎnxī Shěng | Xi'an | 39,528,999  | 192.24  | 205,624  | 陕(秦)
Shǎn (Qín)
GS  | CN-GS  | Gansu | 甘肃省
Gānsù Shěng | Lanzhou | 25,019,831  | 54.70  | 457,382  | 甘(陇)
Gān (Lǒng)
QH  | CN-QH  | Qinghai | 青海省
Qīnghǎi Shěng  | Xining | 5,923,957  | 8.58  | 690,355  | 青
Qīng
TW  | CN-TW[e] | Taiwan[f] | 台湾省
Táiwān Shěng  | Taipei | 23,162,123  | 650.97  | 36,161  | 台(臺)
Tái

1. ^ Abbreviation in the parentheses is informal
2. ^ Most of the Fujian is administered by the People's Republic of China, but the Republic of China governs Kinmen County and Lienchiang County under its own Fujian Province.
3. ^ Most of the Guangdong is administered by the People's Republic of China, but the Republic of China governs Pratas Island as part of the Hainan special administrative region, which is currently administered by Kaohsiung City.
4. ^ Most of the Hainan is administered by the People's Republic of China, while the Republic of China governs Taiping Island as part of the Hainan special administrative region, which is currently administered by Kaohsiung City.
5. ^ Has separate ISO 3166-2 code: `TW`
6. ^ The People's Republic of China considers Taiwan to be its 23rd province, but Taiwan is currently administrated by the Republic of China. For more information, see the political status of Taiwan.

## See also

[edit]

* China portal

* Federalism in China
* Administrative divisions of China
* List of Chinese administrative divisions by GDP
* List of Chinese administrative divisions by population
* List of current Chinese provincial leaders
* Regional discrimination in China
* Tiao-kuai
* Yangtze Delta
* Zhou (administrative division)
* Special administrative region (Republic of China)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Goodman 2015, p. 96.
2. ^ Saich 2015, pp. 157–158.
3. ^ Chung & Lam 2010, Chapter 2.
4. ^ Guo 2017, p. 23.
5. ^ Fitzgerald 2002, p. 16.
6. ^ Goodman 2015, pp. 150, 154.
7. ^ Goodman 2015, pp. 153–154.
8. ^ Fairbank, John; Goldman, Merle (2006). China: A New History. Harvard University Press. p. 11\. ISBN 0674116739.
9. ^ "GB/T 2260 codes for the provinces of China". Archived from the original on 2004-03-05. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
10. ^ ISO 3166-2:CN (ISO 3166-2 codes for the provinces of China)

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Goodman, David S.G. (2015). Handbook of the Politics of China. Northampton, Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
* Saich, Tony (2015). Governance and Politics of China (Fourth ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
* Chung, Jae Ho; Lam, Chiu (2010). China's Local Administration: Traditions and Changes in the Sub-National Hierarchy. New York: Routledge.
* Fitzgerald, John (2002). Rethinking China's Provinces. New York: Routledge.
* Guo, Rongxing (2017). How the Chinese Economy Works (4th Revised ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Provinces of the People's Republic of China.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for List of Chinese provinces and regions.

* Interactive Dbresearch.com: WebMap Archived 2016-04-06 at the Wayback Machine — with economic indicators for all Chinese Provinces.

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