List of capitals in China

Administrative divisions
of China

Province-level (1st)

Municipalities

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Provinces

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Autonomous regions

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Special administrative regions

Sub-provincial level

Sub-provincial cities

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Sub-provincial autonomous prefectures

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Sub-provincial city districts

Prefecture-level (2nd)

Prefectural cities

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Autonomous prefectures

* * *

Leagues (Aimag)
(abolishing)

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Prefectures

(abolishing)

Sub-prefectural-level

Sub-prefectural cities

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Provincial-controlled cities

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Provincial-controlled counties

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Provincial-controlled districts

County level (3rd)

Counties

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Autonomous counties

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County-level cities

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Districts
Ethnic districts

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Banners (Hoxu)
Autonomous banners

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Shennongjia Forestry District

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Liuzhi Special District

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Wolong Special Administrative Region

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Workers and peasants districts

(obsolete)

Analogous county level units

Management areas
Management committee

Township level (4th)

Townships

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Ethnic townships

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Towns

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Subdistricts
Subdistrict bureaux

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Sum

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Ethnic sum

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

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Management committees

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Town-level city

(pilot)

Analogous township level units

Management areas
Management committee

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Areas

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

Village level (5th)

(Grassroots Autonomous Organizations)

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Villages · Gaqa · Ranches
Village Committees

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Communities

Residential Committees

Others

Regions

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Capital cities

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New areas

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Autonomous administrative divisions

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National central cities

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Special Economic Zones

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

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Administrative division codes

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This article is about contemporary capitals. For the historic capitals, see Historical capitals of China.

The scope of this list is limited to capital cities of first-level administrative divisions such as provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and special administrative regions, also including sub-provincial cities which are governed by a province but administered independently in many ways from a province.

## Provincial-level capitals

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Beijing

Tianjin

Hebei
Shijiazhuang

Shanxi
Taiyuan

Inner Mongolia AR
Hohhot

Liaoning
Shenyang

Jilin
Changchun

Heilongjiang
Harbin

Shanghai

Jiangsu
Nanjing

Zhejiang
Hangzhou

Anhui
Hefei

Fujian
Fuzhou

Taiwan
Taibei

Jiangxi
Nanchang

Shandong
Jinan

Henan
Zhengzhou

Hubei
Wuhan

Hunan
Changsha

Guangdong
Guangzhou

Guangxi Zhuang AR
Nanning

Hainan
Haikou

Chongqing

Sichuan
Chengdu

Guizhou
Guiyang

Yunnan
Kunming

Tibet AR
Lhasa

Shaanxi
Xi'an

Gansu
Lanzhou

Qinghai
Xining

Ningxia Hui AR
Yinchuan

Xinjiang Uygur AR
Ürümqi

Hong Kong
SAR

Macao
SAR

class=notpageimage|

Provincial-level administrative divisions and capitals of China
Legend:  Capital  Direct-administered municipality  East  South  West  North  Central  Special Administrative Region (SAR)

* Note: The People's Republic of China claims Taiwan as one of its provinces, which it does not control.

Jurisdiction  | Capital  | Chinese  | Capital since  | Land area
(km²)  | Population
(2020)  | Urban area
population (2020)  | Symbol  | Seat  | Map

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Anhui | Hefei | 合肥市  | 1853  | 11,434  | 9,369,881  | 5,118,199  | 庐 | Shushan |
Beijing
(Municipality) | Beijing | 北京市  | 1927  | 16,801  | 21,893,095  | 21,893,095  | 京 | Tongzhou |
Chongqing
(Municipality) | Chongqing | 重庆市  | 1927  | 82,401  | 32,054,159  | 22,251,500  | 渝 | Yuzhong |
Fujian | Fuzhou | 福州市  | 1278  | 12,177  | 8,291,268  | 4,094,491  | 榕 | Gulou |
Gansu | Lanzhou | 兰州市fgyf  | 1667  | 13,300  | 4,359,446  | 3,072,100  | 兰 | Chengguan |
Guangdong | Guangzhou | 广州市  | 1369  | 7,434  | 18,676,605  | 16,492,590  | 穗 | Yuexiu |
Guangxi
(Autonomous region) | Nanning | 南宁市  | 1912  | 22,189  | 8,741,584  | 5,977,185  | 邕 | Qingxiu |
Guizhou | Guiyang | 贵阳市  | 1413  | 8,034  | 5,987,018  | 4,506,134  | 筑 | Guanshanhu |
Hainan | Haikou | 海口市  | 1988  | 2,237  | 2,046,189  | 2,046,189  | 海 | Xiuying |
Hebei | Shijiazhuang | 石家庄市  | 1968  | 15,722  | 11,235,086  | 4,717,198  | 石 | Chang'an |
Heilongjiang | Harbin | 哈尔滨市  | 1949  | 53,100  | 10,009,854  | 7,152,381  | 哈 | Songbei |
Henan | Zhengzhou | 郑州市  | 1954  | 7,507  | 12,600,574  | 6,650,532  | 郑 | Zhongyuan |
Hong Kong
(Special administrative region) | Hong Kong | 香港特别行政区  | 1997  | 1,104  | 7,481,800  | 7,481,800  | 港 | Central & Western |
Hubei | Wuhan | 武汉市  | 1927  | 8,494  | 12,326,500  | 12,326,500  | 汉 | Jiang'an |
Hunan | Changsha | 长沙市  | 1664  | 11,819  | 10,047,914  | 6,242,453  | 星 | Yuelu |
Inner Mongolia
(Autonomous region) | Hohhot | 呼和浩特市  | 1952  | 17,224  | 3,446,100  | 2,681,758  | 呼 | Xincheng |
Jiangsu | Nanjing | 南京市  | 1952  | 6,598  | 9,314,685  | 9,314,685  | 宁 | Xuanwu |
Jiangxi | Nanchang | 南昌市  | 1277  | 7,372  | 6,255,007  | 3,929,660  | 洪 | Honggutan |
Jilin | Changchun | 长春市  | 1954  | 20,532  | 9,066,906  | 5,691,024  | 春 | Nanguan |
Liaoning | Shenyang | 沈阳市  | 1662  | 12,942  | 9,070,093  | 7,885,142  | 沈 | Hunnan |
Macau
(Special administrative region) | Macau | 澳门特别行政区  | 1999  | 29  | 683,100  | 683,100  | 澳 | São Lourenço |
Ningxia
(Autonomous region) | Yinchuan | 银川市  | 1928  | 4,467  | 2,859,074  | 1,901,793  | 银 | Jinfeng |
Qinghai | Xining | 西宁市  | 1928  | 7,372  | 2,467,965  | 1,954,795  | 湟 | Chengzhong |
Shaanxi | Xi'an | 西安市  | 1286  | 9,983  | 12,952,907  | 11,904,805  | 镐 | Weiyang |
Shandong | Jinan | 济南市  | 1377  | 8,177  | 9,202,432  | 8,352,574  | 济 | Lixia |
Shanghai
(Municipality) | Shanghai | 上海市  | 1927  | 6,340  | 24,870,895  | 24,870,895  | 沪 | Huangpu |
Shanxi | Taiyuan | 太原市  | 1369  | 6,959  | 5,305,061  | 4,529,141  | 并 | Xinghualing |
Sichuan | Chengdu | 成都市  | 1286  | 12,132  | 20,937,757  | 15,419,445  | 蓉 | Wuhou |
Tianjin
(Municipality) | Tianjin | 天津市  | 1927  | 11,760  | 13,866,009  | 10,932,000  | 津 | Hexi |
Tibet
(Autonomous region) | Lhasa | 拉萨市  | 1642  | 29,274  | 867,891  | 648,044  | 拉 | Chengguan |
Xinjiang
(Autonomous region) | Ürümqi | 乌鲁木齐市  | 1884  | 14,577  | 3,112,559  | 3,029,372  | 乌 | Tianshan |
Yunnan | Kunming | 昆明市  | 1275  | 21,473  | 8,460,088  | 5,604,310  | 昆 | Chenggong |
Zhejiang | Hangzhou | 杭州市  | 1367  | 16,847  | 11,936,010  | 10,711,238  | 杭 | Jianggan |

## Sub-provincial cities that are not themselves provincial capitals

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Sub-provincial cities have a status that is below that of the municipalities, which are independent and equivalent to provinces, but above other, regular prefecture-level cities, which are completely ruled by their respective provinces. However, these sub-provincial cities are marked the same as other provincial capitals (or a prefecture-level city if the city is not a provincial capital) on almost all maps.

In total, there are five sub-provincial cities that are not themselves provincial capitals. These five cities have been designated as "Cities with Independent Planning Status" (Chinese: 计划单列市; pinyin: Jìhuá Dānliè Shì).

### List of the Cities with Independent Planning Status

[edit]

Jurisdiction  | City  | Chinese  | Designation  | Land area (km²)  | Population (2010)  | Urban area
population (2010)  | Symbol  | Seat  | Map

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Fujian | Xiamen | 厦门市  | 1988  | 1,699  | 3,531,347  | 3,119,110  | 鹭 | Siming |
Guangdong | Shenzhen | 深圳市  | 1988  | 2,050  | 10,358,381  | 10,358,381  | 深 | Futian |
Liaoning | Dalian | 大连市  | 1984  | 13,237  | 8,106,171  | 4,222,409  | 连 | Xigang |
Shandong | Qingdao | 青岛市  | 1986  | 11,026  | 8,715,087  | 4,556,077  | 胶 | Shinan |
Zhejiang | Ningbo | 宁波市  | 1987  | 9,816  | 7,605,689  | 2,823,065  | 甬 | Yinzhou |

With the exception of Fuzhou, the provincial capital of Fujian Province, the provincial capitals of the other four provinces listed above – Guangzhou, Shenyang, Jinan, and Hangzhou – are themselves sub-provincial cities. Before 1997, when Chongqing was a sub-provincial city of Sichuan Province, provincial capital Chengdu was also a sub-provincial city.

## See also

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* China portal

* Historical capitals of China
* List of cities in China
* List of cities in China by population
* List of the current and former capitals of the subdivisions of China

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