added Category:Prefecture-level divisions of the People's Republic of China; removed {{uncategorized}} using HotCat
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{{Short description|Second-level administrative divisions of China}} |
{{Short description|Second-level administrative divisions of China}} |
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{{Update|part=all|reason=outdated number of divisions|date=July 2023}} |
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{{Infobox subdivision type |
{{Infobox subdivision type |
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| name = Prefecture-level division<br>{{nobold|{{lang-zh|s=地级行政区|labels=no}}}}<br>{{lang-zh|p=Dì Jí Xíngzhèngqū|labels=no}} |
| name = Prefecture-level division<br>{{nobold|{{lang-zh|s=地级行政区|labels=no}}}}<br>{{lang-zh|p=Dì Jí Xíngzhèngqū|labels=no}} |
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| territory = [[China]] |
| territory = [[China]] |
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| start_date = |
| start_date = |
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| current_number = 339 prefecture-level divisions |
| current_number = 339 prefecture-level divisions including 6 in [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Taiwan Province]]{{efn|name=TW}} |
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| number_date = |
| number_date = |
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| population_range = 444 ([[Sansha]]) – 14,047,625 ([[Chengdu]]) |
| population_range = 444 ([[Sansha]]) – 14,047,625 ([[Chengdu]]) |
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| area_range = {{Convert|13|sqkm|abbr=on}} ([[Sansha]]) – {{Convert|472472|sqkm|abbr=on}} ([[Bayingolin]]) |
| area_range = {{Convert|13|sqkm|abbr=on}} ([[Sansha]]) – {{Convert|472472|sqkm|abbr=on}} ([[Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture|Bayingolin]]) |
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| government = Various, [[Provinces of China|provincial government]], [[Government of China|central government]] |
| government = Various, [[Provinces of China|provincial government]], [[Government of China|central government]] |
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| subdivision = [[Counties of China|Counties]] |
| subdivision = [[Counties of China|Counties]] |
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|t=地級行政區|s=地级行政区|p=Dì Jí Xíngzhèngqū|t2=地區|s2=地区|p2=Dìqū|tib=ས་ཁུལ་|wylie=sa khul|zwpy=Sakü|zha=Dagih|mon=Translate as League (盟)<br>{{MongolUnicode|ᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ}}|monr=ayimaɣ|uig=ۋىلايىت|uly=Wilayit|uyy=Vilayit|sgs=Vilayit|mnc=ᠪᠠ}} |
|t=地級行政區|s=地级行政区|p=Dì Jí Xíngzhèngqū|t2=地區|s2=地区|p2=Dìqū|tib=ས་ཁུལ་|wylie=sa khul|zwpy=Sakü|zha=Dagih|mon=Translate as League (盟)<br>{{MongolUnicode|ᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ}}|monr=ayimaɣ|uig=ۋىلايىت|uly=Wilayit|uyy=Vilayit|sgs=Vilayit|mnc=ᠪᠠ}} |
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China is divided into |
China is officially divided into 339 '''prefecture-level divisions''', which rank below [[Provinces of China|provinces]] and above [[Counties of China|counties]] as the second-level [[Administrative divisions of China|administrative division]] in the country. Of these, 333 are located in territory controlled by the [[People's Republic of China]], while 6 are located in land controlled by [[Taiwan]].{{efn|name=TW}} |
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There are four types of prefecture-level divisions: |
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*[[Prefecture-level city|Prefecture-level cities]] ( |
*299 [[Prefecture-level city|Prefecture-level cities]] (293 in [[Mainland China]] and 6 in the claimed [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Taiwan Province]]){{efn|name=TW}} |
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*[[Autonomous prefecture]]s |
*30[[Autonomous prefecture]]s |
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*[[Prefectures in China|Prefectures]] |
*7[[Prefectures in China|Prefectures]] |
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*[[Leagues of China|Leagues]] |
*3[[Leagues of China|Leagues]] |
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Of these, leagues and prefectures are in the process of being abolished and transformed into one of the other two types of prefecture-level divisions. |
Of these, leagues and prefectures are in the process of being abolished and transformed into one of the other two types of prefecture-level divisions. |
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== History == |
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==Types of prefecture-level divisions== |
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⚫ | {{See also|History of the administrative divisions of China}} |
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⚫ | |||
Modern prefectures emerged out of successive attempts by [[Yuan Shikai]] and later the [[Nationalist Government]] of the Republic of China to abolish the second level of administrative divisions. When these attempts eventually failed, modern prefectures were created in 1936.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|2002|pp=21-25}} Chinese provinces are relatively large by international standards, and provincial administrations have difficulty administering counties without an intermediary level of government.{{sfn|Chung|Lam|2010|loc=Chapter 1}}{{sfn|Guo|2017|p=24}} However, prefecture-level divisions are still not a formally recognized level of government in the same way as provinces and counties.{{sfn|Saich|2015|pp=156-157}} |
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{{Main|Prefectures of China}} |
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Modern prefectures were created in 1932 to replace the abolished [[Circuit (country subdivision)|circuits]]. At one point, prefectures were the most common type of prefecture-level division. Today they have been mostly converted into [[prefecture-level cities]], and the trend is still ongoing, with only seven prefectures remaining in China. |
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===Prefecture-level city=== |
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{{Main|Prefecture-level city}} |
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[[Prefecture-level cities]] ({{Lang-zh|c=地级市|p=dìjíshì|links=no|labels=no}}) are municipalities that are given prefecture status and the right to govern surrounding [[County (People's Republic of China)|counties]]. In practice, prefecture-level cities are so large that they are just like any other prefectures (prefecture-level administrative divisions), and not [[cities]] in the traditional sense of the word. |
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Prefecture-level cities are the most common type of prefecture-level division in China today. |
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===League=== |
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{{Main|Leagues of China}} |
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[[Leagues of China|Leagues]] ({{zh|s=盟|p=méng|links=no|labels=no}}) are the prefectures of [[Inner Mongolia]]. The name comes from a kind of ancient Mongolian administrative unit used during the [[Qing dynasty]] in [[Mongolia]]. To preempt any sense of Mongolian unity or solidarity, the Qing dynasty executed divide and rule policies in which Mongolian [[Banners of Inner Mongolia|banners]] (county-level regions) were separated from each other. Leagues had no true ruler-ship, they only had conventional assemblies consisting of banners. During the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|ROC]] era, the leagues had a status equivalent to provinces. Leagues contain banners, equivalent to counties. |
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After the establishment of the provincial-level [[Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]] in 1947, the leagues of Inner Mongolia became equal to prefectures in other provinces and autonomous regions. The governments of the league, ''xíngzhènggōngshǔ'' ({{zh|s=行政公署|p=|links=no|labels=no}}), are the administrative branch offices dispatched by the People's Government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The leader of the league's government, titled as league leader ({{zh|s=盟长|p=méngzhǎng|links=no|labels=no}}), is appointed by the People's Government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. So are deputy leaders of leagues. Instead of a local-level people's congress, a league's working commissions of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are detached and supervise the league's governments, but can not elect or dismiss league's government officials. In such a way, the league's working committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's committee of the [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]] is instead the league's committee of the CPPCC. |
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Similar to prefectures, most leagues have been replaced by [[prefecture-level cities]]. There are only three leagues remaining in [[Inner Mongolia]]. |
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{{Main|Autonomous prefecture}} |
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[[Autonomous prefecture]]s ({{zh|labels=no|c=自治州 |p=zìzhìzhōu}}) either have over 50% of the population with [[Chinese nationalities|ethnic minorities]] or are historically resided by significant minorities. All autonomous prefectures are mostly dominated, in population, by the [[Han Chinese]]. The official name of an autonomous prefecture includes the most [[dominant minority]] in that region, sometimes two, rarely three. For example, a [[Kazakhstan|Kazakh]] (''Kazak'' in official naming system) prefecture may be called ''Kazak Zizhizhou''. |
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Like all other prefecture-level divisions, autonomous prefectures are divided into [[county-level division]]s. There is one exception: [[Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture]] contains two prefectures of its own. |
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Under the [[constitution of the People's Republic of China]], autonomous prefectures cannot be abolished. However, two autonomous prefecture were dissolved when new provinces were established such as [[Hainan Li and Miao Autonomous Prefecture]] when [[Hainan|Hainan Province]] was established in 1988 and [[Qianjiang Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture]] when [[Chongqing|Chongqing Municipality]] was established in 1997. |
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===Development zone=== |
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Development zones ({{zh|labels=no|s=开发区 |p=kāifāqū}}) were temporary prefecture-level divisions. [[Chongqing]] was a development zone before it became a [[Municipality of China|municipality]], and two development zones were set up within [[Chongqing]] immediately after it became a municipality. These divisions were temporary and no longer exist. |
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== Types == |
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* Qianjiang Migration Development Area – formerly Qianjiang Prefecture |
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* Wanxian Migration Development Area – formerly Wanxian City (prefecture-level) |
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By far the most common type of prefecture-level division, prefecture-level cities are cities with the right to administer surrounding counties. This arrangement is known as "cities governing counties." Although there have been at least a few prefecture-level cities since the beginning of the PRC, they were relatively uncommon until the 1980s. Since then, hundreds of prefectures have been converted into prefecture-level cities.{{sfn|Zhang|LeGates|Zhao|2016|pp=100-101}} They are each headed by a People's Government, whose officials are appointed by the province but subject to approval by the local People's Congress.{{sfn|Chung|Lam|2010|loc=Chapter 7}} As with other levels of Chinese government, the People's Congress can adopt local regulations and elects a standing committee to exercise its powers when not in session.{{sfn|Saich|2015|pp=158}} |
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== |
=== Prefectures === |
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Until the 1980s, the most common prefecture-level division was the [[Prefectures in China|prefecture]], which operated as the field agencies of the provincial government. Unlike other prefecture-level governments, they do not have their own People's Governments or People's Congresses. They are instead the field agencies of the province whose role is to supervise the local county governments.{{sfn|Saich|2015|pp=156-157}} However, the number of prefectures has declined rapidly since the 1980s. There are now only six prefectures left, mainly in rural areas of outlying provinces.{{sfn|Government Affairs Division|2020}}{{sfn|Chung|Lam|2010|loc=Chapter 7}} |
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The constitution of the People's Republic of China does not endorse any prefecture-level division, except for autonomous prefectures. Prefectures and leagues are not at all mentioned; provinces are explicitly stated to be divided directly into counties. |
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The constitution does not explicitly endorse the existence of [[prefecture-level cities]], but it does mention that "[[comparatively large city|comparatively large cities]]" ({{lang|zh-hans|较大的市}}) are divided into counties and districts. However, there are only 49 prefecture-level cities that have been designated as "comparatively large". As a result, the vast majority of prefecture-level cities do not have the constitutional basis for governing districts and counties. |
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Unlike other prefecture-level divisions, [[autonomous prefectures]] are a formal part of the Chinese administrative structure. They were established in 1953 as part of a series of administrative reforms giving greater autonomy to ethnic minorities.{{sfn|Chung|Lam|2010|loc=Chapter 1}} Like leagues and prefecture-level cities, autonomous prefectures have a locally elected People's Government and People's Congress.{{sfn|Chung|Lam|2010|loc=Chapter 7}} |
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=== Leagues === |
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The wholesale conversion of prefectures into prefecture-level cities has resulted in the phenomenon of "cities containing cities"—prefecture-level cities containing county level cities. There is no legal basis for this, not even for the 49 "comparatively large cities". Thus, the county-level cities technically do not "belong" to the prefecture-level city, but are instead "governed on behalf" (代管) of the province by the prefecture-level city, though in practice the county level cities do indeed belong to their governing prefecture-level cities. |
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[[Leagues of China|Leagues]] are similar to autonomous prefectures but are unique to [[Inner Mongolia]]. Their numbers have been declining in recent years as most are converted to prefecture-level cities. Only three leagues remain.{{sfn|Government Affairs Division|2020}}{{sfn|Chung|Lam|2010|loc=Chapter 7}} |
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== List of prefecture-level divisions== |
== List of prefecture-level divisions == |
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Notes: |
Notes: |
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* Municipalities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, & Tianjin) are not included but their internal divisions are similar to prefectures |
* Municipalities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, & Tianjin) are not included, but their internal divisions are similar to prefectures. |
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* Sub-provincial cities are included, but other types of [[sub-provincial division]]s are not |
* Sub-provincial cities are included, but other types of [[sub-provincial division]]s are not. |
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* The six prefectures of [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Taiwan Province]] are not listed. |
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* <nowiki>*</nowiki> Indicates capital of province. |
* <nowiki>*</nowiki> Indicates capital of province. |
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* '''Bold''': indicates sub-provincial city or above. |
* '''Bold''': indicates sub-provincial city or above. |
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! Type |
! Type |
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! Population ([[Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China|2010]]) |
! Population ([[Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China|2010]]) |
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! Area (km |
! Area (km<sup>2</sup>) |
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! Prefecture Seat |
! Prefecture Seat |
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|---------- |
|---------- |
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Line 318: | Line 297: | ||
|[[Kongtong District]] |
|[[Kongtong District]] |
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|---------- |
|---------- |
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|[[Qingyang]] |
|[[Qingyang, Gansu|Qingyang]] |
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|[[Prefecture-level city|City]] |
|[[Prefecture-level city|City]] |
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|style="text-align: right;"|2,211,191 |
|style="text-align: right;"|2,211,191 |
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Line 1,863: | Line 1,842: | ||
|[[Bayi District]] |
|[[Bayi District]] |
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|------------------------------------------------------------ |
|------------------------------------------------------------ |
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|[[Altay Prefecture|Altay]]{{efn|name=Ili}} |
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⚫ |
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| rowspan="14" |[[Xinjiang]] |
| rowspan="14" |[[Xinjiang]] |
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|[[Prefecture (China)|Prefecture]] |
|[[Prefecture (China)|Prefecture]] |
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Line 1,876: | Line 1,855: | ||
|[[Bole, Xinjiang|Bole (Börtala) City]] |
|[[Bole, Xinjiang|Bole (Börtala) City]] |
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|---------- |
|---------- |
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|[[Tacheng Prefecture|Tarbaĝatay]]{{efn|name=Ili}} |
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|[[Tacheng Prefecture|Tarbaĝatay]]{{efn|Ili (itself a prefecture with sub-provincial status) contains 2 other prefectures: Tacheng and Altay. Ili also directly controls 2 county-level cities, 7 counties, and 1 autonomous county, like a normal prefecture does. Tacheng and Altay is counted in Xinjiang's total number of prefectures here.}} |
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|[[Prefecture (China)|Prefecture]] |
|[[Prefecture (China)|Prefecture]] |
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|style="text-align: right;"|1,219,212 |
|style="text-align: right;"|1,219,212 |
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Line 1,912: | Line 1,891: | ||
|[[Yizhou District, Hami|Yizhou District]] |
|[[Yizhou District, Hami|Yizhou District]] |
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|---------- |
|---------- |
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|'''[[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture|Ili]]'''{{efn|name=Ili}} |
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|'''[[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture|Ili]]'''{{efn|Ili (itself a prefecture with sub-provincial status) contains 2 other prefectures: Tacheng and Altay. Ili also directly controls 2 county-level cities, 7 counties, and 1 autonomous county, like a normal prefecture does. Tacheng and Altay is counted in Xinjiang's total number of prefectures here.}} |
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|[[Autonomous prefectures of China|Autonomous prefecture]] {{small|(Kazakh)}} |
|[[Autonomous prefectures of China|Autonomous prefecture]] {{small|(Kazakh)}} |
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|style="text-align: right;"|2,482,627 |
|style="text-align: right;"|2,482,627 |
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Line 2,121: | Line 2,100: | ||
==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{notelist |
{{notelist|refs= |
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{{efn|name=TW|As [[Taiwan]] is currently administered by the [[Republic of China]], its [[Administrative divisions of the Republic of China|administrative divisions]] differ from those in provinces administered by the [[China|People's Republic of China]]. |
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The claimed official borders and divisions of the Taiwan Province of People's Republic of China mirror those of the ROC Taiwan Province before 1949. The PRC has not acknowledged any changes made post-1949 by the ROC. |
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{{refbegin}} |
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⚫ | {{Cite map |author=Government Affairs Division|title=National administrative division information query platform |url=http://xzqh.mca.gov.cn/map |publisher=Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China |access-date=24 March 2023 |language=Chinese |date=31 December 2020}} |
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{{refend}} |
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PRC once treated Taipei (still regarded as capital city, instead of [[Zhongxing New Village]]) and Kaohsiung as prefecture-level cities (they are actually [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|Special municipality of Republic of China]] at that time), all other cities and counties as county-level cities and counties, and display them on maps as such. This is analogous to the previous practice of the ROC in producing maps depicting [[mainland China|mainland]] administrative boundaries the way they were in 1949. However, this practice has also declined.}} |
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⚫ |
{{ |
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⚫ | {{efn|name=Ili|Ili (itself a prefecture with sub-provincial status) contains 2 other prefectures: Tacheng and Altay. Ili also directly controls 2 county-level cities, 7 counties, and 1 autonomous county, like a normal prefecture does. Tacheng and Altay is counted in Xinjiang's total number of prefectures here.}} |
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⚫ | |||
}} |
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==Sources== |
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===Citations=== |
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⚫ | |||
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⚫ | * {{Cite map |author=Government Affairs Division|title=National administrative division information query platform |url=http://xzqh.mca.gov.cn/map |publisher=Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China |access-date=24 March 2023 |language=Chinese |date=31 December 2020}} |
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*{{Cite book |last=Guo |first=Rongxing |title=How the Chinese Economy Works |date=2017 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |edition=4th Revised}} |
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*{{Cite book |last=Sun |first=Caihong |title=China's Political System |date=2020 |publisher=Springer Nature & Chinese Social Sciences Press |editor-last=Fang |editor-first=Ning |location=Singapore |pages=91-124 |translator-last=Fu |translator-first=Yili |chapter=The Relationship between Central and Local Authorities in China}} |
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*{{cite book |last1=Goodman |first1=David S.G. |title=Handbook of the Politics of China |date=2015 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing Limited |location=Northampton, Massachusetts}} |
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*{{cite book |last1=Zhang |first1=Li |last2=LeGates |first2=Richard |last3=Zhao |first3=Min |title=Understanding China's Urbanization: The Great Demographic, Spatial, Economic, and Social Transformation |date=2016 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing Limited |location=Northampton, Massachusetts}} |
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*{{cite book |last1=Saich |first1=Tony |title=Governance and Politics of China |date=2015 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |edition=Fourth}} |
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*{{cite book |last1=Chung |first1=Jae Ho |last2=Lam |first2=Chiu |title=China's Local Administration: Traditions and Changes in the Sub-National Hierarchy |date=2010 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York}} |
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*{{cite book |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=John |title=Rethinking China's Provinces |date=2002 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York}} |
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{{Articles on second-level administrative divisions of Asian countries}} |
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⚫ | |||
[[Category:Prefecture-level divisions of the People's Republic of China]] |
[[Category:Prefecture-level divisions of the People's Republic of China]] |
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[[Category:Second-level administrative divisions by country]] |
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[[Category:Administrative divisions in Asia]] |
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[[Category:Administrative divisions of China]] |
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Parts of this article (those related to all) need to be updated. The reason given is: outdated number of divisions. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (July 2023)
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Prefecture-level division 地级行政区 Dì Jí Xíngzhèngqū | |
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![]() | |
Category | Second level administrative division of a unitary state |
Location | China |
Number | 339 prefecture-level divisions including 6 in Taiwan Province[a] |
Populations | 444 (Sansha) – 14,047,625 (Chengdu) |
Areas | 13 km2 (5.0 sq mi) (Sansha) – 472,472 km2 (182,422 sq mi) (Bayingolin) |
Government |
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Subdivisions |
Administrative divisions of China |
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Special administrative regions |
Sub-provincial city districts |
Leagues (Aimag) (abolishing) |
Provincial-controlled counties Provincial-controlled districts |
Banners (Hoxu) Wolong Special Administrative Region (obsolete) |
Analogous county level units
Management areas
Management committee |
Subdistricts
County-controlled districts (pilot) |
Analogous township level units Farms area (Overseas Chinese Farm Region [zh]), Prison area, University towns, etc. |
Residential Committees |
Others Autonomous administrative divisions Special Economic Zones |
History: before 1912, 1912–49, 1949–present Administrative division codes |
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Prefecture-level divisions | |||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 地级行政区 | ||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 地級行政區 | ||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 地区 | ||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 地區 | ||||||||
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Tibetan name | |||||||||
Tibetan | ས་ཁུལ་ | ||||||||
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Zhuang name | |||||||||
Zhuang | Dagih | ||||||||
Mongolian name | |||||||||
Mongolian Cyrillic | Translate as League (盟) ᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ | ||||||||
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Uyghur name | |||||||||
Uyghur | ۋىلايىت | ||||||||
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Manchu name | |||||||||
Manchu script | ᠪᠠ | ||||||||
China is officially divided into 339 prefecture-level divisions, which rank below provinces and above counties as the second-level administrative division in the country. Of these, 333 are located in territory controlled by the People's Republic of China, while 6 are located in land controlled by Taiwan.[a]
There are four types of prefecture-level divisions:
Of these, leagues and prefectures are in the process of being abolished and transformed into one of the other two types of prefecture-level divisions.
Modern prefectures emerged out of successive attempts by Yuan Shikai and later the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China to abolish the second level of administrative divisions. When these attempts eventually failed, modern prefectures were created in 1936.[1] Chinese provinces are relatively large by international standards, and provincial administrations have difficulty administering counties without an intermediary level of government.[2][3] However, prefecture-level divisions are still not a formally recognized level of government in the same way as provinces and counties.[4]
By far the most common type of prefecture-level division, prefecture-level cities are cities with the right to administer surrounding counties. This arrangement is known as "cities governing counties." Although there have been at least a few prefecture-level cities since the beginning of the PRC, they were relatively uncommon until the 1980s. Since then, hundreds of prefectures have been converted into prefecture-level cities.[5] They are each headed by a People's Government, whose officials are appointed by the province but subject to approval by the local People's Congress.[6] As with other levels of Chinese government, the People's Congress can adopt local regulations and elects a standing committee to exercise its powers when not in session.[7]
Until the 1980s, the most common prefecture-level division was the prefecture, which operated as the field agencies of the provincial government. Unlike other prefecture-level governments, they do not have their own People's Governments or People's Congresses. They are instead the field agencies of the province whose role is to supervise the local county governments.[4] However, the number of prefectures has declined rapidly since the 1980s. There are now only six prefectures left, mainly in rural areas of outlying provinces.[8][6]
Unlike other prefecture-level divisions, autonomous prefectures are a formal part of the Chinese administrative structure. They were established in 1953 as part of a series of administrative reforms giving greater autonomy to ethnic minorities.[2] Like leagues and prefecture-level cities, autonomous prefectures have a locally elected People's Government and People's Congress.[6]
Leagues are similar to autonomous prefectures but are unique to Inner Mongolia. Their numbers have been declining in recent years as most are converted to prefecture-level cities. Only three leagues remain.[8][6]
Notes:
Articles on second-level administrative divisions of Asian countries
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1Country spanning more than one continent
List of administrative divisions by country
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