Administrative divisions of China: Difference between revisions

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==Province==
==Province==
A province under Chinese law exists as an autonomous corporate body with respect to a list of constitutional powers (the "provincial list") and also as an executive agency of, and funded by, the central government (the "shared list"). A province may, with the assent of its legislature, enact provincial laws pertaining to the provincial list; under central laws so permitting, a province may also enact laws pertaining to the shared list. But it remains a common yet controversial situation where the central government does not provide a role for the provincial legislature and instead authorize the provincial government to enact local rules directly. Comparatively, a province's autonomy is limited vis-à-vis its functions as an agency of the central government, which also provides for most of its budget.  
A province under Chinese law exists as an autonomous corporate body with respect to a list of constitutional powers (the "provincial list") and also as an executive agency of, and funded by, the central government (the "shared list"). A province may, with the assent of its legislature, enact provincial laws pertaining to the provincial list; under central laws so permitting, a province may also enact laws pertaining to the shared list. But it remains a common yet controversial situation where the central government does not provide a role for the provincial legislature and instead authorizes the provincial government to enact local rules directly. Comparatively, a province's autonomy is limited vis-à-vis its functions as an agency of the central government, which also provides for most of its budget.  


China has historically been and continues to be reliant upon an administrative hierarchy to carry out policies given at a higher level and to monitor this activity. A perennial fear was that a province's self-sufficiency placed it at risk of secession or warlordism. Provinces typically contained tens of millions, if not over 100 million, of residents, comparable in population to European states.  Measures to suppress self-sufficiency as separate states include deliberately indefensible borders, separate civil, judicial, and defence offices, and collegiate leadership. Such countermeasures, in turn, were associated even before the modern era with inefficient administration, while the risk of secession they were meant to quell never fully abated.
A province has a legislature and a government to exercise its legislative and executive functions respectively. Since a province is both an autonomous authority and an agency of the central government, a provincial government is accountable to both the provincial legislature and to the central government. Thus, provincial ministers are appointed by the central government with the assent of the provincial legislature, and it is deemed inappropriate for the central government to reject the legislature's decisions.


As opposed to the county whose executive authority is vested in a presidential mayor, a province's executive power is collegiate and responsible to the legislative power. Whenever a province exercised its autonomous executive powers the provincial government must pass the matter by consensus, meant to curb controversial policies. With exception of major cities, provincial policies are also locally executed by a prefect represented in the provincial government as a voting member when a devolved power was exercised. These checks render a provincial government less able to enact sweeping change or seek independence, but it has likewise been criticized for complication and inefficiency.
China's historical rulers had perennial fears about a province's risk of secession or warlordism. Measures to suppress self-sufficiency as separate states include deliberately indefensible borders, separate civil, judicial, and defence offices, and collegiate leadership. Such countermeasures were associated even before the modern era with inefficient administration, yet the risks they were meant to address never fully abated.
 
Since a province may oversee many dozens of counties and a highly diverse demographic, there is a variety of intermediary organs to support provincial governments in managing affairs more locally. These organs are creatures of the provincial government and support both  autonomous policies and the province's function as an agency of the central government.  Depending on the province these can be subjected to each other's administrative oversight.
*'''Prefectures''' (道) exist over ordinary, mostly-rural counties in China-proper.
*'''Governance Divisions''' (管理署) exist in inaccessible areas or areas mainly settled by ethnic minorities, typically under a prefecture. These areas may be elevated to prefectural status pending sufficient development.
*'''Security Divisions''' (保安署) exist in areas prone to armed conflicts, typically under a prefecture.
*'''Park Division''' (公園署) exist to manage {{wp|nature reserves}}, typically under a province.
*'''Clearing Bureau''' (墾殖局) are temporary agencies to manage the settlement of a certain area before a formal local government is established, typically under a prefecture.
*'''Development Bureau''' (實業局) are agencies to manage {{wp|industrial zones}}, typically under a province.
*'''Commissions''' of various kinds (委員會) are agencies managing other areas identified by the provincial authority.


===Prefecture===
===Prefecture===
There are currently 61 prefectures (道) in China, and the average province has around 3 prefectures. Provinces on the peripheries of China-proper have more prefectures largely due to sparsely-populated areas assigned to their governance; Ho-peh, San-si, Shan-si, Szechuan, and Sinkiang provinces each have 5 prefectures, while the Korean-occupied Fong-tien, He-lung-kiang, and Chilin provinces each theoretically have only 2 prefectures.
There are currently 61 prefectures (道) in China, and the mean number of prefectures in a province is 3. Provinces on the peripheries of China-proper have more prefectures largely due to sparsely-populated areas assigned to their governance; Ho-peh, San-si, Shan-si, Szechuan, and Sinkiang provinces each have 5 prefectures, while the Korean-occupied Fong-tien, He-lung-kiang, and Chilin provinces each theoretically have only 2 prefectures.


Each prefecture has a prefect assigned appointed by the central government subject to the provincial government's prior consent. There are also one or two deputy prefects appointed by the provincial government.
Each prefecture has a prefect assigned appointed by the central government subject to the provincial government's prior consent. There are also one or two deputy prefects appointed by the provincial government.
Line 52: Line 61:
|rowspan="4"| Chiang-su Province ||rowspan="4"| Chin-chiang City || Hwai-hai Prefecture (淮海道)
|rowspan="4"| Chiang-su Province ||rowspan="4"| Chin-chiang City || Hwai-hai Prefecture (淮海道)
|-
|-
| Suchow Prefecture (蘇州道)
| Suchow Prefecture (蘇常道)
|-
|-
| Yangchow Prefecture (揚州道)
| Yangchow Prefecture (上海道)
|-
|-
| Chin-chiang City (鎮江市)
| Chin-chiang City (鎮江市)
|-
|-
|rowspan="3"|  Chen-chiang Province ||rowspan="3"| Hangchow City || Hangchow Prefecture (杭州道)
|rowspan="3"|  Chen-chiang Province ||rowspan="3"| Hangchow City || Chien-tang Prefecture (錢塘道)
|-
|-
| Kwai-ki Prefecture (會稽道)
| Kwai-ki Prefecture (會稽道)
Line 92: Line 101:
| Chi-nan City (濟南市)
| Chi-nan City (濟南市)
|-
|-
| rowspan="6"| Shansi Province || rowspan="6"| Taiyuan City || Ki-ning Prefecture (冀寧道)
| rowspan="5"| Shansi Province || rowspan="5"| Taiyuan City || Ki-ning Prefecture (冀寧道)
|-
|-
| Yan-men Prefecture (雁門道)
| Yan-men Prefecture (雁門道)
|-
|-
| Ho-tung Prefecture (河東道)
| Ho-tung Prefecture (黃河道)
|-
|-
| Swei-yuen Prefecture (綏遠道)
| Swei-yuen Prefecture (綏遠道)
|-
| Chahar Prefecture (察哈爾道)
|-
|-
| Taiyuan City (太原市)
| Taiyuan City (太原市)
|-
|-
| rowspan="5"| Sansi Province || rowspan="5"| Si-an City || Shan-yang Prefecture (山陽道)
| rowspan="6"| Shamsi Province || rowspan="6"| Si-an City || Shan-yang Prefecture (山陽道)
|-
|-
| Lim-tiao Prefecture (臨洮道)
| Lim-tiao Prefecture (臨洮道)
|-
|-
| Ning-hsia Prefecture (寧夏道)
| Han-chung Prefecture (漢中道)
|-
| Lan-chow Prefecture (蘭州道)
|-
|-
| Lung-hsi Prefecture (隴西道)
| Lung-hsi Prefecture (隴西道)
Line 136: Line 145:
| Kam-nam Prefecture (贛南道)
| Kam-nam Prefecture (贛南道)
|-
|-
| Sun-yang P (潯陽道)
| Sun-yang Prefecture (潯陽道)
|-
|-
| Nam-chang City (南昌市)
| Nam-chang City (南昌市)
|-
|-
| rowspan="6"| Fukien Province || rowspan="6"| Fuchow City || Min-hai Prefecture (閩海道) ||
| rowspan="7"| Hu-kuang Province || rowspan="7"| Mu-chang City || Kiang-han Prefecture (豫章道)
|-
|-
|Ha-mum Prefecture (廈門道)
| Siang-yang Prefecture (贛南道)
|-
| Siang-kiang Prefecture (湘江道)
|-
|-
|Ting-tiang Prefecture (汀漳道)
| Heng-yang Prefecture (衡陽道)
|-
|-
| Kien-an Prefecture (建安道)
| Chang-sa City (長沙市)
|-
|-
|Fuchow City (福州市)
| Han-kou City (漢口市)
|-
|-
|Ha-mun City (廈門市)
| Mu-chang City (武昌市)
|-
|-
| rowspan="5"| Canton Province || rowspan="5"| Canton City || Yut-hoi Prefecture (粵海道) ||  
| rowspan="5"| Fukien Province || rowspan="5"| Fuchow City || Min-hai Prefecture (閩海道) ||  
|-
|-
|Tsiu-tsun Prefecture (潮循道)
|Ha-mum Prefecture (廈門道)
|-
|-
| Yum-lim Prefecture (欽廉道)
| Kien-an Prefecture (建安道)
|-
|-
| Kung-tsow Prefecture (瓊州道)
|Fuchow City (福州市)
|-
|-
|Canton City (福州市)
|Ha-mun City (廈門市)
|-
|-
| rowspan="5"| Kwang-si Province || rowspan="5"| Kwei-lum City || Yut-hoi Prefecture (粵海道) ||  
| rowspan="4"| Canton Province || rowspan="4"| Canton City || Yut-hoi Prefecture (粵海道) ||  
|-
|-
| Tiu-tsun Prefecture (潮循道)
|Tsiu-tsun Prefecture (潮循道)
|-
|-
| Yum-lim Prefecture (欽廉道)
| Yum-lim Prefecture (欽廉道)
|-
| Kong Prefecture (瓊州道)
|-
|-
|Canton City (福州市)
|Canton City (福州市)
|-
|-
| rowspan="4"| Kweichow Province || rowspan="4"| Kwei-yang City || Kin-chung Prefecture (粵海道) ||  
| rowspan="4"| Kwang-si Province || rowspan="4"| Kwai-lum City || Kwai-lum Prefecture (粵海道) ||  
|-
|-
| Kwei-si Prefecture (潮循道)
| Tin-nam Prefecture (潮循道)
|-
|-
| Nam-ning Prefecture (欽廉道)
| Nam-ning Prefecture (欽廉道)
|-
|-
| Kwei-yang City (瓊州道)
| Kwai-lum City (福州市)
|-
|-
| rowspan="4"| Yunnan Province || rowspan="4"| Kwei-yang City || Tien-nan Prefecture (闐南道) ||  
| rowspan="7"| Yun-nan Province || rowspan="7"| Kun-ming City || Kin-chung Prefecture (黔中道) ||  
|-
| Kwei-yang Prefecture (貴陽道)
|-
|-
| Tien-chung Prefecture (闐中道)
| Tien-chung Prefecture (闐中道)
Line 186: Line 197:
| Pu-ni Prefecture (普洱道)
| Pu-ni Prefecture (普洱道)
|-
|-
| Kwei-yang City (貴陽市)
| Dai-li City (大理市)
|-
| Kun-ming City (昆明市)
|-
|-
| rowspan="5"| Szechuan Province || rowspan="5"| Chung-king City || Tung-chuan Prefecture (東川道) ||  
| rowspan="7"| Szechuan Province || rowspan="7"| Chung-king City || Tung-chuan Prefecture (東川道) ||  
|-
|-
| Kia-ling Prefecture (嘉陵道)
| Kia-ling Prefecture (嘉陵道)
|-
|-
| Si-chuan Prefecture (西川道)
| Si-chuan Prefecture (西川道)
|-
| Nan-chuan Prefecture (南川道)
|-
| Kang-ting Prefecture (康定道)
|-
|-
| Tsing-hai Prefecture (青海道)
| Tsing-hai Prefecture (青海道)
Line 207: Line 224:
|-
|-
| Ti-hwa City (迪化市)
| Ti-hwa City (迪化市)
|- style="color: gray"
| rowspan="3" | Fong-tien Province || rowspan="3"| Shen-yang City || Liaw-ning Prefecture (遼寧道) ||
|-
|-
| rowspan="3"| Fong-tien Province || rowspan="3"| Shen-yang City || Liaw-ning Prefecture (遼寧道) ||
|style="color: gray"| Tiaw-chang Prefecture (洮昌道)
|-
| Tiaw-chang Prefecture (洮昌道)
|-
| Shen-yang City (瀋陽市)
|-
|-
|style="color: gray"| Shen-yang City (瀋陽市)
|- style="color: gray"
| rowspan="3"| Kilin Province || rowspan="3"| Kilin City || Sung-kiang Prefecture (松江道) ||  
| rowspan="3"| Kilin Province || rowspan="3"| Kilin City || Sung-kiang Prefecture (松江道) ||  
|-
|-
| Yen-chi Prefecture (延吉道)
|style="color: gray"| Yen-chi Prefecture (延吉道)
|-
|-
|Kilin City (吉林道)
|style="color: gray"| Kilin City (吉林道)
|- style="color: gray"
| rowspan="3"| He-lung-kiang Province || rowspan="3"| Chichihar City || Lung-kiang Prefecture (龍江道) ||
|-
|-
| rowspan="3"| He-lung-kiang Province || rowspan="3"| Chichihar City || Lung-kiang Prefecture (龍江道) ||
|style="color: gray"| He-ho Prefecture (黑河道)
|-
|-
| He-ho Prefecture (黑河道)
|style="color: gray"| Chichihar City (齊齊哈爾市)
|-
|-
| Chichihar City (齊齊哈爾市)
!colspan="2"| Totals !! 66 prefectures
|}
|}
==Counties==
==See also==
*[[Republic of China]]

Revision as of 03:32, 24 August 2024

Administrative divisions of China are geographic areas assigned to a local authority for the purposes of administration. China possesses a two-level system of local government based on the province and county, where residents have a direct role in determining their leadership. Other levels of authorities exist but are subject to the authority of either a province or county.

As China is considered a unitary state, provinces also agencies of the central government (and likewise counties are agencies of the central and provincial governments) to a certain extent prescribed by the constitution and central statute. Nevertheless, there are portfolio items that are within the exclusive purview of provinces or counties with which higher levels of government cannot theoretically interfere.

Table

Administrative divisions of China
Interior Mongolia Tibet
Province
(省)		 Special
Municipality
(特別市)		 Territory Territory
Prefecture
(道)		 City
(市)		 Alliance Spyi khyab
County
(縣)		 Banner Rdzong
District
(區)
Township
(鄉鎮)		 District
(區)
Village
(村)		 Commune
(里)

Province

A province under Chinese law exists as an autonomous corporate body with respect to a list of constitutional powers (the "provincial list") and also as an executive agency of, and funded by, the central government (the "shared list"). A province may, with the assent of its legislature, enact provincial laws pertaining to the provincial list; under central laws so permitting, a province may also enact laws pertaining to the shared list. But it remains a common yet controversial situation where the central government does not provide a role for the provincial legislature and instead authorizes the provincial government to enact local rules directly. Comparatively, a province's autonomy is limited vis-à-vis its functions as an agency of the central government, which also provides for most of its budget.

A province has a legislature and a government to exercise its legislative and executive functions respectively. Since a province is both an autonomous authority and an agency of the central government, a provincial government is accountable to both the provincial legislature and to the central government. Thus, provincial ministers are appointed by the central government with the assent of the provincial legislature, and it is deemed inappropriate for the central government to reject the legislature's decisions.

China's historical rulers had perennial fears about a province's risk of secession or warlordism. Measures to suppress self-sufficiency as separate states include deliberately indefensible borders, separate civil, judicial, and defence offices, and collegiate leadership. Such countermeasures were associated even before the modern era with inefficient administration, yet the risks they were meant to address never fully abated.

Since a province may oversee many dozens of counties and a highly diverse demographic, there is a variety of intermediary organs to support provincial governments in managing affairs more locally. These organs are creatures of the provincial government and support both autonomous policies and the province's function as an agency of the central government. Depending on the province these can be subjected to each other's administrative oversight.

  • Prefectures (道) exist over ordinary, mostly-rural counties in China-proper.
  • Governance Divisions (管理署) exist in inaccessible areas or areas mainly settled by ethnic minorities, typically under a prefecture. These areas may be elevated to prefectural status pending sufficient development.
  • Security Divisions (保安署) exist in areas prone to armed conflicts, typically under a prefecture.
  • Park Division (公園署) exist to manage nature reserves, typically under a province.
  • Clearing Bureau (墾殖局) are temporary agencies to manage the settlement of a certain area before a formal local government is established, typically under a prefecture.
  • Development Bureau (實業局) are agencies to manage industrial zones, typically under a province.
  • Commissions of various kinds (委員會) are agencies managing other areas identified by the provincial authority.

Prefecture

There are currently 61 prefectures (道) in China, and the mean number of prefectures in a province is 3. Provinces on the peripheries of China-proper have more prefectures largely due to sparsely-populated areas assigned to their governance; Ho-peh, San-si, Shan-si, Szechuan, and Sinkiang provinces each have 5 prefectures, while the Korean-occupied Fong-tien, He-lung-kiang, and Chilin provinces each theoretically have only 2 prefectures.

Each prefecture has a prefect assigned appointed by the central government subject to the provincial government's prior consent. There are also one or two deputy prefects appointed by the provincial government.

In the 1920s, a widespread demand (廢省存道) existed to abolish the province (行省) as the first tier of autonomous administration, retaining the prefecture (道) under it in the province's role. Yet China's indigence encumbered infrastructure and industry investments, and the most proximate solution was to back such investments with a province's superior financial strength. The Dai-ming Incident of 1922 is an oft-cited example of the danger of smaller local governments selling public land without restraint: the Dai-ming Prefecture sold 22% of the prefecture's land and mortgaged future income streams in an effort to fund railway investments, resulting in a costly redemptive payment for the same by the central Ministry of Finance. The scheme was later discovered to have financially benefited its proponent, the Dai-ming Prefect.

Divisions

Prefectures sometimes have subdivisions known as divisions when the prefecture has particularly inaccessible areas or areas "needing special attention", i.e. where an active rebellion is occuring. Divisions are also established if an ethnic minority populates the area, and divisional heads are often members of such minorities.

Cities

A city is a large, urban area under provincial jurisdiction with at least 200,000 residents. The location of the prefectural government is by default considered a city, while other cities can be established by provincial charter. There are currently 87 cities in China, not counting the special municipalities established under central authority.

By traditional reckoning a city has the same administrative precedence as a county, yet because a city is generally not a part of a prefecture, it is often considered to have a higher priority than a county in terms of budgetary concerns and career advancement for civil servants. There are many counties that have more residents than cities, for example the city of Hualien in Taiwan Province has 230,000 residents, while an average county in Kiang-su Province has double the amount of residents. Thus it is not really a question of how many residents there are in a given geographic area but whether they reside sufficiently close to each other to form a coherent urban area.

List of provinces and prefectures

List of provinces and prefectures
Province Provincial capital Prefectures and cities Counties
Chiang-su Province Chin-chiang City Hwai-hai Prefecture (淮海道)
Suchow Prefecture (蘇常道)
Yangchow Prefecture (上海道)
Chin-chiang City (鎮江市)
Chen-chiang Province Hangchow City Chien-tang Prefecture (錢塘道)
Kwai-ki Prefecture (會稽道)
Kimhwa Prefecture (金華道)
Ho-peh Province Paoting-fu Tsing-ho Prefecture (清河道)
Dai-ming Prefecture (大名道)
Jehol Prefecture (熱河道)
Sun-tien Prefecture (順天道)
Sing-ho Prefecture (興和道)
Ho-nan Province Kai-fung Kai-fung Prefecture (開封道)
Niu-yang Prefecture (汝陽道)
Ho-lo Prefecture (河洛道)
Kai-fung City (開封市)
Chengchow City (鄭州市)
Shantung Province Chi-nan City Chi-nan Prefecture (濟南道)
Lim-tsi Prefecture (臨淄道)
Ku-fuk Prefecture (曲阜道)
Chi-nan City (濟南市)
Shansi Province Taiyuan City Ki-ning Prefecture (冀寧道)
Yan-men Prefecture (雁門道)
Ho-tung Prefecture (黃河道)
Swei-yuen Prefecture (綏遠道)
Taiyuan City (太原市)
Shamsi Province Si-an City Shan-yang Prefecture (山陽道)
Lim-tiao Prefecture (臨洮道)
Han-chung Prefecture (漢中道)
Lan-chow Prefecture (蘭州道)
Lung-hsi Prefecture (隴西道)
Si-an City (西安市)
Taiwan Province Taipei City Taipei Prefecture (臺北道)
Tainan Prefecture (臺南道)
Taipei City (臺北市)
Kaohsiung City (高雄市)
Anhui Province Wu-hu City Anking Prefecture (安慶道)
Wuhu Prefecture (蕪湖道)
Hwai-shi Prefecture (淮泗道)
Ho-fei City (合肥市)
Wu-hu City (蕪湖市)
Kiangsi Province Namchang City Yu-chang Prefecture (豫章道)
Kam-nam Prefecture (贛南道)
Sun-yang Prefecture (潯陽道)
Nam-chang City (南昌市)
Hu-kuang Province Mu-chang City Kiang-han Prefecture (豫章道)
Siang-yang Prefecture (贛南道)
Siang-kiang Prefecture (湘江道)
Heng-yang Prefecture (衡陽道)
Chang-sa City (長沙市)
Han-kou City (漢口市)
Mu-chang City (武昌市)
Fukien Province Fuchow City Min-hai Prefecture (閩海道)
Ha-mum Prefecture (廈門道)
Kien-an Prefecture (建安道)
Fuchow City (福州市)
Ha-mun City (廈門市)
Canton Province Canton City Yut-hoi Prefecture (粵海道)
Tsiu-tsun Prefecture (潮循道)
Yum-lim Prefecture (欽廉道)
Canton City (福州市)
Kwang-si Province Kwai-lum City Kwai-lum Prefecture (粵海道)
Tin-nam Prefecture (潮循道)
Nam-ning Prefecture (欽廉道)
Kwai-lum City (福州市)
Yun-nan Province Kun-ming City Kin-chung Prefecture (黔中道)
Kwei-yang Prefecture (貴陽道)
Tien-chung Prefecture (闐中道)
Pu-ni Prefecture (普洱道)
Dai-li City (大理市)
Kun-ming City (昆明市)
Szechuan Province Chung-king City Tung-chuan Prefecture (東川道)
Kia-ling Prefecture (嘉陵道)
Si-chuan Prefecture (西川道)
Nan-chuan Prefecture (南川道)
Kang-ting Prefecture (康定道)
Tsing-hai Prefecture (青海道)
Chung-king City (重慶市)
Sinkiang Province Ti-hwa City Ti-hwa Prefecture (迪化道)
Yi-li Prefecture (依黎道)
Ho-tien Prefecture (和闐道)
Yen-chi Prefecture (延耆道)
Ti-hwa City (迪化市)
Fong-tien Province Shen-yang City Liaw-ning Prefecture (遼寧道)
Tiaw-chang Prefecture (洮昌道)
Shen-yang City (瀋陽市)
Kilin Province Kilin City Sung-kiang Prefecture (松江道)
Yen-chi Prefecture (延吉道)
Kilin City (吉林道)
He-lung-kiang Province Chichihar City Lung-kiang Prefecture (龍江道)
He-ho Prefecture (黑河道)
Chichihar City (齊齊哈爾市)
Totals 66 prefectures

Counties

See also

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