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Provinces of China#List of provincial level divisions

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{{About|provinces in the People's Republic of China|all province-level divisions of China|Province-level divisions of China|the Republic of China|Administrative divisions of Taiwan}}

{{Infobox subdivision type

| name = Provinces
{{langn|zh|省}}
{{tlitn|zh|Shěng}}

| map = China provinces highlighted.svg

| mapsize = 350px

| category = Unitary state

| territory = {{PRC}}

| start_date =

| current_number = 22, plus 1 claimed

| number_date =

| population_range =

| area_range =

| government = Unitary one-party socialist republic

| subdivision = Sub-provincial city, Prefecture-level divisions

}}

{{Infobox Chinese

| order = st

| collapse = yes

| title = Provinces

| t = 省

| s = 省

| p = Shěng

| tib = ཞིང་ཆེན།

| wylie = zhing chen

| zwpy = Xingqên

| zha = Swngj

| mong = {{MongolUnicode|ᠮᠤᠵᠢ}}

| monr = muǰi

| mon = муж

| hangul = 성

| rr = seong

| mr = sŏng

| uig = ئۆلكە

| uly = ölke

| uyy = ɵlkə

| sgs = ölkä

| usy = өлкә

| lang1 = Kazakh

| lang1_content = {{lang|kk-Arab|ولكە}}
{{lang|kk|өлке}}
{{Transliteration|kk|ölke}}

| lang2 = Kyrgyz

| lang2_content = {{lang|ky-Arab|ۅلكۅ}}
{{lang|ky|өлкө}}
{{Transliteration|ky|ölkö}}

| mnc = ᡤᠣᠯᠣ

| mnc_v = golo

}}

{{Administrative levels and divisions of China sidebar}}

Provinces ({{lang-zh|c=省|p=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

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.{{sfn|Goodman|2015|p=96}}{{sfn|Saich|2015|pp=157-158}}{{sfn|Chung|Lam|2010|loc=Chapter 2}}

History

{{Main|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.{{sfn|Guo|2017|p=23}} They were created to help the Imperial court manage local county governments, which were too numerous and far-flung to be managed directly.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|2002|p=16}} The number of provinces grew steadily during subsequent dynasties, reaching 28 by the time of the Republic of China.{{sfn|Goodman|2015|pp=150,154}} 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.{{sfn|Goodman|2015|pp=153–154}}

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.{{Cite book |last1=Fairbank |first1=John |title=China: A New History |last2=Goldman |first2=Merle |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2006 |isbn=0674116739 |pages=11}}

List of provinces

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;"
align="center" |GB/T 2260-2007{{Cite web |url=http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~chgis/work/design/chinastdb_1210.doc |title=GB/T 2260 codes for the provinces of China |access-date=2011-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040305025950/http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~chgis/work/design/chinastdb_1210.doc |archive-date=2004-03-05 |url-status=live }}

! align="center" |ISOISO 3166-2:CN (ISO 3166-2 codes for the provinces of China)

! align="left" |Province

! align="center" |Chinese
Hanyu Pinyin

! align="center" |Capital

! align="center" |Largest city

! align="right" |Population
(2020)

! align="right" |Density
(per km2)

! align="right" |Area
(km2)

! align="center" class="alphabetical" | Abbreviation{{efn|Abbreviation in the parentheses is informal}}

style="text-align:center;" | HE

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-HE

| Hebei

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=河北省}}}}
Héběi Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Shijiazhuang

| style="text-align:right;" | 74,610,235

| style="text-align:right;" | 393.08

| style="text-align:right;" | 189,809

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|冀}}
Jì

style="text-align:center;" | SX

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-SX

| Shanxi

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=山西省}}}}
Shānxī Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Taiyuan

| style="text-align:right;" | 34,915,616

| style="text-align:right;" | 222.80

| style="text-align:right;" | 156,713

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|晋}}
Jìn

style="text-align:center;" | LN

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-LN

| Liaoning

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=辽宁省}}}}
Liáoníng Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Shenyang

| style="text-align:right;" | 42,591,407

| style="text-align:right;" | 289.59

| style="text-align:right;" | 147,076

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|辽}}
Liáo

style="text-align:center;" | JL

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-JL

| Jilin

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=吉林省}}}}
Jílín Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Changchun

| style="text-align:right;" | 24,073,453

| style="text-align:right;" | 126.51

| style="text-align:right;" | 190,282

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|吉}}
Jí

style="text-align:center;" | HL

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-HL

| Heilongjiang

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=黑龙江省}}}}
Hēilóngjiāng Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Harbin

| style="text-align:right;" | 31,850,088

| style="text-align:right;" | 67.37

| style="text-align:right;" | 472,766

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|黑}}
Hēi

style="text-align:center;" | JS

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-JS

| Jiangsu

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=江苏省}}}}
Jiāngsū Shěng

| style="text-align:center;"|Nanjing

| style="text-align:center;"|Suzhou

| style="text-align:right;" | 84,748,016

| style="text-align:right;" | 847.91

| style="text-align:right;" | 99,949

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|苏}}
Sū

style="text-align:center;" | ZJ

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-ZJ

| Zhejiang

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=浙江省}}}}
Zhèjiāng Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Hangzhou

| style="text-align:right;" | 64,567,588

| style="text-align:right;" | 615.67

| style="text-align:right;" | 104,873

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|浙}}
Zhè

style="text-align:center;" | AH

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-AH

| Anhui

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=安徽省}}}}
Ānhuī Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Hefei

| style="text-align:right;" | 61,027,171

| style="text-align:right;" | 436.29

| style="text-align:right;" | 139,879

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|皖}}
Wǎn

style="text-align:center;" | FJ

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-FJ

| Fujian{{efn|Most of Fujian is administered by the People's Republic of China, but the Republic of China governs Kinmen County and Lienchiang County (the Matsu Islands) as part of its own Fujian Province.}}

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=福建省}}}}
Fújiàn Shěng

| style="text-align:center;"|Fuzhou

|style="text-align:center;"|Quanzhou

| style="text-align:right;" | 41,540,086

| style="text-align:right;" | 335.66

| style="text-align:right;" | 123,756

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|闽}}
Mǐn

style="text-align:center;" | JX

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-JX

| Jiangxi

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=江西省}}}}
Jiāngxī Shěng

| style="text-align:center;"|Nanchang

|style="text-align:center;"|Ganzhou

| style="text-align:right;" | 45,188,635

| style="text-align:right;" | 270.69

| style="text-align:right;" | 166,939

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|赣}}
Gàn

style="text-align:center;" | SD

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-SD

| Shandong

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=山东省}}}}
Shāndōng Shěng

| style="text-align:center;"|Jinan

|style="text-align:center;"| Linyi

| style="text-align:right;" | 101,527,453

| style="text-align:right;" | 643.78

| style="text-align:right;" | 157,704

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|鲁}}
Lǔ

style="text-align:center;" | HA

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-HA

| Henan

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=河南省}}}}
Hénán Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Zhengzhou

| style="text-align:right;" | 99,365,519

| style="text-align:right;" | 600.52

| style="text-align:right;" | 165,467

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|豫}}
Yù

style="text-align:center;" | HB

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-HB

| Hubei

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=湖北省}}}}
Húběi Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Wuhan

| style="text-align:right;" | 57,752,557

| style="text-align:right;" | 310.87

| style="text-align:right;" | 185,776

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|鄂}}
È

style="text-align:center;" | HN

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-HN

| Hunan

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=湖南省}}}}
Húnán Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Changsha

| style="text-align:right;" | 66,444,864

| style="text-align:right;" | 313.65

| style="text-align:right;" | 211,842

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|湘}}
Xiāng

style="text-align:center;" | GD

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-GD

|Guangdong{{efn|Most of Guangdong is administered by the People's Republic of China, but the Republic of China governs Pratas Island as part of the special municipality of Kaohsiung City.}}

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=广东省}}}}
Guǎngdōng Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Guangzhou

| style="text-align:right;" | 126,012,510

| style="text-align:right;" | 700.02

| style="text-align:right;" | 180,013

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|粤}}
Yuè

style="text-align:center;" | HI

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-HI

| Hainan{{efn|Most of Hainan is administered by the People's Republic of China, while the Republic of China governs Taiping Island as part of the special municipality of Kaohsiung City.}}

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=海南省}}}}
Hǎinán Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Haikou

| style="text-align:right;" | 10,081,232

| style="text-align:right;" | 294.27

| style="text-align:right;" | 34,259

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|琼}}
Qióng

style="text-align:center;" | SC

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-SC

| Sichuan

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=四川省}}}}
Sìchuān Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Chengdu

| style="text-align:right;" | 83,674,866

| style="text-align:right;" | 174.93

| style="text-align:right;" | 484,056

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|川(蜀)}}
Chuān (Shǔ)

style="text-align:center;" | GZ

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-GZ

| Guizhou

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=贵州省}}}}
Guìzhōu Shěng

|style="text-align:center;"| Guiyang

| style="text-align:center;"|Zunyi

| style="text-align:right;" | 38,562,148

| style="text-align:right;" | 218.93

| style="text-align:right;" | 176,140

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|贵(黔)}}
Guì (Qián)

style="text-align:center;" | YN

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-YN

| Yunnan

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=云南省}}}}
Yúnnán Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Kunming

| style="text-align:right;" | 47,209,277

| style="text-align:right;" | 123.20

| style="text-align:right;" | 383,195

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|云(滇)}}
Yún (Diān)

style="text-align:center;" | SN

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-SN

| Shaanxi

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=陕西省}}}}
Shǎnxī Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Xi'an

| style="text-align:right;" | 39,528,999

| style="text-align:right;" | 192.24

| style="text-align:right;" | 205,624

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|陕(秦)}}
Shǎn (Qín)

style="text-align:center;" | GS

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-GS

| Gansu

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=甘肃省}}}}
Gānsù Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Lanzhou

| style="text-align:right;" | 25,019,831

| style="text-align:right;" | 54.70

| style="text-align:right;" | 457,382

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|甘(陇)}}
Gān (Lǒng)

style="text-align:center;" | QH

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-QH

| Qinghai

| {{lang|zh|{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=青海省}}}}
Qīnghǎi Shěng

|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Xining

| style="text-align:right;" | 5,923,957

| style="text-align:right;" | 8.58

| style="text-align:right;" | 720 000

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|青}}
Qīng

style="background:#FFCCCC;"
style="text-align:center;" | TW

| style="text-align:center;" | CN-TW{{efn|Has separate ISO 3166-2 code: TW}}

| Taiwan{{efn|The People's Republic of China considers Taiwan to be its 23rd province, but Taiwan is currently ruled by the Republic of China. For more information, see the political status of Taiwan.}}

| {{lang|zh|{{lang|zh-hans|台湾省}}}}
Táiwān Shěng

| style="text-align:center;"|Taipei

|style="text-align:center;"|New Taipei City

| style="text-align:right;" | 23,162,123

| style="text-align:right;" | 650.97

| style="text-align:right;" | 36,161

| style="text-align:center;" |{{lang|zh|台(臺)}}
Tái

{{Notelist}}

See also

{{Portal|China}}

References

{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==

  • {{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}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Saich |first1=Tony |title=Governance and Politics of China |date=2015 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |edition=Fourth}}
  • {{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}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=John |title=Rethinking China's Provinces |date=2002 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York}}
  • {{Cite book |last=Guo |first=Rongxing |title=How the Chinese Economy Works |date=2017 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |edition=4th Revised}}

External links

{{Commons category|Provinces of the People's Republic of China}}

{{Wikivoyage|List of Chinese provinces and regions}}

  • [http://www.dbresearch.com/chinasprovinces Interactive Dbresearch.com: WebMap] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406153605/http://dbresearch.com/chinasprovinces/ |date=2016-04-06 }} — with economic indicators for all Chinese Provinces.

{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of Asian countries}}

{{China topics |state = autocollapse }}

{{Province-level divisions of China}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:Administrative divisions of China

Provinces, China