• Source: Prefecture-level divisions of China

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.
There are four types of prefecture-level divisions:

299 Prefecture-level cities (293 in Mainland China and 6 in the claimed Taiwan Province)
30 Autonomous prefectures
7 Prefectures
3 Leagues
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.




History



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. Chinese provinces are relatively large by international standards, and provincial administrations have difficulty administering counties without an intermediary level of government. However, prefecture-level divisions are still not a formally recognized level of government in the same way as provinces and counties.




Types






= Prefecture-level cities

=
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. 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. 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.




= Prefectures

=
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. 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.




= Autonomous prefectures

=
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. Like leagues and prefecture-level cities, autonomous prefectures have a locally elected People's Government and People's Congress.




= Leagues

=
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.




List of prefecture-level divisions


Notes:

Municipalities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, & Tianjin) are not included, but their internal divisions are similar to prefectures.
Sub-provincial cities are included, but other types of sub-provincial divisions are not.
The six prefectures of Taiwan Province are not listed.
* Indicates capital of province.
Bold: indicates sub-provincial city or above.




See also


Administrative divisions of China
Prefecture-level city
Leagues in China
Prefectures in China
Autonomous prefecture




Notes






Sources






= Citations

=




= Bibliography

=
Government Affairs Division (31 December 2020). National administrative division information query platform (Map) (in Chinese). Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
Guo, Rongxing (2017). How the Chinese Economy Works (4th Revised ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
Sun, Caihong (2020). "The Relationship between Central and Local Authorities in China". In Fang, Ning (ed.). China's Political System. Translated by Fu, Yili. Singapore: Springer Nature & Chinese Social Sciences Press. pp. 91–124.
Goodman, David S.G. (2015). Handbook of the Politics of China. Northampton, Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Zhang, Li; LeGates, Richard; Zhao, Min (2016). Understanding China's Urbanization: The Great Demographic, Spatial, Economic, and Social Transformation. 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.

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• Prefecture-level divisions of China
• Prefecture-level city
• Prefectures of China
• List of prefectures in China
• List of Chinese prefecture-level cities by GDP
• List of prefecture-level divisions of China by GDP
• Administrative divisions of China
• Autonomous prefecture
• List of Chinese prefecture-level cities by GDP per capita
• Province-level divisions of China