Provinces of China
Provinces (Chinese: 省; pinyin: Shěng) are the most numerous type of province-level divisions in China. There are currently 22 provinces administered by China and 1 province that is claimed, but not administered (Taiwan). The government 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.
| Provinces 省 Shěng | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Unitary state |
| Location |  People's Republic of China |
| Number | 22 (1 claimed) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions | |
| Provinces | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 省 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 省 | ||||||||
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| Tibetan name | |||||||||
| Tibetan | ཞིང་ཆེན། | ||||||||
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| Zhuang name | |||||||||
| Zhuang | Swngj | ||||||||
| Mongolian name | |||||||||
| Mongolian script | ᠮᠤᠵᠢ | ||||||||
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| Uyghur name | |||||||||
| Uyghur | ئۆلكە | ||||||||
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| Manchu name | |||||||||
| Manchu script | ᡤᠣᠯᠣ | ||||||||
| Romanization | golo | ||||||||
| Administrative divisions of China |
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History: before 1912, 1912–49, 1949–present Administrative division codes |
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.[1][2][3]
History
The first provinces were created in the Yuan dynasty, and have remained one of the most stable forms of Chinese government since then.[4] They were created to help the Imperial court manage local county governments, which were too numerous and far-flung to be managed directly.[5] The number of provinces grew steadily during subsequent dynasties, reaching 28 by the time of the Republic of China.[6] 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.[7]
List of provinces
| GB/T 2260-2007[8] | ISO[9] | Province | Chinese Hanyu Pinyin |
Capital | Population (2020) |
Density (per km2) |
Area (km2) |
Abbreviation[lower-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AH | CN-AH | Anhui | 安徽省 Ānhuī Shěng |
Hefei | 61,027,171 | 436.29 | 139,879 | 皖 Wǎn |
| FJ | CN-FJ | Fujian[lower-alpha 2] | 福建省 Fújiàn Shěng |
Fuzhou | 41,540,086 | 335.66 | 123,756 | 闽 Mǐn |
| GD | CN-GD | Guangdong[lower-alpha 3] | 广东省 Guǎngdōng Shěng |
Guangzhou | 126,012,510 | 700.02 | 180,013 | 粤 Yuè |
| GS | CN-GS | Gansu | 甘肃省 Gānsù Shěng |
Lanzhou | 25,019,831 | 54.70 | 457,382 | 甘(陇) Gān (Lǒng) |
| GZ | CN-GZ | Guizhou | 贵州省 Guìzhōu Shěng |
Guiyang | 38,562,148 | 218.93 | 176,140 | 贵(黔) Guì (Qián) |
| HA (HEN) | CN-HA | Henan | 河南省 Hénán Shěng |
Zhengzhou | 99,365,519 | 600.52 | 165,467 | 豫 Yù |
| HB (HUB) | CN-HB | Hubei | 湖北省 Húběi Shěng |
Wuhan | 57,752,557 | 310.87 | 185,776 | 鄂 È |
| HE (HEB) | CN-HE | Hebei | 河北省 Héběi Shěng |
Shijiazhuang | 74,610,235 | 393.08 | 189,809 | 冀 Jì |
| HI | CN-HI | Hainan[lower-alpha 4] | 海南省 Hǎinán Shěng |
Haikou | 10,081,232 | 294.27 | 34,259 | 琼 Qióng |
| HL | CN-HL | Heilongjiang | 黑龙江省 Hēilóngjiāng Shěng |
Harbin | 31,850,088 | 67.37 | 472,766 | 黑 Hēi |
| HN (HUN) | CN-HN | Hunan | 湖南省 Húnán Shěng |
Changsha | 66,444,864 | 313.65 | 211,842 | 湘 Xiāng |
| JL | CN-JL | Jilin | 吉林省 Jílín Shěng |
Changchun | 24,073,453 | 126.51 | 190,282 | 吉 Jí |
| JS | CN-JS | Jiangsu | 江苏省 Jiāngsū Shěng |
Nanjing | 84,748,016 | 847.91 | 99,949 | 苏 Sū |
| JX | CN-JX | Jiangxi | 江西省 Jiāngxī Shěng |
Nanchang | 45,188,635 | 270.69 | 166,939 | 赣 Gàn |
| LN | CN-LN | Liaoning | 辽宁省 Liáoníng Shěng |
Shenyang | 42,591,407 | 289.59 | 147,076 | 辽 Liáo |
| QH | CN-QH | Qinghai | 青海省 Qīnghǎi Shěng |
Xining | 5,923,957 | 8.58 | 690,355 | 青 Qīng |
| SC | CN-SC | Sichuan | 四川省 Sìchuān Shěng |
Chengdu | 83,674,866 | 174.93 | 484,056 | 川(蜀) Chuān (Shǔ) |
| SD | CN-SD | Shandong | 山东省 Shāndōng Shěng |
Jinan | 101,527,453 | 643.78 | 157,704 | 鲁 Lǔ |
| SN (SAA) | CN-SN | Shaanxi | 陕西省 Shǎnxī Shěng |
Xi'an | 39,528,999 | 192.24 | 205,624 | 陕(秦) Shǎn (Qín) |
| SX (SAX) | CN-SX | Shanxi | 山西省 Shānxī Shěng |
Taiyuan | 34,915,616 | 222.80 | 156,713 | 晋 Jìn |
| TW | CN-TW[lower-alpha 5] | Taiwan[lower-alpha 6] | 台湾省 Táiwān Shěng |
Taipei (PRC claimed) None, provincial government abolished (ROC)[lower-alpha 7] |
23,162,123 | 650.97 | 36,161 | 台(臺) Tái |
| YN | CN-YN | Yunnan | 云南省 Yúnnán Shěng |
Kunming | 47,209,277 | 123.20 | 383,195 | 云(滇) Yún (Diān) |
| ZJ | CN-ZJ | Zhejiang | 浙江省 Zhèjiāng Shěng |
Hangzhou | 64,567,588 | 615.67 | 104,873 | 浙 Zhè |
- Abbreviation in the parentheses is informal
- Most of the Fujian is administered by China, but Taiwan governs Kinmen County and Lienchiang County under its own Fujian Province.
- Most of the Guangdong is administered by China, but Taiwan governs Pratas Island as part of the Dongsha Atoll National Park.
- Most of the Hainan is administered by China, while Taiwan governs Taiping Island as part of Cijin District, Kaohsiung.
- Has separate ISO 3166-2 code:
TW - The People's Republic of China considers Taiwan to be its 23rd province, but Taiwan is currently administrated by the Republic of China. For more information, see the political status of Taiwan
- The Taiwan Provincial Government was established in September 1945, after the Japanese rule. It was streamlined in December 1998, with administrative functions transferred to the National Development Council and other ministries of the Executive Yuan. In July 2018, the government was abolished, with the budget and most personnel removed.[10]
See also
References
- Goodman 2015, p. 96.
- Saich 2015, pp. 157–158.
- Chung & Lam 2010, Chapter 2.
- Guo 2017, p. 23.
- Fitzgerald 2002, p. 16.
- Goodman 2015, pp. 150, 154.
- Goodman 2015, pp. 153–154.
- "GB/T 2260 codes for the provinces of China". Archived from the original on 2004-03-05. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
- ISO 3166-2:CN (ISO 3166-2 codes for the provinces of China)
- "Taiwan Provincial Government Official Website". Archived from the original on 10 April 2003. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
Bibliography
- Goodman, David S.G. (2015). Handbook of the Politics of China. Northampton, Massachussetts: 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.
External links
- Interactive Dbresearch.com: WebMap Archived 2016-04-06 at the Wayback Machine — with economic indicators for all Chinese Provinces.
