History of the political divisions of China

This article talks about the history of the political divisions of China.

Summary of major Chinese historical administrative divisions

Chinese			English translation	Level	Syllables1	Created	Abolished
T	S	pinyin
郡	郡	jùn	commandery	before 106 BC: 1st after 106 BC: 2nd	usually 1 or 2	221 BC	Tang Dynasty
縣	县	xiàn	ancient: prefecture or district modern: county	ancient: lowest modern: 3rd	usually 1 or 2	221 BC	still exist
州	州	zhōu	before 627: province after 627: prefecture	before 627: 1st after 627: 2nd to 3rd	usually 1, rarely 2	106 BC	1911
道	道	dào2	circuit	before Yuan Dynasty: 1st after Yuan Dynasty: 2nd	usually 2 or 3, never 1	627	Republic of China
省	省	shěng	province	1st	usually 2, never 1	Yuan Dynasty	still exist
市	市	shì	1st level: municipality 2nd level: prefecture-level city 3rd level: county-level city	1st to 3rd	usually 2, never 1	Republic of China	still exist

¹ Syllables play an important role in Chinese grammar. Most of the above political divisions can only be given names of a certain number of syllables.
² Circuits were renamed 路 (pinyin: lù) during the Song Dynasty.

Contents

1 Ancient times 2 Republic of China 3 People's Republic of China 3.1 1950s 3.2 1960s and 1970s 3.3 1980s and 1990s 4 See also 5 External link

Ancient times

Before the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, China was ruled by a network of kings, nobles, and tribes. The rivalry of these groups culminated in the Warring States Period, and the state of Qin eventually emerged dominant.

After the state of Qin managed to subdue the rest of China under a unified Qin Dynasty in 221 BC, it was determined not to allow China to fall back into disunity. It therefore designed, based upon existing systems, the first administrative hierarchy in China, with just two levels:

• Commanderies (郡 jùn)
• Counties (縣 xiàn) (also translated as "districts" or "prefectures")

All of China was divided into commanderies and counties, which were centrally ruled and tightly controlled. Nevertheless this failed to prevent the collapse of the Qin Dynasty in 206 BC. The Han Dynasty that followed inherited the system with minor modifications. After the Rebellion of the seven states the system was stabilized to be:

• "Provinces" (州 zhōu)
• Commanderies (郡 jùn)
• Counties (縣 xiàn) (also translated as "prefectures" or "districts")

Throughout the Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms period and the Western Jin Dynasty, this system was kept intact.

"Provinces" (Zhou) of China under the early Western Jin Dynasty

Name	Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Capital		Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
			Ancient name	Modern location
Bingzhou1	幷州	Bīngzhōu	Jinyang	southwest of Taiyuan	Shanxi
Guangzhou	廣州	Guǎngzhōu	Panyu	Guangzhou	Guangdong, eastern Guangxi
Jiaozhou1	交州	Jiāozhōu	Longbian	East of Hanoi	northern Vietnam
Jingzhou1	荊州	Jīngzhōu	Jiangling		Hubei, Hunan
Jizhou1	冀州	Jìzhōu	Xindu	Jixian, Hebei	southern Hebei
Liangzhou1	涼州	Liángzhōu	Guzang	Wuwei	western Gansu
Liangzhou	梁州	Liángzhōu	Nanzheng	Hanzhong	southern Shaanxi, eastern Sichuan, Chongqing
Ningzhou	寧州	Níngzhōu	Dianchi	southeast of Kunming	Yunnan
Pingzhou	平州	Píngzhōu	Xiangping	Liaoyang	Liaoning, northern Korea
Qingzhou1	青州	Qīngzhōu	Linzi	east of Zibo	eastern Shandong
Qinzhou	秦州	Qínzhōu	Jixian	east of Gangu	southern Gansu
Sizhou	司州	Sīzhōu	Luoyang		central Henan, southern Shanxi
Xuzhou1	徐州	Xúzhōu	Pengcheng	Xuzhou	northern Jiangsu
Yangzhou1	揚州	Yángzhōu	Jianye	Nanjing	southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai
Yanzhou1	兗州	Yǎnzhōu	Linqiu	northwest of Yuncheng, Shandong	western Shandong
Yizhou1	益州	Yìzhōu	Chengdu		central Sichuan, Guizhou
Yongzhou1	雍州	Yōngzhōu	Chang'an	northwest of Xi'an	central Shaanxi
Youzhou1	幽州	Yōuzhōu	Zhuoxian		northern Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin
Yuzhou1	豫州	Yùzhōu	Chenxian	Huaiyang	southern Henan, northern Anhui

¹ — One of the original 14 zhou of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Since then, Ping was split out of You, Qin out of Liang (凉), Liang(梁) and Ning out of Yi, and Guang out of Jiao. Si was never part of any other zhou until its creation; before then it was overseen by an official called the Sili Xiaowei (司隷校尉) with capacities similar to a governor of a zhou. Also, Jiaozhou was founded as a zhou-equivalent called Jiaozhi (交趾), and among the original 14 zhou was a zhou-equivalent called Shuofang (朔方) in what is now northern Shaanxi; it was later merged into Bing.

This changed, however, with the invasion of tribes from the north, who disrupted the unity of China and set up a variety of governments. By the time unity was finally reestablished by the Sui Dynasty, the provinces had been divided and redivided so many times by different governments that they were almost the same size as commanderies, rendering either one of the two tiers completely superfluous. As such, the Sui Dynasty merged these two levels together. This new merged level is translated as "prefectures" into English. In Chinese this name was changed between zhou and jun (the two merged levels) several times before being finally settled on zhou.

The Tang Dynasty set up circuits as an additional level of administration on top. Hence:

• Circuits (道 dào)
• Prefectures (larger: 府 fǔ; regular: 州 zhōu)
• Counties (縣 xiàn) (also translated as "districts")

Circuits of China under the early Tang Dynasty

Name	Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Capital		Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
			Ancient name	Modern location
Duji	都畿	Dūjī	Henan Fu	Luoyang	Luoyang and environs
Guannei	關内	Guānnèi	Jingzhao Fu	Xi'an	northern Shaanxi, central Inner Mongolia, Ningxia
Hebei	河北	Héběi	Weizhou	Wei County, Hebei	Hebei
Hedong	河東	Hédōng	Puzhou	Puzhou, Yongji, Shanxi	Shanxi
Henan	河南	Hénán	Bianzhou	Kaifeng	Henan, Shandong, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui
Huainan	淮南	Huáinán	Yangzhou		central Jiangsu, central Anhui
Jiannan	劍南	Jiànnán	Yizhou	Chengdu	central Sichuan, central Yunnan
Jiangnandong	江南東	Jiāngnándōng	Suzhou		southern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai
Jiangnanxi	江南西	Jiāngnánxī	Hongzhou	Nanchang	Jiangxi, Hunan, southern Anhui, southern Hubei
Jingji	京畿	Jīngjī	Jingzhao Fu	Xi'an	Xi'an and environs
Lingnan	嶺南	Lǐngnán	Guangzhou		Guangdong, eastern Guangxi, northern Vietnam
Longyou	隴右	Lǒngyou	Shanzhou	Ledu County, Qinghai	Gansu
Qianzhong	黔中	Qiánzhōng	Qianzhou	Pengshui	Guizhou, western Hunan
Shannandong	山南東	Shānnándōng	Xiangzhou	Xiangfan	southern Henan, Hubei
Shannanxi	山南西	Shānnánxī	Liangzhou	Hanzhong	southern Shanxi, eastern Sichuan, Chongqing

The Tang Dynasty also created jiedushi, who were military governors governing frontier areas susceptible to foreign attack. The Jiedushi system was eventually generalized to other parts of the country as well, and in effect merged with the circuits; these would become a source of rebellion and warlordism, eventually resulting in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Song Dynasty that emerged out of this crisis abolished jiedushi, and named its first-level division lu, which is also translated as "circuits":

• Circuits (路 lù)
• Prefectures (larger: 府 fǔ; regular: 州 zhōu; military: 軍 jūn)
• Counties (縣 xiàn) (also translated as "districts")

Circuits of China under the Northern Song Dynasty

Name	Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Capital		Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
			Ancient name	Modern location
Chengdufu	成都府	Chéngdūfǔ	Chengdu		central Sichuan
Fujian	福建	Fújiàn	Fuzhou		Fujian
Guangnandong	廣南東	Guǎngnándōng	Guangzhou		eastern Guangdong
Guangnanxi	廣南西	Guǎngnánxī	Guizhou	Guilin	western Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan
Hebeidong	河北東	Héběidōng	Beijing	Daming County, Hebei	eastern Hebei
Hebeixi	河北西	Héběixī	Zhending	Zhengding County, Hebei	western Hebei
Hedong	河東	Hédōng	Taiyuan		Shanxi
Huainandong	淮南東	Huáinándōng	Yangzhou		central Jiangsu
Huainanxi	淮南西	Huáinánxī	Shouzhou	Fengtai County, Anhui	central Anhui
Jiangnandong	江南東	Jiāngnándōng	Jiangning Fu	Nanjing	southern Anhui
Jiangnanxi	江南西	Jiāngnánxī	Hongzhou	Nanchang	Jiangxi
Jingdongdong	京東東	Jīngdōngdōng	Qingzhou	Qingzhou, Shandong	eastern Shandong
Jingdongxi	京東西	Jīngdōngxī	Nanjing	south of Shangqiu, Henan	western Shandong
Jinghubei	荊湖北	Jīnghúběi	Jiangling		Hubei, western Hunan
Jinghunan	荊湖南	Jīnghúnán	Tanzhou	Changsha	Hunan
Jingji	京畿	Jīngjī	Chenliu	Chenliu, Kaifeng, Henan	Kaifeng and environs
Jingxibei	京西北	Jīngxīběi	Xijing	Luoyang	central Henan
Jingxinan	京西南	Jīngxīnán	Xiangzhou	Xiangfan	southern Henan, northern Hubei
Kuizhou	夔州	Kuízhōu	Kuizhou	Fengjie County, Chongqing	Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, Guizhou
Liangzhe	兩浙	Liǎngzhè	Hangzhou		Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Shanghai
Lizhou	利州	Lìzhōu	Xingyuan	Hanzhong	northern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi
Qinfeng	秦鳳	Qínfèng	Qinzhou	Tianshui	southern Gansu
Yongxingjun	永興軍	Yǒngxīngjūn	Jingzhao	Xi'an	Shaanxi
Zizhou	梓州	Zǐzhōu	Zizhou	Santai County, Sichuan	central southern Sichuan

The Jurchens invaded China proper in the 12th century. In 1142 peace was formalized between the Jurchen Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, which was forced to cede all of North China to the Jurchens.

By the beginning of the 13th century, the Jurchens had moved their capital to Zhongdu (modern Beijing) and had adopted Chinese administrative structures. The Song Dynasty also maintained the same structure over the southern half of China that they continued to govern.

Circuits of China under the late Jurchen Jin Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty

Name	Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Capital		Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
			Ancient name	Modern location
Jin Dynasty (North)
Beijing	北京	Běijīng	Beijing	Nincheng County, Inner Mongolia	eastern Manchuria
Damingfu	大名府	Dàmíngfǔ	Daming Fu	Daming County, Hebei	border of Henan, Hebei, Shandong
Dongjing	東京	Dōngjīng	Dongjing	Liaoyang	Liaoning
Fengxiang	鳳翔	Fèngxiáng	Fengxiang Fu	Fengxiang County, Shaanxi	western Shaanxi, eastern Gansu
Fuyan	鄜延	Fūyán	Yan'an		northern Shaanxi
Hebeidong	河北東	Héběidōng	Hejian	Hejian, Hebei	eastern Hebei
Hebeixi	河北西	Héběixī	Zhending	Zhengding County, Hebei	western Hebei
Hedongbei	河東北	Hédōngběi	Taiyuan		northern Shanxi
Hedongnan	河東南	Hédōngnán	Pingyang	Linfen	southern Shanxi
Jingzhaofu	京兆府	Jīngzhàofǔ	Jingzhao Fu	Xi'an	central Shaanxi
Lintao	臨洮	Líntáo	Lintao	Lintao County, Gansu	southern Gansu
Nanjing	南京	Nánjīng	Nanjing	Kaifeng	Henan, northern Anhui
Qingyuan	慶原	Qìngyuán	Qingyang		eastern Gansu
Shandongdong	山東東	Shāndōngdōng	Yidu Fu	Qingzhou, Shandong	eastern Shandong
Shandongxi	山東西	Shāndōngxī	Dongping Fu	Dongping County, Shandong	western Shandong
Shangjing	上京	Shàngjīng	Shangjing	Acheng, Heilongjiang	northern Manchuria
Xianping	咸平	Xiánpíng	Xianping Fu	Kaiyuan, Liaoning	northern Liaoning
Xijing	西京	Xījīng	Xijing	Datong	northern Shanxi, central Inner Mongolia
Zhongdu	中都	Zhōngdū	Zhongdu	Beijing	northern Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin
Song Dynasty (South)
Chengdufu	成都府	Chéngdūfǔ	Chengdu		central Sichuan
Fujian	福建	Fújiàn	Fuzhou		Fujian
Guangnandong	廣南東	Guǎngnándōng	Guangzhou		eastern Guangdong
Guangnanxi	廣南西	Guǎngnánxī	Jingjiang Fu	Guilin	western Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan
Huainandong	淮南東	Huáinándōng	Yangzhou		central Jiangsu
Huainanxi	淮南西	Huáinánxī	Luzhou	Hefei	central Anhui
Jiangnandong	江南東	Jiāngnándōng	Jiangning Fu	Nanjing	southern Anhui
Jiangnanxi	江南西	Jiāngnánxī	Longxing Fu	Nanchang	Jiangxi
Jinghubei	荊湖北	Jīnghúběi	Jiangling		Hubei, western Hunan
Jinghunan	荊湖南	Jīnghúnán	Tanzhou	Changsha	Hunan
Jingxinan	京西南	Jīngxīnán	Xiangyang Fu	Xiangfan	southern Henan, northern Hubei
Kuizhou	夔州	Kuízhōu	Kuizhou	Fengjie County, Chongqing	Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, Guizhou
Liangzhedong	兩浙東	Liǎngzhèdōng	Shaoxing		central and southern Zhejiang
Liangzhexi	兩浙西	Liǎngzhèxī	Hangzhou		northern Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Shanghai
Lizhoudong	利州東	Lìzhōudōng	Xingyuan	Hanzhong	northern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi
Lizhouxi	利州西	Lìzhōuxī	Mianzhou	Lueyang, Shaanxi	northern Sichuan, southern Gansu
Tongchuanfu	潼川府	Tóngchuānfǔ	Luzhou		central southern Sichuan

The Mongols, who succeeded in subjugating all of China under the Yuan Dynasty in 1279, introduced the precursors to the modern provinces as a new level at the top:

• Provinces (行中書省 xíngzhōngshūshěng)
• Circuits (道 dào)
• Prefectures (larger: 府 fǔ; regular: 州 zhōu)
• Counties (縣 xiàn) (also translated as "districts")

Provinces of China under the Mongol Yuan Dynasty

Name	Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Capital		Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
			Ancient name	Modern location
Gansu	甘肅	Gānsù	Ganzhou	Zhangye	Gansu, Ningxia
Huguang	湖廣	Huguǎng	Wuchang		Hunan, western Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan
Henanjiangbei	河南江北	Hénánjiāngběi	Bianliang	Kaifeng	Henan, northern Hubei, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui
Jiangxi	江西	Jiāngxī	Longxing	Nanchang	Jiangxi, eastern Guangdong
Jiangzhe	江浙	Jiāngzhè	Hangzhou		Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Fujian
Liaoyang	遼陽	Liáoyáng	Liaoyang		Manchuria
Lingbei	嶺北	Lǐngběi	Helin	Harhorin (Karakorum)	Mongolia
Shaanxi	陝西	Shǎnxi	Fengyuan	Xi'an	Shaanxi
Sichuan	四川	Sìchuān	Chengdu		eastern and central Sichuan
Yunnan	雲南	Yúnnán	Zhongqing	Kunming	Yunnan

The area around the capital, corresponding to modern Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, central Inner Mongolia, Beijing, and Tianjin, was not put into any province.

The Ming Dynasty continued with this system, and had provinces that were almost exactly the same as those in modern China proper. The differences were: Huguang had not yet been split into Hubei and Hunan; Gansu and Ningxia were still part of Shaanxi; Anhui and Jiangsu were together as Nanzhili; Hebei was Beizhili. (PRC-established Hainan and Chongqing were of course part of their original provinces at this time.) This makes for a total of 15 provinces.

In 1644 China fell to the Manchus, who established rule over China as the Qing Dynasty. The Manchus applied the following system over China proper:

• Provinces (省 shěng)
• Circuits (道 dào)
• Prefectures (府 fǔ), Independent departments (直隸州 zhílìzhōu), Independent subprefectures (直隸廳 zhílìtīng)
• Counties (縣 xiàn) (also translated as "districts"), Departments (散州 sànzhōu), Subprefectures (散廳 sàntīng)

The Manchus split Shaanxi into Shaanxi and Gansu, Huguang into Hubei and Hunan, and Nanzhili into Jiangsu and Anhui. Hebei was now called Zhili rather than Beizhili. These provinces are now nearly identical to modern ones. Collectively they are called the "eighteen provinces", a concept that endured for several centuries as synonymous to China proper.

This system applied only to China proper, with the rest of the empire under differently systems. Manchuria, Xinjiang, and Outer Mongolia were ruled by military generals. Inner Mongolia was organized under leagues, and Xizang (U-Tsang + western Kham in Tibet) and Qinghai (Amdo) were overseen by commissioners.

Near the end of the dynasty, Manchuria was reorganized into 3 more provinces (Fengtian, Jilin, Heilongjiang), and Xinjiang and Taiwan were both set up as provinces, bringing the total to 23. (Taiwan was however ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Maguan, bringing the total back down to 22.)

Republic of China

The Republic of China streamlined the system down to three levels:

• Provinces (省 shěng)
• Circuits (道 dào)
• Counties (縣 xiàn)

Circuits were soon abolished as being superfluous.

The Republic of China set up 4 more provinces out of Inner Mongolia and surrounding areas (Ningxia, Suiyuan, Chahar, Jehol) and 2 more provinces out of parts of historical Tibet (Xikang, out of Kham, and Qinghai, out of Amdo; U-Tsang was the Dalai Lama's realm at this time and not part of any province), bringing the total number of provinces up to 28. The Republic of China also began the setting up of municipalities, or cities directly administered by the government. Circuits were sooned abolished, and more levels began to be added below the county: townships, for instance.

The creation of the puppet state of Manchukuo by Japan in the 1930s deprived China of 4 provinces in the northeast (Fengtian, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jehol). After the defeat of Japan in 1945, Manchuria was reincorporated into China as 9 provinces. Taiwan and the Pescadores was also returned to China and was organized into Taiwan Province. By this time there was a total of 12 municipalities under the Republic of China.

After the Republic of China lost mainland China in 1949, it was restricted to only Taiwan, the Pescadores, and a few offshore islands of Fujian province. Since then two more municipalities have been set up in Taiwan. In the meantime, the Republic of China has not recognized any of the changes made to the administrative structure of the mainland, and has never officially retracted its claim to mainland China (including Tibet) and Outer Mongolia. Many maps produced in Taiwan still show the 1949 border along with changes made to Taiwan post-1949.

All in all, the Republic of China officially claims a total of 35 provinces, 14 municipalities, 1 special administrative region and 2 regions in all of China. However, these claims are now mostly ignored and the provincial administrations of Taiwan and Fukien provinces have been largely streamlined in favor of lower levels, namely counties and provincial cities. (See political divisions of the Republic of China)

Province-level divisions of China as claimed by the Republic of China

Name	Chinese (T)	pinyin	Abbreviation	Capital
Provinces
Andong	安東	Āndōng		Tonghua
Anhui	安徽	Ānhuī	皖 wǎn	Hefei
Chahar	察哈爾	Cháhā'ěr	察 chá	Zhangjiakou
Fujian	福建	Fújiàn	閩 mǐn	Fuzhou
Gansu	甘肅	Gānsù	甘 gān or 隴 lǒng	Lanzhou
Guangdong	廣東	Guǎngdōng	粵 yuè	Guangzhou
Guangxi	廣西	Guǎngxī	桂 guì	Guilin
Guizhou	貴州	Guìzhōu	黔 qián or 貴 guì	Guiyang
Hebei	河北	Héběi	冀 jì	Qingyuan (Baoding)
Heilongjiang	黑龍江	Hēilóngjiāng	黑 hēi	Bei'an
Hejiang	合江	Héjiāng		Jiamusi
Henan	河南	Hénán	豫 yù	Kaifeng
Hubei	湖北	Húběi	鄂 è	Wuchang
Hunan	湖南	Húnán	湘 xiāng	Changsha
Jiangsu	江蘇	Jiāngsū	蘇 sū	Zhenjiang
Jiangxi	江西	Jiāngxī	贛 gàn	Nanchang
Jilin	吉林	Jílín	吉 jí	Jilin
Liaobei	遼北	Liáoběi		Liaoyuan
Liaoning	遼寧	Liáoníng	遼 liáo	Shenyang
Ningxia	寧夏	Níngxià	寧 níng	Yinchuan
Nenjiang	嫩江	Nènjiāng		Qiqihar
Qinghai	青海	Qīnghǎi	青 qīng	Xining
Rehe	熱河	Rèhé	熱 rè	Chengde
Shaanxi	陝西	Shǎnxī	陝 shǎn or 秦 qín	Xi'an
Shandong	山東	Shāndōng	魯 lǔ	Jinan
Shanxi	山西	Shānxī	晉 jìn	Taiyuan
Sichuan	四川	Sìchuān	川 chuān or 蜀 shǔ	Chengdu
Songjiang	松江	Sōngjiāng		Mudanjiang
Suiyuan	綏遠	Suíyuǎn	綏 suí	Guisui (Hohhot)
Taiwan	臺灣	Táiwān	臺 tái	Jhongsing Village1
Xikang	西康	Xīkāng	康 kāng	Kangding
Xing'an	興安	Xīng'ān		Hailar (Hulunbuir)
Xinjiang	新疆	Xīnjiāng	疆 jiāng	Dihua (Urumqi)
Yunnan	雲南	Yúnnán	滇 diān or 雲 yún	Kunming
Zhejiang	浙江	Zhèjiāng	浙 zhè	Hangzhou
Special administrative region
Hainan	海南	Hǎinán	瓊 qióng	Haikou
Regions (地方 Dìfāng)
Outer Mongolia	蒙古	Měnggǔ	蒙 měng	Kulun (Ulaanbaatar)
Tibet	西藏	Xīzàng	藏 zàng	Lhasa
Municipalities
Beiping (Beijing)	北平	Běipíng	平 píng
Chongqing	重慶	Chóngqìng	渝 yú
Dalian	大連	Dàlián
Guangzhou	廣州	Guǎngzhōu	穗 suì
Hankou	漢口	Hànkǒu	漢 hàn
Harbin	哈爾濱	Hā'ěrbīn
Kaohsiung City2	高雄	Gāoxióng	高 gāo
Nanjing	南京	Nánjīng	京 jīng
Qingdao	青島	Qīngdǎo
Shanghai	上海	Shànghǎi	滬 hù
Shenyang	瀋陽	Shěnyáng	瀋 shěn
Taipei City 2	台北	Táiběi	北 běi
Tianjin	天津	Tiānjīn	津 jīn
Xi'an	西安	Xī'ān

¹ — The capital of Taiwan Province was moved to Jhongsing Village from Taipei in the 1960s.
² — Taipei and Kaohsiung were elevated in 1967 and 1979, respectively, after the ROC government had moved to Taiwan in 1949.

People's Republic of China

The communist forces initially held parts of Manchuria and northern China at the start of the Chinese civil war. By late 1949, they controlled the majority of mainland China, forcing the Republic of China to relocate to Taiwan.

The People's Republic made the following changes:

• China was divided into 6 greater administrative areas that came above provinces.
• Manchuria was reorganized completely.
• Inner Mongolia was formed out of parts of Manchuria as the first autonomous region.
• The short-lived province of Pingyuan was set up.
• Jiangsu was temporarily divided into two administrative regions: Subei and Sunnan.
• Anhui was temporarily divided into two administrative regions: Wanbei and Wannan.
• Sichuan was temporarily divided into four administrative regions: Chuandong, Chuannan, Chuanxi and Chuanbei.

The general situation as of 1951 was as follows:

Province-level divisions of China of the People's Republic of China, 1951

Name	Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Abbreviation	Capital	Greater administrative area
Provinces
Chahar	察哈爾	Cháhā'ěr	察 chá	Zhangjiakou	North
Fujian	福建	Fújiàn	閩 mǐn	Fuzhou	East
Gansu	甘肅	Gānsù	甘 gān or 隴 lǒng	Lanzhou	Northwest
Guangdong	廣東	Guǎngdōng	粵 yuè	Guangzhou	Central & South
Guangxi	廣西	Guǎngxī	桂 guì	Nanning	Central & South
Guizhou	貴州	Guìzhōu	黔 qián or 貴 guì	Guiyang	Southwest
Hebei	河北	Héběi	冀 jì	Baoding	North
Heilongjiang	黑龍江	Hēilóngjiāng	黑 hēi	Qiqihar	Northeast
Henan	河南	Hénán	豫 yù	Kaifeng	Central & South
Hubei	湖北	Húběi	鄂 è	Wuhan	Central & South
Hunan	湖南	Húnán	湘 xiāng	Changsha	Central & South
Jiangxi	江西	Jiāngxī	贛 gàn	Nanchang	East
Jilin	吉林	Jílín	吉 jí	Jilin	Northeast
Liaodong	遼東	Liáodōng		Andong (Dandong)	Northeast
Liaoxi	遼西	Liáoxī		Jinzhou	Northeast
Ningxia	寧夏	Níngxià	寧 níng	Yinchuan	Northwest
Pingyuan	平原	Píngyuán		Xinxiang	North
Qinghai	青海	Qīnghǎi	青 qīng	Xining	Northwest
Rehe	熱河	Rèhé	熱 rè	Chengde	Northeast
Shaanxi	陝西	Shǎnxī	陝 shǎn or 秦 qín	Xi'an	Northwest
Shandong	山東	Shāndōng	魯 lǔ	Jinan	East
Shanxi	山西	Shānxī	晉 jìn	Taiyuan	North
Songjiang	松江	Sōngjiāng		Harbin	Northeast
Suiyuan	綏遠	Suíyuǎn	綏 suí	Guisui (Hohhot)	North
Xikang	西康	Xīkāng	康 kāng	Ya'an	Southwest
Xinjiang	新疆	Xīnjiāng	疆 jiāng	Urumqi	Northwest
Yunnan	雲南	Yúnnán	滇 diān or 雲 yún	Kunming	Southwest
Zhejiang	浙江	Zhèjiāng	浙 zhè	Hangzhou	East
Administrative territories (行署區 Xíngshǔqū)
Chuanbei	川北	Chuānběi		Nanchong	Southwest
Chuandong	川東	Chuāndōng		Chongqing	Southwest
Chuannan	川南	Chuānnán		Luzhou	Southwest
Chuanxi	川西	Chuānxī		Chengdu	Southwest
Subei	蘇北	Sūběi		Yangzhou	East
Sunan	蘇南	Sūnán		Wuxi	East
Wanbei	皖北	Wǎnběi		Hefei	East
Wannan	皖南	Wǎnnán		Wuhu	East
Autonomous region
Inner Mongolia	内蒙古	Nèi Měnggǔ		Guisui (Hohhot)	none
Region (地方 Dìfāng)
Tibet	西藏	Xīzàng	藏 zàng	Lhasa	Southwest
Territory (地區 Dìqū)
Qamdo	昌都	Chāngdū	昌 chāng	Qamdo	Southwest
Municipalities
Anshan	鞍山	Ānshān			Northeast
Beijing	北京	Běijīng	京 jīng		North
Benxi	本溪	Běnxī			Northeast
Chongqing	重慶	Chóngqìng	渝 yú		Southwest
Dalian	大連	Dàlián			Northeast
Fushun	撫順	Fǔshùn			Northeast
Guangzhou	廣州	Guǎngzhōu	穗 suì		Central & South
Nanjing	南京	Nánjīng			East
Shanghai	上海	Shànghǎi	滬 hù		East
Shenyang	瀋陽	Shěnyáng	瀋 shěn		Northeast
Tianjin	天津	Tiānjīn	津 jīn		North
Wuhan	武漢	Wǔhàn			Central & South
Xi'an	西安	Xī'ān			Northwest

Compare with the actual provinces of mainland China at Political divisions of China#Province.

Levels:

• Greater administrative areas (大區 dàqū)
• Provinces (省 shěng)
• Prefectures (專區 zhuānqū)
• Counties (縣 xiàn)
• District public offices (小區 xiǎoqū)
• Townships (鄉 xiāng)

1950s

In 1952 the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Sichuan were restored. Pingyuan and Chahar were split into their surrounding provinces. Nanjing, old capital of the Republic of China, was deprived of municipality status and annexed by Jiangsu province. In 1953 Changchun and Harbin were elevated to municipality status.

In 1954 a massive campaign to cut the number of provincial-level divisions was initiated. Of the 14 municipalities existing in 1953, 11 were annexed by nearby provinces, with only Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin remaining. The province of Liaoning was formed out of the merger of Liaodong and Liaoxi, while Suiyuan and Ningxia disappeared into Inner Mongolia and Gansu.

The greater administrative area level was abolished in 1954.

The process continued in 1955 with Rehe being split among Hebei, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia, and Xikang disappearing into Sichuan. In that same year Xinjiang became the second autonomous region of China, and plans for a third, Tibet Autonomous Region, were initiated. Qamdo territory was put under the planned Tibet Autonomous Region.

In 1957 two more autonomous regions were added, Ningxia (split back out of Gansu) and Guangxi (which was previously a province). In 1958 Tianjin was annexed by Hebei, leaving only two municipalities, Beijing and Shanghai.

1960s and 1970s

In 1965 Tibet Autonomous Region was established out of the formerly self-governing Tibet region, plus Qamdo territory. In 1967 Tianjin was split back out as a municipality.

1980s and 1990s

Starting in the 1980s, prefecture-level cities and county-level cities began to appear in very large numbers, usually by replacing entire prefectures and counties. Hainan was split out of Guangdong and set up as a province in 1988.

In 1997 Chongqing became the fourth municipality of China. In that same year Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule and became the first special administrative region. Macau became the second in 1999.

In the 1990s, there has been a campaign to abolish district public offices as a level. By 2004 very few remain.

In the meantime, most prefectures have become prefecture-level cities.

Levels:

• Provinces (省 shěng)
• Prefectures (地区 dìqū)
• Counties (县 xiàn)
• Townships (乡 xiāng)

See also

• Political divisions of China
• History of China

External link

• Summary of terms (http://weber.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/chin/hbgovernment-u.html)