Prefectures Of China
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In the context of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, the term ''prefecture'' is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both
ancient Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...
and modern China. In modern China, a prefecture is formally a kind of prefecture-level division. There are 339 prefecture-level divisions in China. These include 7 prefectures, 299 prefecture-level cities, 30
autonomous prefecture Autonomous prefectures () are one type of autonomous administrative divisions of China, existing at the prefectural level, with either ethnic minorities forming over 50% of the population or being the historic home of significant minorities. A ...
s and 3 leagues. Other than provincial level divisions, prefectural level divisions are not mentioned in the
Chinese constitution The Constitution of the People's Republic of China is the supreme law of the People's Republic of China. It was adopted by the 5th National People's Congress on December 4, 1982, with further revisions about every five years. It is the fou ...
.


Types of prefectural level divisions


Prefecture

Prefectures are administrative subdivisions of provincial-level divisions. The administrative commission () is an administrative branch office with the rank of a national ministerial department () and dispatched by the higher-level provincial government. The leader of the prefecture government, titled as prefectural administrative commissioner (), is appointed by the provincial government. Instead of local people's congresses, the prefecture's working commission of the standing committee of the provincial people's congress is dispatched and supervises the prefecture governments, but can not elect or dismiss prefecture governments. The prefecture's working committee of the provincial committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...
(CPCC) is a part of the prefecture's committee of the CPPCC. This means that the prefecture's working committee of the CPPCC is a branch of the provincial committee of the CPPCC, not an individual society entity. The same is valid for provincial CPPCCs, which are formally sections of the national CPPCC. The term ''prefecture'' derives from the former ''circuit'', which was a level between the provincial and the county level during the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
. In 1928, the government of the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
abolished the circuit level and the province administrated counties directly; however, this reform was soon found unfeasible because some provinces had hundreds of counties. Consequently, in 1932, provinces were again subdivided into several prefectures, and regional administrative offices were set up. At one point, prefectures were the most common type of
prefecture-level division The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there a ...
. Today they have been mostly converted into
prefecture-level cities A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...
, and the trend is still ongoing, with only seven prefectures remaining in China.


Prefecture-level city

Prefecture-level cities A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...
() are municipalities that are given prefecture status and the right to govern surrounding
counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
. In practice, prefecture-level cities are so large that they are just like any other prefectures (prefecture-level administrative divisions), and not
cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in the traditional sense of the word at all. Prefecture-level cities are the most common type of
prefecture-level division The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there a ...
in
mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
today.


League

Leagues () are the prefectures of
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
. The name comes from a kind of ancient Mongolian administrative unit used during the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
in
Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
. To preempt any sense of Mongolian unity or solidarity, the Qing dynasty executed divide and rule policies in which Mongolian ''
banners A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also ...
'' (county-level regions) were separated from each other. Leagues had no true ruler-ship, they only had conventional assemblies consisting of banners. During the ROC era, the leagues had a status equivalent to provinces. Leagues contain banners, equivalent to counties. After the establishment of the provincial-level
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
in 1947, the leagues of Inner Mongolia became equal to prefectures in other provinces and autonomous regions. The governments of the league, ''xíngzhènggōngshǔ'' (), are the administrative branch offices dispatched by the People's Government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The leader of the league's government, titled as league leader (), is appointed by the People's Government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. So are deputy leaders of leagues. Instead of a local-level people's congress, a league's working commissions of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are detached and supervise the league's governments, but can not elect or dismiss league's government officials."The standing committee of the people’s congress of a province and autonomous region may set up administrative offices in the prefectures under its jurisdiction. " from Item 2, Article 53, Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Governments of the People’s Republic of China (2004 Revision) In such a way, the ''league's working committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...
'' is instead the league's committee of the CPPCC. Similar to prefectures, most leagues have been replaced by
prefecture-level cities A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...
. There are only three leagues remaining in
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
.


Autonomous prefecture

Autonomous prefecture Autonomous prefectures () are one type of autonomous administrative divisions of China, existing at the prefectural level, with either ethnic minorities forming over 50% of the population or being the historic home of significant minorities. A ...
s () either have over 50% of the population with
ethnic minorities The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...
or are historically resided by significant minorities. All autonomous prefectures are mostly dominated, in population, by the
Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...
. The official name of an autonomous prefecture includes the most
dominant minority A dominant minority, also called elite dominance is a minority group that has overwhelming political, economic, or cultural dominance in a country, despite representing a small fraction of the overall population (a demographic minority). Domi ...
in that region, sometimes two, rarely three. For example, a Kazakh (''Kazak'' in official naming system) prefecture may be called ''Kazak Zizhizhou''. Like all other prefecture-level divisions, autonomous prefectures are divided into
county-level division The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there a ...
s. There is one exception:
Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture ( kk, Іле Қазақ автономиялық облысы) (also as Yili) is an autonomous prefecture for Kazakh people in Northern Xinjiang, China, one of five autonomous prefectures in Xinjiang. Yining Cit ...
contains two prefectures of its own. Under the
constitution of the People's Republic of China The Constitution of the People's Republic of China is the supreme law of the People's Republic of China. It was adopted by the 5th National People's Congress on December 4, 1982, with further revisions about every five years. It is the fou ...
, autonomous prefectures cannot be abolished. However, two autonomous prefecture were dissolved when new provinces were established such as
Hainan Li and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Hainan Li-Miao Autonomous Prefecture () (1952–1988) was an autonomous prefecture in Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. It was located on Hainan Island. The area now belongs to Hainan Province which was created in 1988. See also

...
when Hainan Province was established in 1988 and
Qianjiang Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Qianjiang may refer to: *Qianjiang District (), Chongqing *Qianjiang, Hubei (), sub-prefecture-level city *Qianjiang Century City (), Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang *Qianjiang, Guangxi (), town in and subdivision of Xingbin District, Laibin ...
when
Chongqing Municipality Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Coun ...
was established in 1997.


Development zone

Development zones () were temporary prefectural level divisions.
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
was a development zone before it became a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
, and two development zones were set up within
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
immediately after it became a municipality. These divisions were temporary and no longer exist. * Qianjiang Migration Development Area – formerly Qianjiang Prefecture * Wanxian Migration Development Area – formerly Wanxian City (prefecture-level)


Legal status

The constitution of the People's Republic of China does not endorse any prefectural level division, except for autonomous prefectures. Prefectures and leagues are not at all mentioned; provinces are explicitly stated to be divided directly into counties. The constitution does not explicitly endorse the existence of
prefecture-level cities A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...
, but it does mention that " comparatively large cities" () are divided into counties and districts. However, there are only 49 prefectural level cities that have been designated as "comparatively large". As a result, the vast majority of prefecture-level cities do not have the constitutional basis for governing districts and counties. The wholesale conversion of prefectures into prefectural level cities has resulted in the phenomenon of "cities containing cities"—prefectural level cities containing county level cities. There is no legal basis for this, not even for the 49 "comparatively large cities". Thus, the county-level cities technically do not "belong" to the prefecture-level city, but are instead "governed on behalf" (代管) of the province by the prefectural level city, though in practice the county level cities do indeed belong to their governing prefectural level cities.


Ancient sense

In the
history of the political divisions of China The history of the administrative divisions of China is covered in the following articles: * History of the administrative divisions of China before 1912 * History of the administrative divisions of China (1912–1949) (Republic of China on the mai ...
, the word "prefecture" has been applied onto three unrelated types of division: the ''xian'', the ''zhou'' and the ''fu''. In general the word "prefecture" is applied to ''xian'' for the period before the Sui and
Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
dynasties; for the period after, ''xian'' are called "districts" or "counties", while "prefectures" now refer to ''zhou'' and ''fu.


''Xian''

''Xian'' (/) were first established during the
Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...
, and have existed continuously ever since. Today, they continue to form an important part of the political divisions of China. ''Xian'' has been translated using several
English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
terms. In the context of ancient history, "district" and "prefecture" are the most commonly used terms, while "county" is generally used for more contemporary contexts.


''Zhou''

''Zhou'' () were first established during the
Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
, and were abolished only with the establishment of the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
. ''Zhou'' is generally translated as "province" or "region" for the period before the
Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...
, and "prefecture" for the period from the Sui dynasty onwards. The
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
has revived the word ''zhou'' as part of the term "zizhizhou" (), which is translated as "autonomous prefectures", as described above.


''Fu''

''Fu'' () were first established during the Tang dynasty, and were also abolished with the establishment of the Republic of China. During the Tang and
Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
dynasties, the term was mainly applied to prefectures with major urban centers. For this period, it is often translated as "urban prefecture" or "superior prefecture". Later, however, most first-level prefectures under provinces would become known as ''fu''.


See also

*
Administrative divisions of China The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there ...
*
List of prefectures in China All provincial-level divisions of China are divided into prefectural-level divisions (second-level): prefectural-level cities, prefectures, autonomous prefectures and leagues. There are 333 prefecture level divisions in China as of January ...
*
Prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...


References

{{authority control Administrative divisions of China
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
Prefectures, China