A sub-prefectural municipality (), sub-prefectural city, or vice-prefectural municipality, is an unofficial designation for a type of administrative division of China. A sub-prefectural city is officially considered to be a
county-level city
A county-level municipality (), county-level city or county city, formerly known as prefecture-controlled city (1949–1970: ; 1970–1983: ), is a county-level administrative division of the People's Republic of China. County-level ...
, but it has more power ''de facto'' because the cadres assigned to its government are one half-level higher in rank than those of an "ordinary" county-level city—though still lower than those of a
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 Chi ...
.
While county-level cities are under the administrative jurisdiction of prefecture-level divisions, sub-prefectural cities are often (but not always) administered directly by the provincial government, with no intervening prefecture level administration.
Examples of sub-prefectural cities that does not belong to any prefecture:
Jiyuan (
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...
Province),
Xiantao,
Qianjiang and
Tianmen (
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...
),
Shihezi
Shihezi is a sub-prefecture-level city in Northern Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. It has a population of 380,130 according to the 2010 census. The city is also home to Shihezi University, the second-largest comprehensive university under ...
,
Tumxuk,
Aral, and
Wujiaqu (
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
).
Examples of sub-prefectural cities that nevertheless belong to a prefecture:
Golmud
Golmud, also known by various other romanizations, is a county-level city in the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, China. It is now the second-largest city in Qinghai and the third largest in the Tibetan ...
(
Haixi,
Qinghai
Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...
),
Manzhouli (
Hulunbuir
Hulunbuir or Hulun Buir ( mn, , ''Kölün buyir'', Mongolian Cyrillic: Хөлөнбуйр, ''Khölönbuir''; zh, s=呼伦贝尔, ''Hūlúnbèi'ěr'') is a region that is governed as a prefecture-level city in northeastern Inner Mongolia, China ...
,
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 ...
).
List of sub-prefectural divisions
:Note
: Bold not under any prefecture-level subordination
Guangdong
*
Gaozhou
Gaozhou is a county-level city in southwestern Guangdong Province, China. Formerly the primary city in the area, it is now administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Maoming. As of the 20210 census, Gaozhou had a population of 1,3 ...
*
Lufeng
*
Luoding
*
Nanxiong
*
Puning
*
Yangchun
Yangchun, alternately romanized as Yeungchun, is a county-level city in southwestern Guangdong, China, administered as a part of the prefecture-level city of Yangjiang. Yangchun has an area of and had approximately 1.05 million inhabitants in ...
*
Yingde
Guizhou
*
Renhuai
Renhuai () is a county-level city located in the north of Guizhou province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zunyi
Zunyi () is a prefecture-level city in northern Gui ...
Hainan
*
Dongfang
*
Qionghai
*
Wanning
*
Wenchang
*
Wuzhishan
Hebei
*
Dingzhou
*
Qian'an
*
Xinji
Xinji () is a county-level city of Hebei Province, North China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang. It is the easternmost county-level division of Shijiangzhuang. There are 8 towns () and 7 townships
A ...
Heilongjiang
*
Suifenhe
Suifenhe () is a county-level city in southeastern Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, located where the former Chinese Eastern Railway crosses the border with Russia's town of Pogranichny, Primorsky Krai. In January 2014, ...
Henan
*
Dengzhou
Dengzhou (), formerly Deng County (), is a city in Nanyang, Henan, China. It has an area of and a population of 1,500,000. The urban area is 35 km², and the urban population is 300,000. The city is located in the southwest of Henan provi ...
*
Gongyi
Gongyi (), formerly Gong County (), is a county-level city of Henan Province, South Central China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou. It has a population of 790,000 people and an area of .
City
Gongyi is ...
*
Jiyuan
*
Ruzhou
Ruzhou () is a county-level city in the west-central part of Henan province, China, and is under the administration of Pingdingshan. It was called Linru County () until 1988. It has more than 100,000 inhabitants. The Fengxue Temple of Ruzhou fea ...
*
Yongcheng
Yongcheng () is county-level city in Henan province, China, and is the easternmost county-level division of the province, bordering Anhui province on all sides except the northwest and due north. Yongcheng has significant coal deposits and some i ...
Hubei
*
Qianjiang
*
Tianmen
*
Xiantao
Hunan
*
Shaoshan
Inner Mongolia
*
Erenhot
*
Manzhouli
Jiangsu
*
Kunshan
Kunshan is a county-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province with Shanghai bordering its eastern border and Suzhou on its western boundary. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Suzhou.
Name
There is a stron ...
*
Taixing
Jiangxi
*
Fengcheng
*
Gongqingcheng
*
Ruijin
Ruijin () is a county-level city of Ganzhou in the mountains bordering Fujian Province in the south-eastern part of Jiangxi Province. Formerly a county, Ruijin became a county-level city on May 18, 1994.
It was an early center of Chinese commu ...
Jilin
*
Gongzhuling
*
Meihekou
Meihekou () is a city of 600,000 in Jilin province, People's Republic of China. It is a regional transport hub, connecting three railway lines, all of which are single track, and 2 national highways. The city is also a major lorry transshipment po ...
Qinghai
*
Golmud
Golmud, also known by various other romanizations, is a county-level city in the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, China. It is now the second-largest city in Qinghai and the third largest in the Tibetan ...
Shaanxi
*
Hancheng
Xinjiang
:Note
: all cities are also under the subordination of the Prefecture-level
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC or Bingtuan).
*
Aral
*
Beitun
*
Huyanghe
Huyanghe () is a county-level city in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. It is geographically located in Tacheng Prefecture of Northwestern Xinjiang, but is directly administered by the 7th Division of XPCC.
The city was formerly the set ...
*
Kokdala
Kokdala or Cocodala is a city in northern Xinjiang, China, bordering Kazakhstan's Almaty Region to the west. Administratively, it is a county-level city under the direct administration of the regional government, though it is geographically locat ...
*
Kunyu
*
Shihezi
Shihezi is a sub-prefecture-level city in Northern Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. It has a population of 380,130 according to the 2010 census. The city is also home to Shihezi University, the second-largest comprehensive university under ...
*
Shuanghe
*
Tiemenguan
*
Tumxuk
*
Wujiaqu
*
Xinxing
Zhejiang
*
Yiwu
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sub-Prefectural City
Administrative divisions of China
*Sub
County-level divisions of the People's Republic of China