Provinces ( zh, c=省, p=Shěng) are the most numerous type of province-level divisions in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(PRC). There are currently 22 provinces administered by the PRC and one province that is claimed, but not administered, which is

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, currently administered by the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

(ROC). The local governments of Chinese provinces consists of a Provincial People's Government headed by a

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

that acts as the executive, a Provincial People's Congress with legislative powers, and a parallel provincial branch of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

(CCP) that elects a

party secretary In politics, a party secretary is a senior official within a political party with responsibility for the organizational and daily political work. In most parties, the party secretary is second in rank to the party leader (or party chairman). In s ...

and a provincial standing committee.

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

. 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 A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

to exercise its authority when not in session. The Provincial Party Secretary is the ''de facto'' most important position in the province.

History

The first provinces were created in the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

, and have remained one of the most stable forms of Chinese government since then. They were created to help the Imperial court manage local county governments, which were too numerous and far-flung to be managed directly. The number of provinces grew steadily during subsequent dynasties, reaching 28 by the time of the

. During the

Warlord Era The Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1928, when control of the country was divided between rival Warlord, military cliques of the Beiyang Army and other regional factions. It began after the de ...

, 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. Political boundaries are, in part, established to counterbalance the influence of economic factors. For instance, the

Yangtze Delta The Yangtze Delta or Yangtze River Delta (YRD), once known as the Shanghai Economic Zone, is a megalopolis generally comprising the Wu Chinese, Wu-speaking areas of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, southern Anhui. The area lie ...

is divided among the provinces of

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, and

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

. This division ensures that economic strength is distributed, preventing any single region from potentially overpowering the state.

List of provinces

}
Héběi Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang; Mandarin: ; formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang is the capital and most populous city of China's Hebei Province. A prefecture-level city southwest of Beijing, it administers eight districts, three county-le ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 74,610,235 , style="text-align:right;" , 393.08 , style="text-align:right;" , 189,809 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Jì , - , style="text-align:center;" , SX , style="text-align:center;" , CN-SX ,

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

,
Shānxī Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Taiyuan Taiyuan; Mandarin pronunciation: (Jin Chinese, Taiyuan Jin: /tʰai˦˥ ye˩˩/) is the capital of Shanxi, China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. It is an industrial base foc ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 34,915,616 , style="text-align:right;" , 222.80 , style="text-align:right;" , 156,713 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Jìn , - , style="text-align:center;" , LN , style="text-align:center;" , CN-LN ,

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

,
Liáoníng Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 42,591,407 , style="text-align:right;" , 289.59 , style="text-align:right;" , 147,076 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Liáo , - , style="text-align:center;" , JL , style="text-align:center;" , CN-JL ,

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

,
Jílín Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Changchun Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin, Jilin Province, China, on the Songliao Plain. Changchun is administered as a , comprising seven districts, one county and three county-level cities. At the 2020 census of China, Changchun ha ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 24,073,453 , style="text-align:right;" , 126.51 , style="text-align:right;" , 190,282 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Jí , - , style="text-align:center;" , HL , style="text-align:center;" , CN-HL ,

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

,
Hēilóngjiāng Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 31,850,088 , style="text-align:right;" , 67.37 , style="text-align:right;" , 472,766 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Hēi , - , style="text-align:center;" , JS , style="text-align:center;" , CN-JS ,

,
Jiāngsū Shěng , style="text-align:center;",

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

, style="text-align:center;",

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 84,748,016 , style="text-align:right;" , 847.91 , style="text-align:right;" , 99,949 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Sū , - , style="text-align:center;" , ZJ , style="text-align:center;" , CN-ZJ ,

,
Zhèjiāng Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 64,567,588 , style="text-align:right;" , 615.67 , style="text-align:right;" , 104,873 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Zhè , - , style="text-align:center;" , AH , style="text-align:center;" , CN-AH ,

,
Ānhuī Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" ,

Hefei Hefei is the Capital city, capital of Anhui, China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census. Its built-up (or ''metro'') area is made up of four u ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 61,027,171 , style="text-align:right;" , 436.29 , style="text-align:right;" , 139,879 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Wǎn , - , style="text-align:center;" , FJ , style="text-align:center;" , CN-FJ ,

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

,
Fújiàn Shěng , style="text-align:center;",

Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...

, style="text-align:center;",

Quanzhou Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China, People's Republic of China. It is Fujian's largest most populous metropolitan region, wi ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 41,540,086 , style="text-align:right;" , 335.66 , style="text-align:right;" , 123,756 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Mǐn , - , style="text-align:center;" , JX , style="text-align:center;" , CN-JX ,

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

,
Jiāngxī Shěng , style="text-align:center;",

Nanchang Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi, China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake. Because of its strate ...

, style="text-align:center;",

Ganzhou Ganzhou (), alternately romanized as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jiangxi province, China, bordering Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, and Hunan to the west. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong District. His ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 45,188,635 , style="text-align:right;" , 270.69 , style="text-align:right;" , 166,939 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Gàn , - , style="text-align:center;" , SD , style="text-align:center;" , CN-SD ,

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

,
Shāndōng Shěng , style="text-align:center;",

Jinan Jinan is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...

, style="text-align:center;",

Linyi Linyi ( zh, s=临沂 , t=臨沂 , p=Línyí) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. As of 2011, Linyi is the largest prefecture-level city in Shandong, both by area and population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the eas ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 101,527,453 , style="text-align:right;" , 643.78 , style="text-align:right;" , 157,704 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Lǔ , - , style="text-align:center;" , HA , style="text-align:center;" , CN-HA ,

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

,
Hénán Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan, China. Located in northern Henan, it is one of the nine National central city, national central cities in China, and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the province. Th ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 99,365,519 , style="text-align:right;" , 600.52 , style="text-align:right;" , 165,467 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Yù , - , style="text-align:center;" , HB , style="text-align:center;" , CN-HB ,

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

,
Húběi Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 57,752,557 , style="text-align:right;" , 310.87 , style="text-align:right;" , 185,776 , style="text-align:center;" ,
È , - , style="text-align:center;" , HN , style="text-align:center;" , CN-HN ,

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

,
Húnán Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 66,444,864 , style="text-align:right;" , 313.65 , style="text-align:right;" , 211,842 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Xiāng , - , style="text-align:center;" , GD , style="text-align:center;" , CN-GD ,

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

,
Guǎngdōng Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 126,012,510 , style="text-align:right;" , 700.02 , style="text-align:right;" , 180,013 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Yuè , - , style="text-align:center;" , HI , style="text-align:center;" , CN-HI ,

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

,
Hǎinán Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Haikou Haikou; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Hoihow is the capital city, capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 10,081,232 , style="text-align:right;" , 294.27 , style="text-align:right;" , 34,259 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Qióng , - , style="text-align:center;" , SC , style="text-align:center;" , CN-SC ,

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

,
Sìchuān Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 83,674,866 , style="text-align:right;" , 174.93 , style="text-align:right;" , 484,056 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Chuān (Shǔ) , - , style="text-align:center;" , GZ , style="text-align:center;" , CN-GZ ,

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

,
Guìzhōu Shěng , style="text-align:center;",

Guiyang Guiyang; Mandarin pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively as Kweiyang is the capital of Guizhou, Guizhou province in China. It is centrally located within the province, on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, eastern part of the Yun ...

, style="text-align:center;",

Zunyi Zunyi ( zh, s=遵义 , t=遵義 , p=Zūnyì) is a prefecture-level city in northern Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, situated between the provincial capital Guiyang to the south and Chongqing to the north, also bordering Sichuan to t ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 38,562,148 , style="text-align:right;" , 218.93 , style="text-align:right;" , 176,140 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Guì (Qián) , - , style="text-align:center;" , YN , style="text-align:center;" , CN-YN ,

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

,
Yúnnán Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Kunming Kunming is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China. The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also the seat of the provincial government. During World War II, Kunming was a Ch ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 47,209,277 , style="text-align:right;" , 123.20 , style="text-align:right;" , 383,195 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Yún (Diān) , - , style="text-align:center;" , SN , style="text-align:center;" , CN-SN ,

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

,
Shǎnxī Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 39,528,999 , style="text-align:right;" , 192.24 , style="text-align:right;" , 205,624 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Shǎn (Qín) , - , style="text-align:center;" , GS , style="text-align:center;" , CN-GS ,

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

,
Gānsù Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Lanzhou Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu province in northwestern China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. His ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 25,019,831 , style="text-align:right;" , 54.70 , style="text-align:right;" , 457,382 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Gān (Lǒng) , - , style="text-align:center;" , QH , style="text-align:center;" , CN-QH ,

Qinghai Qinghai is an inland Provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. It is the largest provinces of China, province of China (excluding autonomous regions) by area and has the third smallest population. Its capital and largest city is Xin ...

,
Qīnghǎi Shěng , colspan="2" style="text-align:center;",

Xining Xining is the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. As of the 2020 census, it had 2,467,965 inhabitants (2,208,708 as of 2010), of whom 1,954,795 l ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 5,923,957 , style="text-align:right;" , 8.58 , style="text-align:right;" , 720 000 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Qīng , - style="background:#FFCCCC;" , - , style="text-align:center;" , TW , style="text-align:center;" , CN-TW , ''Taiwan'' ,
Táiwān Shěng , style="text-align:center;",

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

, style="text-align:center;",

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 23,162,123 , style="text-align:right;" , 650.97 , style="text-align:right;" , 36,161 , style="text-align:center;" ,
Tái

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

Interactive Dbresearch.com: WebMap
— ''with economic indicators for all Chinese Provinces''. {{Authority control * Administrative divisions of China Provinces, China

Government

History

List of provinces

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links