Townships ( zh, s=乡, labels=no), formally township-level divisions ( zh, s=乡级行政区, labels=no), are the basic level (fourth-level administrative units) of
political 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 ...
. They are similar to municipalities and communes in other countries and in turn may contain village committees and villages. In 1995 there were 29,648 townships and 17,570 towns (a total of 47,218 township-level divisions) in China which included the territories
held
Held may refer to:
Places
* Held Glacier
People Arts and media
* Adolph Held (1885–1969), U.S. newspaper editor, banker, labor activist
*Al Held (1928–2005), U.S. abstract expressionist painter.
*Alexander Held (born 1958), German television ...
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 ...
and claimed by the PRC.
Much like other levels of government in mainland China, the township's governance is divided between the Communist Party Township Secretary, and the "
county magistrate
The county magistrate or local magistrate, known by several Chinese names, was the official in charge of the '' xian'' ("county"), the lowest level of central government in Imperial and early Republican China. The magistrate was the official ...
" ( zh, s=乡长, hp=xiāngzhǎng, links=no). The township party secretary, along with the township's party committee, determines policy. The magistrate is in charge of administering the daily affairs of government and executing policies as determined by the party committee. A township official is the lowest-level ranked official in the civil service hierarchy; in practice, however, the township party secretary and magistrate can amass high levels of personal power.
A township government is formally responsible for local economic development, planning, maintenance of local roads, family planning, sanitation & health, sports, and "other responsibilities as determined by higher level governments".
Types of townships
Urban
*
Subdistricts ( zh, s=街道, hp=jiēdào, links=no)
*
Towns
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
( zh, s=镇, hp=zhèn, links=no)
Rural
*Townships ( zh, s=乡, hp=xiāng, links=no)
*
Sums of Inner Mongolia
*
Ethnic townships, towns, and sums
Ethnic townships (officially translated as nationality townshipsConstitution of the People's Republic of China, Article 95), ethnic towns, and ethnic sums are fourth-level administrative units designated for ethnic minorities of political div ...
History
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, there was a lack of uniform regulations for establishing towns, and there were too many towns formed. By the end of 1954, there were 5,400 towns throughout the country, including 920 with a population of less than 2,000, 2,302 with a population of 2,000-5,000, 1,373 with a population of 5,000-10,000, 784 with a population of 10,000-50,000, and 21 with a population over 50,000. In June 1955, the
State Council issued the "Decision on the Establishment of Cities and Towns", which clarified the criteria for the establishment of towns. By the end of 1978, there were only 2,173 townships in the country. After the abolition of the
people's commune system, the establishment of townships was given importance.
On 29 November 1984, the State Council announced new standards for the establishment of townships.
* All local state organs at the county level should be set up as townships.
* Townships with a total population of less than 20,000 and a non-agricultural population of more than 2,000 in the seat of the township government may be established.
* For communes with a total population of more than 20,000, towns may be established if the non-agricultural population of the commune's governmental seat accounts for more than 10% of the commune's population.
* Ethnic minority areas, sparsely populated remote areas, mountainous areas and small industrial and mining areas, small ports, scenic tourist areas, border crossings, etc., although the non-agricultural population of less than 2,000, if necessary, can also set up towns.
List of township-level divisions

;Provinces
*
List of township-level divisions of Anhui
This is a list of township-level divisions of the province of Anhui, People's Republic of China (PRC). After province, prefecture, and county-level divisions, township-level divisions constitute the formal fourth-level administrative divisio ...
*
List of township-level divisions of Fujian
This is a list of township-level divisions of the province of Fujian, People's Republic of China (PRC). After province, prefecture, and county-level divisions, township-level divisions constitute the formal fourth-level administrative divisions ...
*
List of township-level divisions of Gansu
*
List of township-level divisions of Guangdong
*
List of township-level divisions of Guizhou
*
List of township-level divisions of Hainan
*
List of township-level divisions of Hebei
*
List of township-level divisions of Heilongjiang
*
List of township-level divisions of Henan
This is a list of township-level divisions of the province of Henan, People's Republic of China (PRC). After province, prefecture, and county-level divisions, township-level divisions constitute the formal fourth-level administrative divisions ...
*
List of township-level divisions of Hubei
*
List of township-level divisions of Hunan
*
List of township-level divisions of Jiangsu
This is a list of Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China#Township level, township-level divisions of the province of Jiangsu, People's Republic of China (PRC). After Province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China, ...
*
List of township-level divisions of Jiangxi
*
List of township-level divisions of Jilin
*
List of township-level divisions of Liaoning
*
List of township-level divisions of Qinghai
*
List of township-level divisions of Shaanxi
This is a list of township-level divisions of the province of Shaanxi, China, People's Republic of China. After Province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China, province, Prefectures of China, prefecture, and county-level divisions ...
*
List of township-level divisions of Shandong
*
List of township-level divisions of Shanxi
*
List of township-level divisions of Sichuan
*
List of township-level divisions of Yunnan
*
List of township-level divisions of Zhejiang
This is a list of Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China#Township level, township-level divisions of the province of Zhejiang, People's Republic of China (PRC). After Province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China ...
; Autonomous areas
*
List of township-level divisions of Guangxi
*
List of township-level divisions of Inner Mongolia
*
List of township-level divisions of Ningxia
*
List of township-level divisions of the Tibet Autonomous Region
*
List of township-level divisions of Xinjiang
;Municipalities
*
List of township-level divisions of Beijing
*
List of township-level divisions of Chongqing
*
List of township-level divisions of Shanghai
*
List of township-level divisions of Tianjin
Similar to township units
A similar to township unit in the
system of administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China is a region with self-jurisdiction which functions at a
PRC township-level administrative division. Divisions of this sort can include development zones, science and technology parks,
university cities,
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...
,
farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
s,
fishing ground,
ranch
A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...
es,
orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...
s,
national parks
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
, etc., even
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
s.
The township-level administrative division (the lowest level division) includes townships,
towns
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
,
subdistricts,
ethnic townships, and
sums.
Some
county-level administrative districts that govern towns and villages will also be defined as a similar to township unit, as in the case of the
Jiaozishan Tourism Development Zone and Industrial Park of
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 ...
.
References
External links
Citypopulation.de: Population by township in China
{{Authority control
01
Administrative divisions of China
Populated places in China
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 ...
Townships, China