Provinces of China

Provinces (Template:Lang-zh) are the most numerous type of province-level divisions in the People's Republic of China (PRC). There are currently 22 provinces administered by the PRC and one province that is claimed, but not administered, which is Taiwan, currently administered by the Republic of China (ROC).

The local governments of Chinese provinces consists of a Provincial People's Government headed by a governor that acts as the executive, a Provincial People's Congress with legislative powers, and a parallel provincial branch of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that elects a party secretary 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 governor. 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 to exercise its authority when not in session. The Provincial Party Secretary is the de facto most important position in the province.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

History

The first provinces were created in the Yuan dynasty, and have remained one of the most stable forms of Chinese government since then.Template:Sfn They were created to help the Imperial court manage local county governments, which were too numerous and far-flung to be managed directly.Template:Sfn The number of provinces grew steadily during subsequent dynasties, reaching 28 by the time of the Republic of China.Template:Sfn During the Warlord Era, 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.Template:Sfn Political boundaries are, in part, established to counterbalance the influence of economic factors. For instance, the Yangtze Delta is divided among the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui. This division ensures that economic strength is distributed, preventing any single region from potentially overpowering the state.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

List of provinces

GB/T 2260-2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	ISO<ref>ISO 3166-2:CN (ISO 3166-2 codes for the provinces of China)</ref>	Province	Chinese Hanyu Pinyin	Capital	Largest city	Population (2020)	Density (per km2)	Area (km2)	AbbreviationTemplate:Efn
HE	CN-HE	Hebei	Template:Lang Héběi Shěng	Shijiazhuang		74,610,235	393.08	189,809	Template:Lang Jì
SX	CN-SX	Shanxi	Template:Lang Shānxī Shěng	Taiyuan		34,915,616	222.80	156,713	Template:Lang Jìn
LN	CN-LN	Liaoning	Template:Lang Liáoníng Shěng	Shenyang		42,591,407	289.59	147,076	Template:Lang Liáo
JL	CN-JL	Jilin	Template:Lang Jílín Shěng	Changchun		24,073,453	126.51	190,282	Template:Lang Jí
HL	CN-HL	Heilongjiang	Template:Lang Hēilóngjiāng Shěng	Harbin		31,850,088	67.37	472,766	Template:Lang Hēi
JS	CN-JS	Jiangsu	Template:Lang Jiāngsū Shěng	Nanjing	Suzhou	84,748,016	847.91	99,949	Template:Lang Sū
ZJ	CN-ZJ	Zhejiang	Template:Lang Zhèjiāng Shěng	Hangzhou		64,567,588	615.67	104,873	Template:Lang Zhè
AH	CN-AH	Anhui	Template:Lang Ānhuī Shěng	Hefei		61,027,171	436.29	139,879	Template:Lang Wǎn
FJ	CN-FJ	FujianTemplate:Efn	Template:Lang Fújiàn Shěng	Fuzhou	Quanzhou	41,540,086	335.66	123,756	Template:Lang Mǐn
JX	CN-JX	Jiangxi	Template:Lang Jiāngxī Shěng	Nanchang	Ganzhou	45,188,635	270.69	166,939	Template:Lang Gàn
SD	CN-SD	Shandong	Template:Lang Shāndōng Shěng	Jinan	Linyi	101,527,453	643.78	157,704	Template:Lang Lǔ
HA	CN-HA	Henan	Template:Lang Hénán Shěng	Zhengzhou		99,365,519	600.52	165,467	Template:Lang Yù
HB	CN-HB	Hubei	Template:Lang Húběi Shěng	Wuhan		57,752,557	310.87	185,776	Template:Lang È
HN	CN-HN	Hunan	Template:Lang Húnán Shěng	Changsha		66,444,864	313.65	211,842	Template:Lang Xiāng
GD	CN-GD	GuangdongTemplate:Efn	Template:Lang Guǎngdōng Shěng	Guangzhou		126,012,510	700.02	180,013	Template:Lang Yuè
HI	CN-HI	HainanTemplate:Efn	Template:Lang Hǎinán Shěng	Haikou		10,081,232	294.27	34,259	Template:Lang Qióng
SC	CN-SC	Sichuan	Template:Lang Sìchuān Shěng	Chengdu		83,674,866	174.93	484,056	Template:Lang Chuān (Shǔ)
GZ	CN-GZ	Guizhou	Template:Lang Guìzhōu Shěng	Guiyang	Zunyi	38,562,148	218.93	176,140	Template:Lang Guì (Qián)
YN	CN-YN	Yunnan	Template:Lang Yúnnán Shěng	Kunming		47,209,277	123.20	383,195	Template:Lang Yún (Diān)
SN	CN-SN	Shaanxi	Template:Lang Shǎnxī Shěng	Xi'an		39,528,999	192.24	205,624	Template:Lang Shǎn (Qín)
GS	CN-GS	Gansu	Template:Lang Gānsù Shěng	Lanzhou		25,019,831	54.70	457,382	Template:Lang Gān (Lǒng)
QH	CN-QH	Qinghai	Template:Lang Qīnghǎi Shěng	Xining		5,923,957	8.58	720 000	Template:Lang Qīng
TW	CN-TWTemplate:Efn	TaiwanTemplate:Efn	Template:Lang Táiwān Shěng	Taipei	New Taipei City	23,162,123	650.97	36,161	Template:Lang Tái

See also

• Federalism in China
• Administrative divisions of China
• List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP
• List of Chinese administrative divisions by population
• List of current Chinese provincial leaders
• Regional discrimination in China
• Tiao-kuai
• Yangtze Delta
• Zhou (administrative division)
• Special administrative region (People's Republic of China)

Bibliography

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External links

• Interactive Dbresearch.com: WebMap Template:Webarchive — with economic indicators for all Chinese Provinces.

Template:Articles on first-level administrative divisions of Asian countries Template:China topics {{#invoke:navbox|navbox |name = Province-level divisions of China |title = {{#if: | {{{title}}} | [[ {{#if: |{{#if: | |the}} }} Province-level divisions of China|Provincial-level divisions of China]] }} |state = autocollapse |navbar = Tnavbar |listclass = hlist |image = File:China blank province map.svg

|group1 = Provinces |list1 =

• Anhui
• Fujian
• Gansu
• Guangdong
• Guizhou
• Hainan
• Hebei
• Heilongjiang
• Henan
• Hubei
• Hunan
• Jiangsu
• Jiangxi
• Jilin
• Liaoning
• Qinghai
• Shaanxi
• Shandong
• Shanxi
• Sichuan
• Yunnan
• Zhejiang

|group2 = Autonomous regions |list2 =

• Guangxi
• Inner Mongolia
• Ningxia
• Tibet
• Xinjiang

|group3 = Direct-administered municipalities |list3 =

• Beijing
• Chongqing
• Shanghai
• Tianjin

|group4 = Special administrative regions |list4 =

• Hong Kong
• Macau

|group5 = Disputed province |list5 =

• TaiwanTemplate:Sup

|belowstyle = |below = Template:Sup Taiwan is claimed by the People's Republic of China but administered by the Republic of China (see political status of Taiwan). }}