History of the political divisions of China - China History

March 8, 2014


		1 Introduction 2 Ancient times 3 Republic of China 4 People's Republic of China 5 See also 6 External link

China China History

History of the political divisions of China

Wikipedia

This article talks about the history of the political divisions of China.

**Summary of major Chinese historical administrative divisions**
Syllables¹ !! rowspan="2"\|Created !! rowspan="2"\|Abolished
Syllables¹ !! rowspan="2"\|Created !! rowspan="2"\|Abolished	! Simplified Chinese\|S!!pinyin
郡	郡	j?n	commandery	before 106 BC: 1st after 106 BC: 2nd	usually 1 or 2	221 BC	Tang Dynasty
縣	县	xi?n	ancient: prefecture or district modern: county of China\|county	ancient: lowest modern: 3rd	usually 1 or 2	221 BC	still exist
州	州	zhou (political division)\|zhōu	before 627: province after 627: prefecture	before 627: 1st after 627: 2nd to 3rd	usually 1, rarely 2	106 BC	1911
道	道	d?o²	Circuit (political division)\|circuit	before Yuan Dynasty: 1st after Yuan Dynasty: 2nd	usually 2 or 3, never 1	627	Republic of China
省	省	shěng	Province of China\|province	1st	usually 2, never 1	Yuan Dynasty	still exist
市	市	sh?	1st level: Municipality of China\|municipality 2nd level: prefecture-level city 3rd level: county-level city	1st to 3rd	usually 2, never 1	Republic of China	still exist

¹ Syllables play an important role in Chinese grammar. Most of the above political divisions can only be given names of a certain number of syllables.

² Circuits were renamed 路 (pinyin: l?) during the Song Dynasty.

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Ancient times

Before the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, China was ruled by a network of kings, nobles, and tribes. The rivalry of these groups culminated in the Warring States Period, and the state of Qin eventually emerged dominant.

After the state of Qin managed to subdue the rest of China under a unified Qin Dynasty in 221 BC, it was determined not to allow China to fall back into disunity. It therefore designed, based upon existing systems, the first administrative hierarchy in China, with just two levels:

Commandery|Commanderies (郡 j?n)

County of China|Counties (縣 xi?n) (also translated as "districts" or "prefectures")

All of China was divided into commanderies and counties, which were centrally ruled and tightly controlled. Nevertheless this failed to prevent the collapse of the Qin Dynasty in 206 BC. The Han Dynasty that followed inherited the system with minor modifications. After the Rebellion of the seven states the system was stabilized to be:

Zhou (political division)|Provinces (州 zhōu)

Commandery|Commanderies (郡 j?n)

County of China|Counties (縣 xi?n) (also translated as "prefectures" or "districts")

Throughout the Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms period and the Western Jin Dynasty, this system was kept intact.

**Provinces of China under the early Western Jin Dynasty**
Traditional Chinese\|Traditional<br>Chinese !! rowspan="2"\| Pinyin !!colspan="2"\| Capital !! rowspan="2"\| Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
! Modern location
Bingzhou Province\|Bingzhou<sup>1</sup>	幷州	Bīngzhōu	Jinyang	southwest of Taiyuan	Shanxi
Guangzhou Province\|Guangzhou	廣州	Guǎngzhōu	Panyu	Guangzhou	Guangdong, eastern Guangxi
Jiaozhou Province\|Jiaozhou<sup>1</sup>	交州	Jiāozhōu	Longbian	East of Hanoi	northern Vietnam
Jingzhou Province\|Jingzhou<sup>1</sup>	荊州	Jīngzhōu	colspan="2"\|Jiangling	Hubei, Hunan
Jizhou Province\|Jizhou<sup>1</sup>	冀州	J?zhōu	Xindu	Jixian, Hebei	southern Hebei
Liangzhou Province (Gansu)\|Liangzhou<sup>1</sup>	涼州	Li?ngzhōu	Guzang	Wuwei	western Gansu
Liangzhou Province (Hanzhong)\|Liangzhou	梁州	Li?ngzhōu	Nanzheng	Hanzhong	southern Shaanxi, eastern Sichuan, Chongqing
Ningzhou Province\|Ningzhou	寧州	N?ngzhōu	Dianchi	southeast of Kunming	Yunnan
Pingzhou Province\|Pingzhou	平州	P?ngzhōu	Xiangping	Liaoyang	Liaoning, northern Korea
Qingzhou Province\|Qingzhou<sup>1</sup>	青州	Qīngzhōu	Linzi	east of Zibo	eastern Shandong
Qinzhou Province\|Qinzhou	秦州	Q?nzhōu	Jixian	east of Gangu	southern Gansu
Sizhou Province\|Sizhou	司州	Sīzhōu	colspan="2"\|Luoyang	central Henan, southern Shanxi
Xuzhou Province\|Xuzhou<sup>1</sup>	徐州	X?zhōu	Pengcheng	Xuzhou	northern Jiangsu
Yangzhou Province\|Yangzhou<sup>1</sup>	揚州	Y?ngzhōu	Jianye	Nanjing	southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai
Yanzhou Province\|Yanzhou<sup>1</sup>	兗州	Yǎnzhōu	Linqiu	northwest of Yuncheng, Shandong	western Shandong
Yizhou Province\|Yizhou<sup>1</sup>	益州	Y?zhōu	colspan="2"\|Chengdu	central Sichuan, Guizhou
Yongzhou Province\|Yongzhou<sup>1</sup>	雍州	Yōngzhōu	Chang'an	northwest of Xi'an	central Shaanxi
Youzhou Province\|Youzhou<sup>1</sup>	幽州	Yōuzhōu	colspan="2"\|Zhuoxian	northern Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin
Yuzhou Province\|Yuzhou<sup>1</sup>	豫州	Y?zhōu	Chenxian	Huaiyang	southern Henan, northern Anhui

1 — One of the original 13 provinces of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Since then, Ping was split out of You, Qin out of Liang (凉), Liang(梁) and Ning out of Yi, and Guang out of Jiao. Si was never part of any other zhou until its creation.

This changed, however, with the invasion of tribes from the north, who disrupted the unity of China and set up a variety of governments. By the time unity was finally reestablished by the Sui Dynasty, the provinces had been divided and redivided so many times by different governments that they were almost the same size as commanderies, rendering either one of the two tiers completely superfluous. As such, the Sui Dynasty merged these two levels together. This new merged level is translated as "prefectures" into English. In Chinese this name was changed between zhou and jun (the two merged levels) several times before being finally settled on zhou.

The Tang Dynasty set up circuit (political division)|circuits as an additional level of administration on top. Hence:

Circuit (political division)|Circuits (道 d?o)

Zhou (political division)|Prefectures (larger: 府 fǔ; regular: 州 zhōu)

County of China|Counties (縣 xi?n) (also translated as "districts")

**Circuits of China under the early Tang Dynasty**
Traditional Chinese\|Traditional<br>Chinese !! rowspan="2"\| Pinyin !!colspan="2"\| Capital !! rowspan="2"\| Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
! Modern location
Duji Circuit\|Duji	都畿	Dūjī	Henan Fu	Luoyang	Luoyang and environs
Guannei Circuit\|Guannei	關内	Guānn?i	Jingzhao Fu	Xi'an	northern Shaanxi, central Inner Mongolia, Ningxia
Hebei Circuit\|Hebei	河北	H?běi	Weizhou	Wei County, Hebei\|Wei County, Hebei	Hebei
Hedong Circuit\|Hedong	河東	H?dōng	Puzhou	Puzhou, Yongji, Shanxi\|Yongji, Shanxi	Shanxi
Henan Circuit\|Henan	河南	H?n?n	Bianzhou	Kaifeng	Henan, Shandong, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui
Huainan Circuit\|Huainan	淮南	Hu?in?n	colspan="2"\|Yangzhou	central Jiangsu, central Anhui
Jiannan Circuit\|Jiannan	劍南	Ji?nn?n	Yizhou	Chengdu	central Sichuan, central Yunnan
Jiangnandong Circuit (Tang Dynasty)\|Jiangnandong	江南東	Jiāngn?ndōng	colspan="2"\|Suzhou	southern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai
Jiangnanxi Circuit (Tang Dynasty)\|Jiangnanxi	江南西	Jiāngn?nxī	Hongzhou	Nanchang	Jiangxi, Hunan, southern Anhui, southern Hubei
Jingji Circuit (Tang Dynasty)\|Jingji	京畿	Jīngjī	Jingzhao Fu	Xi'an	Xi'an and environs
Lingnan Circuit\|Lingnan	嶺南	Lǐngn?n	colspan="2"\|Guangzhou	Guangdong, eastern Guangxi, northern Vietnam
Longyou Circuit\|Longyou	隴右	Lǒngyou	Shanzhou	Ledu County, Qinghai	Gansu
Qianzhong Circuit\|Qianzhong	黔中	Qi?nzhōng	Qianzhou	Pengshui	Guizhou, western Hunan
Shannandong Circuit\|Shannandong	山南東	Shānn?ndōng	Xiangzhou	Xiangfan	southern Henan, Hubei
Shannanxi Circuit\|Shannanxi	山南西	Shānn?nxī	Liangzhou	Hanzhong	southern Shanxi, eastern Sichuan, Chongqing

The Tang Dynasty also created jiedushi, who were military governors governing frontier areas susceptible to foreign attack. The Jiedushi system was eventually generalized to other parts of the country as well, and in effect merged with the circuit (political division)|circuits; these would become a source of rebellion and warlordism, eventually resulting in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Song Dynasty that emerged out of this crisis abolished jiedushi, and named its first-level division lu, which is also translated as "circuits":

Circuit (political division)|Circuits (路 l?)

Zhou (political division)|Prefectures (larger: 府 fǔ; regular: 州 zhōu; military: 軍 jūn)

County of China|Counties (縣 xi?n) (also translated as "districts")

**Circuits of China under the Northern Song Dynasty**
Traditional Chinese\|Traditional<br>Chinese !! rowspan="2"\| Pinyin !!colspan="2"\| Capital !! rowspan="2"\| Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
! Modern location
Chengdufu Circuit\|Chengdufu	成都府	Ch?ngdūfǔ	colspan="2"\|Chengdu	central Sichuan
Fujian Circuit\|Fujian	福建	F?ji?n	colspan="2"\|Fuzhou	Fujian
Guangnandong Circuit\|Guangnandong	廣南東	Guǎngn?ndōng	colspan="2"\|Guangzhou	eastern Guangdong
Guangnanxi Circuit\|Guangnanxi	廣南西	Guǎngn?nxī	Guizhou	Guilin	western Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan
Hebeidong Circuit\|Hebeidong	河北東	H?běidōng	Beijing	Daming County, Hebei	eastern Hebei
Hebeixi Circuit\|Hebeixi	河北西	H?běixī	Zhending	Zhengding County, Hebei	western Hebei
Hedong Circuit\|Hedong	河東	H?dōng	colspan="2"\|Taiyuan	Shanxi
Huainandong Circuit\|Huainandong	淮南東	Hu?in?ndōng	colspan="2"\|Yangzhou	central Jiangsu
Huainanxi Circuit\|Huainanxi	淮南西	Hu?in?nxī	Shouzhou	Fengtai County, Anhui	central Anhui
Jiangnandong Circuit (Song Dynasty)\|Jiangnandong	江南東	Jiāngn?ndōng	Jiangning Fu	Nanjing	southern Anhui
Jiangnanxi Circuit (Song Dynasty)\|Jiangnanxi	江南西	Jiāngn?nxī	Hongzhou	Nanchang	Jiangxi
Jingdongdong Circuit\|Jingdongdong	京東東	Jīngdōngdōng	Qingzhou	Qingzhou, Shandong	eastern Shandong
Jingdongxi Circuit\|Jingdongxi	京東西	Jīngdōngxī	Nanjing	south of Shangqiu, Henan	western Shandong
Jinghubei Circuit\|Jinghubei	荊湖北	Jīngh?běi	colspan="2"\|Jiangling	Hubei, western Hunan
Jinghunan Circuit\|Jinghunan	荊湖南	Jīngh?n?n	Tanzhou	Changsha	Hunan
Jingji Circuit (Song Dynasty)\|Jingji	京畿	Jīngjī	Chenliu	Chenliu, Kaifeng, Henan	Kaifeng and environs
Jingxibei Circuit\|Jingxibei	京西北	Jīngxīběi	Xijing	Luoyang	central Henan
Jingxinan Circuit\|Jingxinan	京西南	Jīngxīn?n	Xiangzhou	Xiangfan	southern Henan, northern Hubei
Kuizhou Circuit\|Kuizhou	夔州	Ku?zhōu	Kuizhou	Fengjie County, Chongqing	Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, Guizhou
Liangzhe Circuit\|Liangzhe	兩浙	Liǎngzh?	colspan="2"\|Hangzhou	Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Shanghai
Lizhou Circuit\|Lizhou	利州	L?zhōu	Xingyuan	Hanzhong	northern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi
Qinfeng Circuit\|Qinfeng	秦鳳	Q?nf?ng	Qinzhou	Tianshui	southern Gansu
Yongxingjun Circuit\|Yongxingjun	永興軍	Yǒngxīngjūn	Jingzhao	Xi'an	Shaanxi
Zizhou Circuit\|Zizhou	梓州	Zǐzhōu	Zizhou	Santai County, Sichuan	central southern Sichuan

The Jurchens invaded China proper in the 12th century. In 1142 peace was formalized between the Jurchen Jinn Dynasty|Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, which was forced to cede all of North China to the Jurchens.

By the beginning of the 13th century, the Jurchens had moved their capital to Zhongdu (modern Beijing) and had adopted Chinese administrative structures. The Song Dynasty also maintained the same structure over the southern half of China that they continued to govern.

**Circuits of China under the late Jurchen Jinn Dynasty|Jin Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty**
Traditional Chinese\|Traditional<br>Chinese !! rowspan="2"\| Pinyin !!colspan="2"\| Capital !! rowspan="2"\| Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
! Modern location
colspan="6" align=center\|Jin Dynasty (North)
Beijing Circuit\|Beijing	北京	Běijīng	Beijing	Nincheng County, Inner Mongolia	eastern Manchuria
Damingfu Circuit\|Damingfu	大名府	D?m?ngfǔ	Daming Fu	Daming County, Hebei	border of Henan, Hebei, Shandong
Dongjing Circuit\|Dongjing	東京	Dōngjīng	Dongjing	Liaoyang	Liaoning
Fengxiang Circuit\|Fengxiang	鳳翔	F?ngxi?ng	Fengxiang Fu	Fengxiang County, Shaanxi	western Shaanxi, eastern Gansu
Fuyan Circuit\|Fuyan	鄜延	Fūy?n	colspan="2"\|Yan'an	northern Shaanxi
Hebeidong Circuit\|Hebeidong	河北東	H?běidōng	Hejian	Hejian, Hebei	eastern Hebei
Hebeixi Circuit\|Hebeixi	河北西	H?běixī	Zhending	Zhengding County, Hebei	western Hebei
Hedongbei Circuit\|Hedongbei	河東北	H?dōngběi	colspan="2"\|Taiyuan	northern Shanxi
Hedongnan Circuit\|Hedongnan	河東南	H?dōngn?n	Pingyang	Linfen	southern Shanxi
Jingzhaofu Circuit\|Jingzhaofu	京兆府	Jīngzh?ofǔ	Jingzhao Fu	Xi'an	central Shaanxi
Lintao Circuit\|Lintao	臨洮	L?nt?o	Lintao	Lintao County, Gansu	southern Gansu
Nanjing Circuit\|Nanjing	南京	N?njīng	Nanjing	Kaifeng	Henan, northern Anhui
Qingyuan Circuit\|Qingyuan	慶原	Q?ngyu?n	colspan="2"\|Qingyang	eastern Gansu
Shandongdong Circuit\|Shandongdong	山東東	Shāndōngdōng	Yidu Fu	Qingzhou, Shandong	eastern Shandong
Shandongxi Circuit\|Shandongxi	山東西	Shāndōngxī	Dongping Fu	Dongping County, Shandong	western Shandong
Shangjing Circuit\|Shangjing	上京	Sh?ngjīng	Shangjing	Acheng, Heilongjiang	northern Manchuria
Xianping Circuit\|Xianping	咸平	Xi?np?ng	Xianping Fu	Kaiyuan, Liaoning	northern Liaoning
Xijing Circuit\|Xijing	西京	Xījīng	Xijing	Datong	northern Shanxi, central Inner Mongolia
Zhongdu Circuit\|Zhongdu	中都	Zhōngdū	Zhongdu	Beijing	northern Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin
colspan="6" align=center\|Song Dynasty (South)
Chengdufu Circuit\|Chengdufu	成都府	Ch?ngdūfǔ	colspan="2"\|Chengdu	central Sichuan
Fujian Circuit\|Fujian	福建	F?ji?n	colspan="2"\|Fuzhou	Fujian
Guangnandong Circuit\|Guangnandong	廣南東	Guǎngn?ndōng	colspan="2"\|Guangzhou	eastern Guangdong
Guangnanxi Circuit\|Guangnanxi	廣南西	Guǎngn?nxī	Jingjiang Fu	Guilin	western Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan
Huainandong Circuit\|Huainandong	淮南東	Hu?in?ndōng	colspan="2"\|Yangzhou	central Jiangsu
Huainanxi Circuit\|Huainanxi	淮南西	Hu?in?nxī	Luzhou	Hefei	central Anhui
Jiangnandong Circuit (Song Dynasty)\|Jiangnandong	江南東	Jiāngn?ndōng	Jiangning Fu	Nanjing	southern Anhui
Jiangnanxi Circuit (Song Dynasty)\|Jiangnanxi	江南西	Jiāngn?nxī	Longxing Fu	Nanchang	Jiangxi
Jinghubei Circuit\|Jinghubei	荊湖北	Jīngh?běi	colspan="2"\|Jiangling	Hubei, western Hunan
Jinghunan Circuit\|Jinghunan	荊湖南	Jīngh?n?n	Tanzhou	Changsha	Hunan
Jingxinan Circuit\|Jingxinan	京西南	Jīngxīn?n	Xiangyang Fu	Xiangfan	southern Henan, northern Hubei
Kuizhou Circuit\|Kuizhou	夔州	Ku?zhōu	Kuizhou	Fengjie County, Chongqing	Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, Guizhou
Liangzhedong Circuit\|Liangzhedong	兩浙東	Liǎngzh?dōng	colspan="2"\|Shaoxing	central and southern Zhejiang
Liangzhexi Circuit\|Liangzhexi	兩浙西	Liǎngzh?xī	colspan="2"\|Hangzhou	northern Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Shanghai
Lizhoudong Circuit\|Lizhoudong	利州東	L?zhōudōng	Xingyuan	Hanzhong	northern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi
Lizhouxi Circuit\|Lizhouxi	利州西	L?zhōuxī	Mianzhou	Lueyang, Shaanxi	northern Sichuan, southern Gansu
Tongchuanfu Circuit\|Tongchuanfu	潼川府	T?ngchuānfǔ	colspan="2"\|Luzhou	central southern Sichuan

The Mongols, who succeeded in subjugating all of China under the Yuan Dynasty in 1279, introduced the precursors to the modern provinces as a new level at the top:

Province of China|Provinces (行中書省 x?ngzhōngshūshěng)

Circuit (political division)|Circuits (道 d?o)

Zhou (political division)|Prefectures (larger: 府 fǔ; regular: 州 zhōu)

County of China|Counties (縣 xi?n) (also translated as "districts")

**Provinces of China under the Mongol Yuan Dynasty**
Traditional Chinese\|Traditional<br>Chinese !! rowspan="2"\| Pinyin !!colspan="2"\| Capital !! rowspan="2"\| Approximant extent in terms of modern locations
! Modern location
Gansu	甘肅	Gāns?	Ganzhou	Zhangye	Gansu, Ningxia
Huguang	湖廣	Huguǎng	colspan="2"\|Wuchang	Hunan, western Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan
Henanjiangbei	河南江北	H?n?njiāngběi	Bianliang	Kaifeng	Henan, northern Hubei, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui
Jiangxi	江西	Jiāngxī	Longxing	Nanchang	Jiangxi, eastern Guangdong
Jiangzhe	江浙	Jiāngzh?	colspan="2"\|Hangzhou	Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Fujian
Liaoyang Province\|Liaoyang	遼陽	Li?oy?ng	colspan="2"\|Liaoyang	Manchuria
Lingbei	嶺北	Lǐngběi	Helin	Harhorin (Karakorum)	Mongolia
Shaanxi	陝西	Shǎnxi	Fengyuan	Xi'an	Shaanxi
Sichuan	四川	S?chuān	colspan="2"\|Chengdu	eastern and central Sichuan
Yunnan	雲南	Y?nn?n	Zhongqing	Kunming	Yunnan

The area around the capital, corresponding to modern Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, central Inner Mongolia, Beijing, and Tianjin, was not put into any province.

The Ming Dynasty continued with this system, and had provinces that were almost exactly the same as those in modern China proper. The differences were: Huguang had not yet been split into Hubei and Hunan; Gansu and Ningxia were still part of Shaanxi; Anhui and Jiangsu were together as Nanzhili; Hebei was Beizhili. (PRC-established Hainan and Chongqing were of course part of their original provinces at this time.) This makes for a total of 15 provinces.

In 1644 China fell to the Manchus, who established rule over China as the Qing Dynasty. The Manchus applied the following system over China proper:

Province of China|Provinces (省 shěng)

Circuit (political division)|Circuits (道 d?o)

Zhou (political division)|Prefectures (府 fǔ), Zhou (political division)|Independent departments (直隸州 zh?l?zhōu), Independent subprefectures (直隸廳 zh?l?tīng)

County of China|Counties (縣 xi?n) (also translated as "districts"), Zhou (political division)|Departments (散州 s?nzhōu), Subprefectures (散廳 s?ntīng)

The Manchus split Shaanxi into Shaanxi and Gansu, Huguang into Hubei and Hunan, and Nanzhili into Jiangsu and Anhui. Hebei was now called Beizhili. These provinces are now nearly identical to modern ones. Collectively they are called the "eighteen provinces", a concept that endured for several centuries as synonymous to China proper.

This system applied only to China proper, with the rest of the empire under differently systems. Manchuria, Xinjiang, and Outer Mongolia were ruled by military generals. Inner Mongolia was organized under League (Inner Mongolia)|leagues, and Tibet and Qinghai were overseen by commissioners.

Near the end of the dynasty, Manchuria was reorganized into 3 more provinces, and Xinjiang and Taiwan were both set up as provinces, bringing the total to 23. (Taiwan was however ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Maguan, bringing the total back down to 22.)

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Republic of China

The Republic of China streamlined the system down to three levels:

Province of China|Provinces (省 shěng)

Circuit (political division)|Circuits (道 d?o)

County of China|Counties (縣 xi?n)

Circuits were soon abolished as being superfluous.

The Republic of China set up 4 more provinces out of Inner Mongolia and 2 more provinces out of parts of historical Tibet (except for U Tsang), bringing the total number of provinces up to 28. The Republic of China also began the setting up of Municipalities of China|municipalities, or cities directly administered by the government. Circuits were sooned abolished, and more levels began to be added below the county: township of China|townships, for instance.

The creation of the puppet state of Manchukuo by Japan in the 1930s deprived China of 4 provinces in the northeast. After the defeat of Japan in 1945, Manchuria was reincorporated into China as 9 provinces. Taiwan and the Pescadores was also returned to China and was organized into Taiwan Province. By this time there was a total of 12 municipalities under the Republic of China.
Image:&-20013;&-33775;&-27665;&-22283;&-20840;&-22294;.jpg|thumb|250px|Maps of the official borders of the Republic of China include mainland China and Mongolia
After the Republic of China lost mainland China in 1949, it was restricted to only Taiwan, the Pescadores, and a few offshore islands of Fujian province. Since then two more municipalities have been set up in Taiwan. In the meantime, the Republic of China has not recognized any of the changes made to the administrative structure of the mainland, and has never officially retracted its claim to mainland China (including Tibet) and Outer Mongolia. Many maps produced in Taiwan still show the 1949 border along with changes made to Taiwan post-1949.

All in all, the Republic of China officially claims a total of 35 provinces, 14 municipalities, 1 special administrative region and 2 regions in all of China. However, these claims are now mostly ignored and the provincial administrations of Taiwan and Fukien provinces have been largely streamlined in favor of lower levels, namely counties and provincial cities. (See political divisions of the Republic of China)

**Province-level divisions of China as claimed by the Republic of China**
! Chinese (Traditional Chinese\|T) !! pinyin !! Abbreviation !! Capital
colspan="5" align="center"\|Provinces
Andong	安東	Āndōng		Tonghua
Anhui	安徽	Ānhuī	皖 wǎn	Hefei
Chahar (province)\|Chahar	察哈爾	Ch?hā'ěr	察 ch?	Zhangjiakou
Fujian	福建	F?ji?n	閩 mǐn	Fuzhou
Gansu	甘肅	Gāns?	甘 gān or 隴 lǒng	Lanzhou
Guangdong	廣東	Guǎngdōng	粵 yu?	Guangzhou
Guangxi	廣西	Guǎngxī	桂 gu?	Guilin
Guizhou	貴州	Gu?zhōu	黔 qi?n or 貴 gu?	Guiyang
Hebei	河北	H?běi	冀 j?	Qingyuan (Baoding)
Heilongjiang	黑龍江	Hēil?ngjiāng	黑 hēi	Bei'an
Hejiang	合江	H?jiāng		Jiamusi
Henan	河南	H?n?n	豫 y?	Kaifeng
Hubei	湖北	H?běi	鄂 ?	Wuchang
Hunan	湖南	H?n?n	湘 xiāng	Changsha
Jiangsu	江蘇	Jiāngsū	蘇 sū	Zhenjiang
Jiangxi	江西	Jiāngxī	贛 g?n	Nanchang
Jilin	吉林	J?l?n	吉 j?	Jilin City\|Jilin
Liaobei	遼北	Li?oběi		Liaoyuan
Liaoning	遼寧	Li?on?ng	遼 li?o	Shenyang
Ningxia	寧夏	N?ngxi?	寧 n?ng	Yinchuan
Nenjiang (province)\|Nenjiang	嫩江	N?njiāng		Qiqihar
Qinghai	青海	Qīnghǎi	青 qīng	Xining
Rehe	熱河	R?h?	熱 r?	Chengde
Shaanxi	陝西	Shǎnxī	陝 shǎn or 秦 q?n	Xi'an
Shandong	山東	Shāndōng	魯 lǔ	Jinan
Shanxi	山西	Shānxī	晉 j?n	Taiyuan
Sichuan	四川	S?chuān	川 chuān or 蜀 shǔ	Chengdu
Songjiang	松江	Sōngjiāng		Mudanjiang
Suiyuan	綏遠	Su?yuǎn	綏 su?	Guisui (Hohhot)
Taiwan Province\|Taiwan	臺灣	T?iwān	臺 t?i	Jhongsing Village<sup>1</sup>
Xikang	西康	Xīkāng	康 kāng	Kangding
Xing'an (province)\|Xing'an	興安	Xīng'ān		Hailar (Hulunbuir)
Xinjiang	新疆	Xīnjiāng	疆 jiāng	Dihua (Urumqi)
Yunnan	雲南	Y?nn?n	滇 diān or 雲 y?n	Kunming
Zhejiang	浙江	Zh?jiāng	浙 zh?	Hangzhou
colspan="5" align="center"\|Special administrative region
Hainan	海南	Hǎin?n	瓊 qi?ng	Haikou
colspan="5" align="center"\|Regions (地方 D?fāng)
Outer Mongolia	蒙古	Měnggǔ	蒙 měng	Kulun (Ulaanbaatar)
Tibet	西藏	Xīz?ng	藏 z?ng	Lhasa
colspan="5" align="center"\|Municipalities
Beiping (Beijing)	北平	Běip?ng	平 p?ng
Chongqing	重慶	Ch?ngq?ng	渝 y?
Dalian	大連	D?li?n
Guangzhou	廣州	Guǎngzhōu	穗 su?
Hankou	漢口	H?nkǒu	漢 h?n
Harbin	哈爾濱	Hā'ěrbīn
Kaohsiung\|Kaohsiung City<sup>2</sup>	高雄	Gāoxi?ng	高 gāo
Nanjing	南京	N?njīng	京 jīng
Qingdao	青島	Qīngdǎo
Shanghai	上海	Sh?nghǎi	滬 h?
Shenyang	瀋陽	Shěny?ng	瀋 shěn
Taipei\|Taipei City <sup>2</sup>	台北	T?iběi	北 běi
Tianjin	天津	Tiānjīn	津 jīn
Xi'an	西安	Xī'ān

1 — The capital of Taiwan Province was moved to Jhongsing Village from Taipei in the 1960s. 
2 — Taipei and Kaohsiung were elevated in 1967 and 1979, respectively, after the ROC government had moved to Taiwan in 1949.

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People's Republic of China

The Communist Party of China|communist forces initially held parts of Manchuria and northern China at the start of the Chinese civil war. By late 1949, they controlled the majority of mainland China, forcing the Republic of China to relocate to Taiwan.

The People's Republic made the following changes:

China was divided into 6 greater administrative areas that came above provinces.

Manchuria was reorganized completely.

Inner Mongolia was formed out of parts of Manchuria as the first autonomous region.

The short-lived province of Pingyuan was set up.

Jiangsu was temporarily divided into two administrative regions: Subei and Sunnan.

Anhui was temporarily divided into two administrative regions: Wanbei and Wannan.

Sichuan was temporarily divided into four administrative regions: Chuandong, Chuannan, Chuanxi and Chuanbei.

The general situation as of 1951 was as follows:

**Province-level divisions of China of the People's Republic of China, 1951**
! Traditional Chinese\|Traditional<br>Chinese !! Pinyin !! Abbreviation !! Capital !! Greater administrative area
colspan="6" align="center"\|Provinces
Chahar (province)\|Chahar	察哈爾	Ch?hā'ěr	察 ch?	Zhangjiakou	North
Fujian	福建	F?ji?n	閩 mǐn	Fuzhou	East
Gansu	甘肅	Gāns?	甘 gān or 隴 lǒng	Lanzhou	Northwest
Guangdong	廣東	Guǎngdōng	粵 yu?	Guangzhou	Central & South
Guangxi	廣西	Guǎngxī	桂 gu?	Nanning	Central & South
Guizhou	貴州	Gu?zhōu	黔 qi?n or 貴 gu?	Guiyang	Southwest
Hebei	河北	H?běi	冀 j?	Baoding	North
Heilongjiang	黑龍江	Hēil?ngjiāng	黑 hēi	Qiqihar	Northeast
Henan	河南	H?n?n	豫 y?	Kaifeng	Central & South
Hubei	湖北	H?běi	鄂 ?	Wuhan	Central & South
Hunan	湖南	H?n?n	湘 xiāng	Changsha	Central & South
Jiangxi	江西	Jiāngxī	贛 g?n	Nanchang	East
Jilin	吉林	J?l?n	吉 j?	Jilin City\|Jilin	Northeast
Liaodong	遼東	Li?odōng		Andong (Dandong)	Northeast
Liaoxi	遼西	Li?oxī		Jinzhou	Northeast
Ningxia	寧夏	N?ngxi?	寧 n?ng	Yinchuan	Northwest
Pingyuan	平原	P?ngyu?n		Xinxiang	North
Qinghai	青海	Qīnghǎi	青 qīng	Xining	Northwest
Rehe	熱河	R?h?	熱 r?	Chengde	Northeast
Shaanxi	陝西	Shǎnxī	陝 shǎn or 秦 q?n	Xi'an	Northwest
Shandong	山東	Shāndōng	魯 lǔ	Jinan	East
Shanxi	山西	Shānxī	晉 j?n	Taiyuan	North
Songjiang	松江	Sōngjiāng		Harbin	Northeast
Suiyuan	綏遠	Su?yuǎn	綏 su?	Guisui (Hohhot)	North
Xikang	西康	Xīkāng	康 kāng	Ya'an	Southwest
Xinjiang	新疆	Xīnjiāng	疆 jiāng	Urumqi	Northwest
Yunnan	雲南	Y?nn?n	滇 diān or 雲 y?n	Kunming	Southwest
Zhejiang	浙江	Zh?jiāng	浙 zh?	Hangzhou	East
colspan="6" align="center"\|Administrative territories (行署區 X?ngshǔqū)
Chuanbei	川北	Chuānběi		Nanchong	Southwest
Chuandong	川東	Chuāndōng		Chongqing	Southwest
Chuannan	川南	Chuānn?n		Luzhou	Southwest
Chuanxi	川西	Chuānxī			Chengdu	Southwest
Subei	蘇北	Sūběi		Yangzhou	East
Sunan	蘇南	Sūn?n		Wuxi	East
Wanbei	皖北	Wǎnběi		Hefei	East
Wannan	皖南	Wǎnn?n		Wuhu	East
colspan="6" align="center"\|Autonomous region
Inner Mongolia	内蒙古	N?i Měnggǔ		Guisui (Hohhot)	none
colspan="6" align="center"\|Region (地方 D?fāng)
Tibet	西藏	Xīz?ng	藏 z?ng	Lhasa	Southwest
colspan="6" align="center"\|Territory (地區 D?qū)
Qamdo	昌都	Chāngdū	昌 chāng	Qamdo	Southwest
colspan="6" align="center"\|Municipality of China\|Municipalities
Anshan	鞍山	Ānshān			Northeast
Beijing	北京	Běijīng	京 jīng		North
Benxi	本溪	Běnxī			Northeast
Chongqing	重慶	Ch?ngq?ng	渝 y?		Southwest
Dalian	大連	D?li?n			Northeast
Fushun	撫順	Fǔsh?n			Northeast
Guangzhou	廣州	Guǎngzhōu	穗 su?		Central & South
Nanjing	南京	N?njīng			East
Shanghai	上海	Sh?nghǎi	滬 h?		East
Shenyang	瀋陽	Shěny?ng	瀋 shěn		Northeast
Tianjin	天津	Tiānjīn	津 jīn		North
Wuhan	武漢	Wǔh?n			Central & South
Xi'an	西安	Xī'ān			Northwest

Compare with the actual provinces of mainland China at Political divisions of China#Province.

Levels:

Greater administrative areas (大區 d?qū)

Province of China|Provinces (省 shěng)

Prefecture of China|Prefectures (專區 zhuānqū)

County of China|Counties (縣 xi?n)

District public offices (小區 xiǎoqū)

Townships (鄉 xiāng)

1950s

In 1952 the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Sichuan were restored. Pingyuan and Chahar were split into their surrounding provinces. Nanjing, old capital of the Republic of China, was deprived of municipality status and annexed by Jiangsu province. In 1953 Changchun and Harbin were elevated to municipality status.

In 1954 a massive campaign to cut the number of provincial-level divisions was initiated. Of the 14 municipality of China|municipalities existing in 1953, 11 were annexed by nearby provinces, with only Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin remaining. The province of Liaoning was formed out of the merger of Liaodong and Liaoxi, while Suiyuan and Ningxia disappeared into Inner Mongolia and Gansu.

The greater administrative area level was abolished in 1954.

The process continued in 1955 with Rehe being split among Hebei, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia, and Xikang disappearing into Sichuan. In that same year Xinjiang became the second autonomous region of China, and plans for a third, Tibet Autonomous Region, were initiated. Qamdo territory was put under the planned Tibet Autonomous Region.

In 1957 two more autonomous regions were added, Ningxia (split back out of Gansu) and Guangxi (which was previously a province). In 1958 Tianjin was annexed by Hebei, leaving only two municipalities, Beijing and Shanghai.

1960s and 1970s

In 1965 Tibet Autonomous Region was established out of the formerly self-governing Tibet region, plus Qamdo territory. In 1967 Tianjin was split back out as a municipality.

1980s and 1990s

Starting in the 1980s, prefecture-level cities and county-level cities began to appear in very large numbers, usually by replacing entire prefecture of China|prefectures and county of China|counties. Hainan was split out of Guangdong and set up as a province in 1988.

In 1997 Chongqing became the fourth municipality of China. In that same year Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule and became the first special administrative region. Macau became the second in 1999.

In the 1990s, there has been a campaign to abolish district public offices as a level. By 2004 very few remain.

In the meantime, most prefecture of China|prefectures have become prefecture-level cities.

Levels:

Province of China|Provinces (省 shěng)

Prefecture of China|Prefectures (地区 d?qū)

County of China|Counties (县 xi?n)

Townships (乡 xiāng)

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