# County-level divisions of China

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Third-level administrative divisions of China

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County-level division 县级行政区 Xiàn Jí Xíngzhèngqū China's Autonomous Regions and their Designated Ethnic Minority Category Third level administrative division of a unitary state Location China Number 2,842 county-level divisions including 172 in Taiwan Province[a] (as of 2023) Populations 6,567 (Zanda) – 14,047,625 (Pudong) Areas 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi) (Xisha) – 124,500 km2 (48,100 sq mi) (Golmud) Government Various, provincial government, central government Subdivisions Townships

Administrative divisions of China Province-level (1st) Municipalities Provinces Autonomous regions Special administrative regions Sub-provincial level Sub-provincial cities Sub-provincial autonomous prefectures Sub-provincial city districts Prefecture-level (2nd) Prefectural cities Leagues (Aimag) (abolishing) Prefectures (abolishing) Autonomous prefectures Sub-prefectural-level Sub-prefectural cities Provincial-controlled cities Provincial-controlled counties Provincial-controlled districts County level (3rd) Counties Autonomous counties County-level cities Districts Ethnic districts Banners (Hoxu) Autonomous banners Shennongjia Forestry District Liuzhi Special District Wolong Special Administrative Region Workers and peasants districts (obsolete) Analogous county level units Management areas Management committee Township level (4th) Townships Ethnic townships Towns Ethnic towns Subdistricts Sum Ethnic sum County-controlled districts County-controlled district bureaux (obsolete) Management committees Analogous township level units Management areas Management committee Areas Farms area (Overseas Chinese Farm Region [zh]), Prison area, University towns, etc. Village level (5th) (Grassroots Autonomous Organizations) Villages · Gaqa · Ranches Village Committees Communities Residential Committees Others Regions Capital cities New areas Autonomous administrative divisions National central cities Special Economic Zones History: before 1912, 1912–49, 1949–present Administrative division codes v t e

County-level divisions Simplified Chinese 县级行政区 Traditional Chinese 縣級行政區 Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiàn Jí Xíngzhèngqū

The [People's Republic of China](/source/China) (PRC) is divided into 2,854 **county-level divisions** which rank below [prefectures](/source/Prefecture-level_divisions_of_China)/[provinces](/source/Province-level_divisions_of_China) and above [townships](/source/Townships_of_China) as the third-level [administrative division](/source/Administrative_divisions_of_China) in the country. Of these, 2,842 are located in territory controlled by the PRC, while 172 are located in land controlled by the [Republic of China](/source/Taiwan) (ROC).[a]

There are six types of county-level divisions:

- 1,123 [districts](/source/District_(China)) (965 in [mainland China](/source/Mainland_China) and 158 in the claimed [Taiwan Province](/source/Taiwan_Province%2C_People's_Republic_of_China))[a]

- 411 [county-level cities](/source/County-level_city) (408 in mainland China and 3 in Taiwan)

- 1,319 [counties](/source/Counties_of_China) (1,307 in mainland China and 12 controlled by the Republic of China)

- 117 [autonomous counties and banners](/source/Autonomous_county)

- 1 [special district](/source/Liuzhi_Special_District)

- 1 [forestry district](/source/Shennongjia_Forestry_District)

## History

*Xian* have existed since the [Warring States period](/source/Warring_States_period) and were set up nationwide by the [Qin dynasty](/source/Qin_dynasty).[1][2] The number of counties in [China proper](/source/China_proper) gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As [Qin Shi Huang](/source/Qin_Shi_Huang) reorganized the counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under the Eastern [Han dynasty](/source/Han_dynasty), the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when the [Sui dynasty](/source/Sui_dynasty) abolished the [commandery](/source/Commandery_(China)) level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. The current number of [counties](/source/Counties) mostly resembled that of the later years of [Qing dynasty](/source/Qing_dynasty). Changes of location and names of counties in [Chinese history](/source/History_of_China) have been a major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of the imperial bureaucratic structure;[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] in other words, it was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of a county was the [magistrate](/source/County_magistrate), who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases.

## Types

### Counties

One of the most common types of county-level divisions, counties have been continuously in existence since the [Warring States period](/source/Warring_States_period), much earlier than any other level of government in China. *Xian* is often translated as "district" or "prefecture". The ruling [Chinese Communist Party](/source/Chinese_Communist_Party) (CCP) is central to directing government policy in mainland China, each level of administrative division has a local CCP committee. A county's CCP head is called the [secretary](/source/Chinese_Communist_Party_Committee_Secretary) (中共县委书记), the *de facto* highest office of the county. Policies are carried out via the [people's government](/source/Central_People's_Government) of the county, and its head is called the county governor (县长). The governor is often also one of the deputy secretaries in the CCP Committee.

### County-level cities

A county-level city is a "city" (市; *shì*) and "county" (县; *xiàn*) that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such, it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal entity, and a county, which is an administrative division of a prefecture. Most county-level cities were created in the 1980s and 1990s by replacing denser populated [counties](/source/Counties_of_China). Compared to counties, they have [judicial](/source/Judiciary) but no [legislative](/source/Legislature) rights over their own [local law](/source/Local_ordinance) and are usually governed by [prefecture-level divisions](/source/Administrative_divisions_of_China#Prefectural_level_(2nd)), but a few are governed directly by [province-level divisions](/source/Administrative_divisions_of_China#Provincial_level_(1st)).

Because county-level cities are not "[cities](/source/City)" in the strictest sense of the word, since they usually contain rural areas many times the size of their urban, built-up area. This is because the counties that county-level cities have replaced are themselves large administrative units containing [towns](/source/Towns_of_China), [villages](/source/Villages_of_China) and farmland. To distinguish a "county-level city" from its actual urban area (the traditional meaning of the word "city"), the term "市区" (shìqū) or "urban area", is used.

### Districts

District are subdivisions of a [municipality](/source/Direct-administered_municipalities_of_China) or a [prefecture-level city](/source/Prefecture-level_city). The rank of a district derives from the rank of its city. Districts of a municipality are [prefecture-level](/source/Prefectures_of_China); districts of a [sub-provincial city](/source/Sub-provincial_division) are sub-prefecture-level; and districts of a prefecture-level city are [county-level](/source/Counties_of_China). They were formerly the subdivisions of urban areas, consisting of built-up areas only. Recently many counties have become districts, so that districts are now often just like counties, with towns, villages, and farmland. After the 1980s, [prefectures](/source/Prefectures_of_China) began to be replaced with [prefecture-level cities](/source/Prefecture-level_city). From then on, "cities" in mainland China became just like any other administrative division, containing urban areas, towns, villages, and farmland. These cities are subdivided into districts, [counties](/source/County), [autonomous counties](/source/Autonomous_county), and [county-level cities](/source/County-level_city). At the same time, counties and county-level cities began to be replaced with districts, especially after 1990. From then onwards, districts were no longer strictly urban entities—some districts today are just like counties, with large [towns](/source/Towns_of_China) and [townships](/source/Townships_of_China) under them governing rural areas.

Other two specialty districts exists, with a special county-level forestry district located in [Hubei](/source/Hubei) province and a special county-level division located in [Guizhou](/source/Guizhou) province.

### Banners

Banners were first used during the [Qing dynasty](/source/Qing_dynasty), which organized the Mongols into banners, except those who belonged to the [Eight Banners](/source/Eight_Banners). Each banner had [sums](/source/Sum_(administrative_division)) as nominal subdivisions. In Inner Mongolia, several banners made up a [league](/source/Leagues_of_China). In the rest, including [Outer Mongolia](/source/Outer_Mongolia), northern [Xinjiang](/source/Xinjiang), and [Qinghai](/source/Qinghai), [Aimag](/source/Aimag) (Аймаг) was the largest administrative division. While it restricted the Mongols from crossing banner borders, the dynasty protected Mongolia from [population pressure](/source/Population_pressure) from [China proper](/source/China_proper). After the [Mongolian People's Revolution](/source/Mongolian_Revolution_of_1921), the banners of Outer Mongolia were abolished in 1923.[3] There are 52 in total, including 3 autonomous banners.[4]

### Autonomous counties

Autonomous counties are county-level [autonomous administrative divisions of China](/source/Autonomous_administrative_divisions_of_China). They are counties designated for a minority group.

### Ethnic districts

Ethnic districts are city districts that are specially created for [ethnic minorities](/source/Ethnic_minorities_in_China). Currently there are five such "ethnic districts": three in [Henan](/source/Henan), one in [Heilongjiang](/source/Heilongjiang), and one in [Inner Mongolia](/source/Inner_Mongolia).

## List

Main article: [List of counties of China](/source/List_of_counties_of_China)

Provincial level division(s) Counties County-level cities Districts Banners Autonomous counties Autonomous banners Ethnic districts Other Total Anhui 50 9 45 0 0 0 0 0 104 Beijing 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 16 Chongqing 8 0 26 0 4 0 0 0 38 Fujian 44[b] 13 29 0 0 0 0 0 86 Gansu 57 7 17 0 7 0 0 0 86 Guangdong 36 20 64 0 3 0 0 0 123 Guangxi 47 11 40 0 12 0 0 0 110 Guizhou 50 10 16 0 11 0 0 1[c] 88 Hainan 4 5 10 0 4 0 0 0 23 Hebei 93 20 48 0 6 0 0 0 167 Heilongjiang 45 21 53 0 1 0 1 0 121 Henan 83 22 50 0 6 0 3 0 158 Hubei 35 26 39 0 2 0 0 1[d] 103 Hunan 59 19 36 0 7 0 0 0 121 Inner Mongolia 17 11 22 49 0 3 1 0 103 Jiangsu 19 21 55 0 0 0 0 0 95 Jiangxi 61 11 27 0 0 0 0 0 99 Jilin 16 20 21 0 3 0 0 0 60 Liaoning 18 16 59 0 8 0 0 0 101 Ningxia 11 2 9 0 3 0 0 0 22 Qinghai 25 5 7 0 7 0 0 0 44 Shaanxi 70 7 30 0 0 0 0 0 107 Shandong 52 26 58 0 0 0 0 0 136 Shanghai 0 0 16[e] 0 0 0 0 0 16 Shanxi 80 11 26 0 0 0 0 0 117 Sichuan 106 19 54 0 4 0 0 0 183 Taiwan[a] 11 3 158[f] 0 0 0 0 0 172 Tianjin 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 16 Tibet 64 2 8 0 0 0 0 0 74 Xinjiang 61 27[g] 13 0 6 0 0 0 107 Yunnan 65 18 17 0 29 0 0 0 129 Zhejiang 32 20 37 0 1 0 0 0 90

## See also

- [Administrative divisions of China](/source/Administrative_divisions_of_China)

- [Counties of China](/source/Counties_of_China)

- [County-level city](/source/County-level_city)

- [District (China)](/source/District_(China))

- [Autonomous county](/source/Autonomous_county)

- [Counties of Taiwan](/source/Counties_of_Taiwan)

## Notes

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-TW_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-TW_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-TW_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-TW_1-3) As [Taiwan](/source/Geography_of_Taiwan) and [Penghu](/source/Penghu) are currently administered by the [Republic of China](/source/Taiwan), its [administrative divisions](/source/Administrative_divisions_of_the_Republic_of_China) differ from those in provinces administered by the [People's Republic of China](/source/China).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Kinmen](/source/Kinmen) and [Lienchiang County](/source/Matsu_Islands) are governed by the Republic of China as part of its [Fuchien Province](/source/Fuchien_Province%2C_Republic_of_China) and are claimed by the PRC.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Liuzhi Special District](/source/Liuzhi_Special_District)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Shennongjia Forestry District](/source/Shennongjia)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Including the [Pudong New Area](/source/Pudong_New_Area)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** There are 158 [districts](/source/District_(Taiwan)) claimed by the PRC and they are governed by the ROC's six [special municipalities](/source/Special_municipality_(Taiwan)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Ten of the county-level cities do not belong to any prefecture and are *de facto* administered by the [Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps](/source/Xinjiang_Production_and_Construction_Corps) (XPCC).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Hsu, Cho-yun (2012) [2006]. *China: A New Cultural History*. Translated by Baker, Timothy D. Jr.; Duke, Michael S. Columbia University Press. p. 102. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780231159203](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780231159203).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Goodman, David S.G., ed. (2015). *Handbook of the Politics of China*. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. p. 159. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781782544364](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781782544364).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["1921 оны Ардын хувьсгал, 1921-1924 оны ардчилсан өөрчлөлтүүд"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200301060052/https://mnutulgatan.blogspot.com/2014/11/1921-1921-1924.html). *mnutulgatan* (in Mongolian). Archived from [the original](https://mnutulgatan.blogspot.com/2014/11/1921-1921-1924.html) on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Inner Mongolia Government Promotes Mongolian Language"](https://www.cecc.gov/publications/commission-analysis/inner-mongolia-government-promotes-mongolian-language). *CECC*. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2023. The 52 banners in the IMAR are…

v t e List of prefecture-level divisions and list of county-level divisions of China Autonomous regions Guangxi Inner Mongolia Ningxia Tibet Xinjiang Direct-administered municipalities Beijing Chongqing Shanghai Tianjin Provinces Anhui Fujian Gansu Guangdong Guizhou Hainan Hebei Heilongjiang Henan Hubei Hunan Jiangsu Jiangxi Jilin Liaoning Qinghai Shaanxi Shandong Shanxi Sichuan Yunnan Zhejiang Special administrative regions Hong Kong Macau See also: Administrative divisions of Taiwan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [County-level divisions of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County-level_divisions_of_China) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County-level_divisions_of_China?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.