Provinces of China

Provinces 省 Shěng
Location	China
Number	22+1 claimed but not controlled
Subdivisions	Sub-provincial city, Prefecture-level divisions

Provinces (Chinese: 省; pinyin: Shěng) are the most numerous type of province-level divisions, the first-level subdivisions of the People's Republic of China (PRC). There are currently 22 provinces administered by the PRC, and one further area that it claims but does not administer, which is the nation of Taiwan (ROC).

The local governments of Chinese provinces consist 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.

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.^[1][2][3]

The first provinces were created by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, and have remained one of the most stable forms of Chinese government since then.^[4] They were created to help the Imperial court manage local county governments, which were too numerous and far-flung to be managed directly.^[5] The number of provinces grew steadily during subsequent dynasties, reaching 28 by the time of the Republic of China.^[6] 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.^[7] 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.^[8]

GB/T 2260-2007[9]	ISO[10]	Province	Chinese Hanyu Pinyin	Capital	Largest city	Population (2020)	Density (per km2)	Area (km2)	Abbreviation[a]
HE	CN-HE	Hebei	河北省 Héběi Shěng	Shijiazhuang		74,610,235	393.08	189,809	冀 Jì
SX	CN-SX	Shanxi	山西省 Shānxī Shěng	Taiyuan		34,915,616	222.80	156,713	晋 Jìn
LN	CN-LN	Liaoning	辽宁省 Liáoníng Shěng	Shenyang		42,591,407	289.59	147,076	辽 Liáo
JL	CN-JL	Jilin	吉林省 Jílín Shěng	Changchun		24,073,453	126.51	190,282	吉 Jí
HL	CN-HL	Heilongjiang	黑龙江省 Hēilóngjiāng Shěng	Harbin		31,850,088	67.37	472,766	黑 Hēi
JS	CN-JS	Jiangsu	江苏省 Jiāngsū Shěng	Nanjing	Suzhou	84,748,016	847.91	99,949	苏 Sū
ZJ	CN-ZJ	Zhejiang	浙江省 Zhèjiāng Shěng	Hangzhou		64,567,588	615.67	104,873	浙 Zhè
AH	CN-AH	Anhui	安徽省 Ānhuī Shěng	Hefei		61,027,171	436.29	139,879	皖 Wǎn
FJ	CN-FJ	Fujian[b]	福建省 Fújiàn Shěng	Fuzhou	Quanzhou	41,540,086	335.66	123,756	闽 Mǐn
JX	CN-JX	Jiangxi	江西省 Jiāngxī Shěng	Nanchang	Ganzhou	45,188,635	270.69	166,939	赣 Gàn
SD	CN-SD	Shandong	山东省 Shāndōng Shěng	Jinan	Linyi	101,527,453	643.78	157,704	鲁 Lǔ
HA	CN-HA	Henan	河南省 Hénán Shěng	Zhengzhou		99,365,519	600.52	165,467	豫 Yù
HB	CN-HB	Hubei	湖北省 Húběi Shěng	Wuhan		57,752,557	310.87	185,776	鄂 È
HN	CN-HN	Hunan	湖南省 Húnán Shěng	Changsha		66,444,864	313.65	211,842	湘 Xiāng
GD	CN-GD	Guangdong[c]	广东省 Guǎngdōng Shěng	Guangzhou		126,012,510	700.02	180,013	粤 Yuè
HI	CN-HI	Hainan[d]	海南省 Hǎinán Shěng	Haikou		10,081,232	294.27	34,259	琼 Qióng
SC	CN-SC	Sichuan	四川省 Sìchuān Shěng	Chengdu		83,674,866	174.93	484,056	川(蜀) Chuān (Shǔ)
GZ	CN-GZ	Guizhou	贵州省 Guìzhōu Shěng	Guiyang	Zunyi	38,562,148	218.93	176,140	贵(黔) Guì (Qián)
YN	CN-YN	Yunnan	云南省 Yúnnán Shěng	Kunming		47,209,277	123.20	383,195	云(滇) Yún (Diān)
SN	CN-SN	Shaanxi	陕西省 Shǎnxī Shěng	Xi'an		39,528,999	192.24	205,624	陕(秦) Shǎn (Qín)
GS	CN-GS	Gansu	甘肃省 Gānsù Shěng	Lanzhou		25,019,831	54.70	457,382	甘(陇) Gān (Lǒng)
QH	CN-QH	Qinghai	青海省 Qīnghǎi Shěng	Xining		5,923,957	8.58	720,000	青 Qīng ^ Abbreviation in the parentheses is informal ^ Most of Fujian is administered by the People's Republic of China, but the Republic of China governs Kinmen County and Lienchiang County (the Matsu Islands) as part of its own Fujian Province. ^ Most of Guangdong is administered by the People's Republic of China, but the Republic of China governs Pratas Island as part of the special municipality of Kaohsiung City. ^ Most of Hainan is administered by the People's Republic of China, while the Republic of China governs Taiping Island as part of the special municipality of Kaohsiung City. 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 regions of China Notes References ^ Goodman 2015, p. 96. ^ Saich 2015, pp. 157–158. ^ Chung & Lam 2010, Chapter 2. ^ Guo 2017, p. 23. ^ Fitzgerald 2002, p. 16. ^ Goodman 2015, pp. 150, 154. ^ Goodman 2015, pp. 153–154. ^ Fairbank, John; Goldman, Merle (2006). China: A New History. Harvard University Press. p. 11. ISBN 0674116739. ^ "GB/T 2260 codes for the provinces of China". Archived from the original on 2004-03-05. Retrieved 2011-10-30. ^ ISO 3166-2:CN (ISO 3166-2 codes for the provinces of China) Bibliography Goodman, David S.G. (2015). Handbook of the Politics of China. Northampton, Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. Saich, Tony (2015). Governance and Politics of China (Fourth ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Chung, Jae Ho; Lam, Chiu (2010). China's Local Administration: Traditions and Changes in the Sub-National Hierarchy. New York: Routledge. Fitzgerald, John (2002). Rethinking China's Provinces. New York: Routledge. Guo, Rongxing (2017). How the Chinese Economy Works (4th Revised ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Provinces of the People's Republic of China. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for List of Chinese provinces and regions. Interactive Dbresearch.com: WebMap Archived 2016-04-06 at the Wayback Machine — with economic indicators for all Chinese Provinces.