Province (China) Totally Explained

Everything about Provinces Of China totally explained

A province, in the context of China, is a translation of sheng, which is an administrative division. Together with municipalities, autonomous regions, and the special administrative regions, provinces make up the first level (known as the province level) of administrative division in China. Theoretically, provinces are also the first level division of the Republic of China (Taiwan), though this role has been diminished.
The People's Republic of China currently governs 22 provinces, out of a total of 23 province level divisions. The PRC also claims, but doesn't control, Taiwan as a 23rd province. The Republic of China governs Taiwan, as well as some offshore islands including Kinmen and Matsu, very near to Fujian province.
In the People's Republic of China, every province has a Communist Party of China provincial committee, headed by a secretary. The committee secretary is first-in-charge of the province, rather than the governor of the provincial government.

Facts about the provinces

Until the ROC administration, Hebei was known as "Zhili", or "directly-ruled".
Guangxi was made an autonomous region under the PRC government in 1958. Before then, it was a province like any other.
The largest province by area is Qinghai, which also has the smallest population of just over 5.3 million.
Eight of the provinces of the People's Republic of China have a sea coast. The remaining 14 are land-locked.
Guangdong, Shandong and Liaoning all have a major peninsula.
Guangdong is the only province bordering the only two Special Administrative Regions of China.
Separated from Guangdong and established in 1988, Hainan is the youngest province of China.
The Municipality of Chongqing was carved out of Sichuan province on June 12, 1997.

Map and list

Name	Pinyin	Postal map	Abb.¹	Area²	Capital	Region	ISO	Admin. Division
Anhui	Ānhuī	Anhwei	wǎn	139,700	Hefei	East	CN-34	List
Fujian	Fújiàn	Fukien	mǐn	121,300	Fuzhou	East	CN-35	List
Gansu	Gānsù	Kansu	gān or lǒng	454,300	Lanzhou	Northwest	CN-62	List
Guangdong	Guǎngdōng	Kwangtung	yuè	180,000	Guangzhou	South Central	CN-44	List
Guizhou	Gùizhōu	Kweichow	qián or gùi	176,000	Guiyang	Southwest	CN-52	List
Hainan	Hǎinán	Hainan	qióng	34,000	Haikou	South Central	CN-46	List
Hebei	Héběi	Hopeh	jì	187,700	Shijiazhuang	North	CN-13	List
Heilongjiang	Hēilóngjiāng	Heilungkiang	hēi	454,000	Harbin	Northeast	CN-23	List
Henan	Hénán	Honan	yù	167,000	Zhengzhou	South Central	CN-41	List
Hubei	Húběi	Hupeh	è	185,900	Wuhan	South Central	CN-42	List
Hunan	Húnán	Hunan	xiāng	210,000	Changsha	South Central	CN-43	List
Jiangsu	Jiāngsū	Kiangsu	sū	102,600	Nanjing	East	CN-32	List
Jiangxi	Jiāngxī	Kiangsi	gàn	167,000	Nanchang	East	CN-36	List
Jilin	Jílín	Kirin	jí	187,400	Changchun	Northeast	CN-22	List
Liaoning	Liáoníng	Fengtien	liáo	145,900	Shenyang	Northeast	CN-21	List
Qinghai	Qīnghǎi	Tsinghai	qīng	721,200	Xining	Northwest	CN-63	List
Shaanxi	Shǎnxī	Shensi	shǎn or qín	205,600	Xi'an	Northwest	CN-61	List
Shandong	Shāndōng	Shantung	lǔ	153,800	Jinan	East	CN-37	List
Shanxi	Shānxī	Shansi	jìn	156,300	Taiyuan	North	CN-14	List
Sichuan	Sìchuān	Szechuan	chuān or shǔ	485,000	Chengdu	Southwest	CN-51	List
Taiwan †	Táiwān	Taiwan	tái	35,581	Taibei	East	CN-71	List
Yunnan	Yúnnán	Yunnan	diān or yún	394,000	Kunming	Southwest	CN-53	List
Zhejiang	Zhèjiāng	Chekiang	zhè	102,000	Hangzhou	East	CN-33	List

Notes: � ¹: Abbreviation for each Province level region

²: in km² � †: Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China has considered Taiwan to be its 23rd province even though it has never controlled any part of Taiwan. The Republic of China currently controls this province, which consists of Taiwan island and the Pescadores. The ROC also controls one county of Fuchien (or Fukien) province: Kinmen; and part of a second county: Lienchiang.

History

The provinces of China were first set up during the Yuan Dynasty. There were initially 10 provinces. By the time the Qing Dynasty was established, there were 18, all of which were in China proper. These were:

Anhui

Fujian

Gansu

Guangdong

Guangxi

Guizhou

Henan

Hubei

Hunan

Jiangsu

Jiangxi

Shaanxi

Shandong

Shanxi

Sichuan

Yunnan

Zhejiang

Zhili

For every province, there was a xunfu (巡撫), a political overseer on behalf of the emperor, and a tidu (提督), a military governor. In addition, there was a zongdu (總督), a general military inspector or governor general, for every two to three provinces. Outer regions of China (those beyond China proper) were not divided into provinces. Manchuria (consisting of Fengtian (now Liaoning), Jilin, Heilongjiang), Xinjiang, and Mongolia were overseen by military leaders or generals (將軍) and vice-dutong (副都統), and civilian leaders were heads of the leagues (盟長), a subdivision of Mongolia. Tibet was administratively overseen by the ambans (驻藏大臣).
In 1878, Xinjiang became a province, in 1909, Fengtian, Jilin, and Heilongjiang were made provinces as well. Taiwan was made a province in 1887, but it was ceded to Japan in 1895. As a result, there were 22 provinces in China (Outer China and China proper) near the end of the Qing Dynasty.
The Republic of China, established in 1912, set up 4 more provinces in Inner Mongolia and 2 provinces in historic Tibet, bringing the total to 28. 4 provinces were however lost with the establishment of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria. After the defeat of Japan in World War II, Manchuria was reincorporated as 10 provinces, and control of Taiwan was assumed by the Republic of China. As a result, the Republic of China had 35 provinces. Although the Republic of China now only controls one province (Taiwan) and some islands of a second province (Fujian), it continues to formally claim all 35 provinces.

List of defunct provinces

Name	Pinyin	Postal map	Area¹	Capital	Region	Present Annexation
Andong	Āndōng	Antung	62,279	Tonghua	Northeast	Liaoning, Jilin
Chahar	Cháhār	Chahar	278,957	Zhangjiakou	Northeast	Inner Mongolia, Hebei
Hejiang	Héjiāng	Hokiang	135,406	Jiamusi	Northeast	Heilongjiang
Liaobei	Liáoběi	Liaopeh	121,624	Liaoyuan	Northeast	Liaoning, Jilin, Inner Mongolia
Nenjiang	Nènjiāng	Nunkiang	67,034	Qiqihar	Northeast	Heilongjiang
Rehe	Rèhé	Jehol	179,982	Chengde	Northeast	Hebei, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia
Songjiang	Sōngjiāng	Sungkiang	84,559	Mudanjiang	Northeast	Heilongjiang
Suiyuan	Suíyuǎn	Suiyuan	329,397	Guisui (Hohhot)	Northeast	Inner Mongolia
Xikang	Xīkān	Sikang	451,521	Kangding	Southwest	Tibet, Sichuan
Xing'an	Xīng'ān	Hsingan	278,437	Hailar	Northeast	Inner Mongolia

Notes: � ¹: in km²

The People's Republic of China abolished many of the provinces in the 1950s and converted a number of them into autonomous regions. Hainan was set up as a separate province in 1988, bringing the total number of provinces under its control to 22.

Further Information

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