Administrative Divisions of China

According to the Chinese Constitution, the administrative divisions of the People’s Republic of China are as follows:

(1) The country is divided into Provinces(省), Autonomous Regions(自治区) and Municipalities(直辖市);

(2) Provinces and autonomous regions are divided into Cities(市), Autonomous Prefectures(自治州), Counties(县) and Autonomous Counties(自治县);

(3) Counties and autonomous counties are divided into Townships(乡)Ethnic Townships(民族乡) and Towns(镇).

Municipalities(directly under the central government) and larger cities are divided into districts and counties. Autonomous prefectures are divided into cities, counties and autonomous counties.

All autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties are ethnic autonomous areas. The state may establish special administrative regions when necessary. The systems to be practised in the special administrative regions shall be prescribed by law by the National People’s Congress in the light of the specific circumstances.

Since 1949, the country’s administrative divisions have undergone many changes. At present, the People’s Republic of China has 34 provincial-level administrative regions(省级行政区), including 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities and 2 special administrative regions.

Overview of China Administrative Divisions

As of January 9, 2019, the total number of administrative divisions in China (Note: The statistics below the provincial level do not include Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan):

Level Types
Provincial Level (1st)
省级行政区/
一级行政区(34)
23 Provinces(省);
5 Autonomous Regions(自治区);
4 Municipalities(直辖市);
2 Special Administrative Regions(特别行政区)
Prefectural Level (2nd)
地级行政区/
二级行政区(334)
293 Prefecture-level Cities(地级市);
7 Prefectures(地区);
30 Autonomous Prefectures(自治州);
3 Leagues(盟)
County Level (3rd)
县级行政区/
三级行政区(2,851)
970 Districts(市辖区);
375 County-level Cities(县级市);
1,335 Counties(县);
117 Autonomous Counties(自治县);
49 Banners(旗);
3 Autonomous Banners(自治旗);
1 Special District(特区);
1 Forestry District(林区)
Township Level (4th)
乡级行政区/
四级行政区(39,888)
8,241 Subdistricts(街道办事处);
21116 Towns(镇);
9392 Townships(乡);
2 District Public Offices(区公所);
984 Ethnic Townships(民族乡);
152 Sumu(苏木);
1 Ethnic Sumu(民族苏木)

Please Note: The specific number of the Township Level (4th) of administrative divisions is derived from the “Administrative Division Brief of the People’s Republic of China, 2018(中华人民共和国行政区划简册·2018)”, which is counted once a year, as of January 1, 2018.

According to the administrative division code, the distribution is represented by North China(华北), East China(华东), Central and South China(中南), Northeast China(东北), Southwest China(西南), Northwest China(西北), Hong Kong & Macao & Taiwan(港澳台), as follows: 

Area Province/Autonomous Regions/Municipalities/Special Administrative Regions
North China Beijing(北京), Tianjin(天津), Hebei(河北), Shanxi(山西), Inner Mongolia(内蒙古)
Northeast China Liaoning(辽宁), Jilin(吉林), Heilongjiang(黑龙江)
East China Shanghai(上海), Jiangsu(江苏), Zhejiang(浙江), Jiangxi(江西), Anhui(安徽), Fujian(福建), Shandong(山东)
Central and South China Henan(河南), Hubei(湖北), Hunan(湖南), Guangdong(广东), Guangxi(广西), Hainan(海南)
Southwest China Chongqing(重庆), Sichuan(四川), Guizhou(贵州), Yunnan(云南), Tibet(西藏)
Northwest China Shaanxi(陕西), Gansu(甘肃), Qinghai(青海), Ningxia(宁夏), Xinjiang(新疆)
Hong Kong & Macao & Taiwan Hong Kong(香港), Macao(澳门) and Taiwan(台湾)

Administrative Divisions of North China

Beijing

  • Administrative Code: 110000
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 16 municipal districts
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 332(140 subdistricts, 144 towns, 33 townships, 5 ethnic townships)

Read more about Beijing Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Beijing Tours.

Tianjin

  • Administrative Code: 120000
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 16 municipal districts
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 244(110 subdistricts, 123 towns, 10 townships, 1 ethnic township)

Read more about Tianjin Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Tianjin Tours.

Hebei

  • Administrative Code: 130000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 11 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 168(47 districts, 21 county-level cities, 94 counties, 6 autonomous counties) 
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 2253(1 district public office, 273 subdistricts, 1013 towns, 894 townships, 52 ethnic townships)

Read more about Hebei Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Hebei Tours.

Shanxi

  • Administrative Code: 140000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 11 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 119(23 municipal districts, 11 county-level cities, 85 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1398(201 subdistricts, 564 towns, 632 townships)

Read more about Shanxi Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Shanxi Tours.

Inner Mongolia

  • Administrative Code: 150000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 12(9 prefecture-level cities, 3 leagues)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 103(23 municipal districts, 11 county-level cities, 17 counties, 49 banners, 3 autonomous banners)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 901(240 subdistricts, 477 towns, 68 townships, 17 ethnic townships, 98 sumu, 1 ethnic sumu)

Read more about Inner Mongolia Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Inner Mongolia Tours.

Administrative Divisions of Northeast China

Liaoning

  • Administrative Code: 210000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 14 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 100(56 municipal districts, 17 county-level cities, 19 counties, 8 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1532(611 subdistricts, 6071 towns, 221 townships, 69 ethnic township)

Read more about Liaoning Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Liaoning Tours.

Jilin

  • Administrative Code: 220000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 9(8 prefecture-level cities, 1 autonomous prefecture)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 60(20 municipal districts, 20 county-level cities, 17 counties, 3 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 898(280 subdistricts, 428 towns, 162 townships, 28 ethnic township)

Read more about Jilin Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Jilin Tours.

Heilongjiang

  • Administrative Code: 230000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 13(12 prefecture-level cities, 1 prefecture)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 128(64 municipal districts, 18 county-level cities, 45 counties, 1 autonomous county)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1195(383 subdistricts, 478 towns, 276 townships, 58 ethnic townships)

Read more about Heilongjiang Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Heilongjiang Tours.

Administrative Divisions of East China

Shanghai

  • Administrative Code: 310000
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 16 municipal districts
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 209(99 subdistricts, 108 towns, 2 townships)

Read more about Shanghai Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Shanghai Tours.

Jiangsu

  • Administrative Code: 320000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 13 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 96(55 municipal districts, 21 county-level cities, 20 counties,)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1300(344 subdistricts, 860 towns, 95 townships, 1 ethnic township)

Read more about Jiangsu Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Jiangsu Tours.

Zhejiang

  • Administrative Code: 330000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 11 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 89(37 municipal districts, 19 county-level cities, 32 counties, 1 autonomous county)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1499(402 subdistricts, 654 towns, 429 townships, 14 ethnic townships)

Read more about Zhejiang Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Zhejiang Tours.

Anhui

  • Administrative Code: 340000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 16 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 105(44 municipal districts, 6 county-level cities, 55 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1513(265 subdistricts, 914 towns, 334 townships, 9 ethnic townships)

Read more about Anhui Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Anhui Tours.

Fujian

  • Administrative Code: 350000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 9 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 85(29 municipal districts, 12 county-level cities, 44 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1102(173 subdistricts, 600 towns, 310 townships, 19 ethnic townships)

Read more about Fujian Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Fujian Tours.

Jiangxi

  • Administrative Code: 360000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 11 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 100(25 municipal districts, 11 county-level cities, 64 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 2827(1431 subdistricts, 794 towns, 594 townships, 8 ethnic townships)

Read more about Jiangxi Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Jiangxi Tours.

Shandong

  • Administrative Code: 370000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 16 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 137(56 municipal districts, 27 county-level cities, 54 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1857(611 subdistricts, 1118 towns, 128 townships)

Read more about Shandong Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Shangdong Tours.

Administrative Divisions of Central and South China

Henan

  • Administrative Code: 410000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 17 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 158(52 municipal districts, 21 county-level cities, 85 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 2381(518 subdistricts, 1011 towns, 840 townships, 12 ethnic townships)

Read more about Henan Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Henan Tours.

Hubei

  • Administrative Code: 420000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 13(12 prefecture-level cities, 1 autonomous prefecture)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 103(38 municipal districts, 24 county-level cities, 38 counties, 2 autonomous counties, 1 forestry district)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1233(267 subdistricts, 742 towns, 184 townships, 10 ethnic townships)

Read more about Hubei Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Hubei Tours.

Hunan

  • Administrative Code: 430000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 14(13 prefecture-level cities, 1 autonomous prefecture)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 122(35 municipal districts, 16 county-level cities, 64 counties, 7 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 2426(267 subdistricts, 1121 towns, 941 townships, 97 ethnic townships)

Read more about Hunan Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Hunan Tours.

Guangdong

  • Administrative Code: 440000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 21 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 121(64 municipal districts, 20 county-level cities, 34 counties, 3 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1585(442 subdistricts, 1132 towns, 4 townships, 7 ethnic townships)

Read more about Guangdong Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Guangdong Tours.

Guangxi

  • Administrative Code: 450000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 14 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 111(40 municipal districts, 7 county-level cities, 52 counties, 12 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1235(109 subdistricts, 702 towns, 366 townships, 58 ethnic townships)

Read more about Guangxi Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Guangxi Tours.

Hainan

  • Administrative Code: 460000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 4 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 23(8 municipal districts, 5 county-level cities, 4 counties, 6 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 218(22 subdistricts, 175 towns, 21 townships)

Read more about Hainan Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Hainan Tours.

Administrative Divisions of Southwest China

Chongqing

  • Administrative Code: 500000
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 38(26 municipal districts, 8 counties, 4 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1012(189 subdistricts, 598 towns, 211 townships, 14 ethnic townships)

Read more about Chongqing Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Chongqing Tours.

Sichuan

  • Administrative Code: 510000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 21(18 prefecture-level cities, 3 autonomous prefectures)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 183(53 municipal districts, 17 county-level cities, 109 counties, 4 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 4636(277 subdistricts, 1816 towns, 2481 townships, 98 ethnic townships)

Read more about Sichuan Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Sichuan Tours.

Guizhou

  • Administrative Code: 52000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 9(6 prefecture-level cities, 3 autonomous prefectures)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 88(14 municipal districts, 7 county-level cities, 55 counties, 11 autonomous counties, 1 special district)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1371(113 subdistricts, 694 towns, 501 townships, 250 ethnic townships)

Read more about Guizhou Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Guizhou Tours.

Yunnan

  • Administrative Code: 530000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 16(8 prefecture-level cities, 8 autonomous prefectures)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 129(16 municipal districts, 15 county-level cities, 69 counties, 29 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1389(118 subdistricts, 577 towns, 522 townships, 145 ethnic townships)

Read more about Yunnan Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Yunnan Tours.

Tibet

  • Administrative Code: 540000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 7(6 prefecture-level cities, 1 prefecture)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 72(8 municipal districts, 64 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 692(10 subdistricts, 140 towns, 533 townships, 9 ethnic townships)

Read more about Tibet Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Tibet Tours.

Administrative Divisions of Northwest China

Shanxi

  • Administrative Code: 610000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 10 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 107(29 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 74 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1291(199 subdistricts, 1137 towns, 82 townships)

Read more about Shanxi Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Shanxi Tours.

Gansu

  • Administrative Code: 620000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 14(12 prefecture-level cities, 1 autonomous prefecture)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 86(17 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 58 counties, 7 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1352(126 subdistricts, 468 towns, 725 townships, 34 ethnic townships)

Read more about Gansu Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Gansu Tours.

Qinghai

  • Administrative Code: 630000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 8(2 prefecture-level cities, 6 autonomous prefectures)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 43(4 municipal districts, 2 county-level cities, 30 counties, 7 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 396(30 subdistricts, 137 towns, 201 townships, 28 ethnic townships)

Read more about Qinghai Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Qinghai Tours.

Ningxia

  • Administrative Code: 640000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 5 prefecture-level cities
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 22(9 municipal districts, 2 county-level cities, 11 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 236(44 subdistricts, 101 towns, 92 townships)

Read more about Ningxia Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Ningxia Tours.

Xinjiang

  • Administrative Code: 650000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 14(4 prefecture-level cities, 5 prefectures, 5 autonomous prefectures)
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 99(11 municipal districts, 20 county-level cities, 62 counties,  6 autonomous counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 1020(1 district public office, 162 subdistricts, 242 towns, 573 townships, 42 ethnic townships)

Read more about Xinjiang Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Xinjiang Tours.

Administrative Divisions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan

Taiwan

  • Administrative Code: 710000
  • Administrative Divisions at the Prefectural Level: 6 provincial city
  • Administrative Divisions at the County Level: 174(158 municipal districts, 3 county-level cities, 13 counties)
  • Administrative Divisions at the Township Level: 200(12 districts of county-level cities, 14 county-controlled cities, 35 towns, 139 townships)

Read more about Taiwan Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Taiwan Tours.

Hong Kong

  • Administrative Code: 810000
  • Districts: 18(4 in Hong Kong Island, 5 in Kowloon Peninsula, 9 in New Territories)

Read more about Hong Kong Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Hong Kong Tours.

Macao

  • Administrative Code: 820000
  • Parishes(教区): 9(7 parishes and 2 undefined parishes)

Read more about Macao Administrative Divisions.

See recommended Macao Tours.