Sub provincial city：Administrative divisions of China

This article is about the administrative divisions in the Peoples Republic of China. For those of the Republic of China commonly known as Taiwan, see Administrative divisions of Taiwan.

The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to Chinas large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there are five levels of local government; the provincial (province, autonomous region, municipality, and special administrative region), prefecture, county, township, and village.

Since the 17th century, provincial boundaries in China have remained largely static. Major changes since then have been the reorganisation of provinces in the northeast after the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China and the formation of autonomous regions, based on Soviet ethnic policies. The provinces serve an important cultural role in China, as people tend to identify wit...