Sub-provincial division

Asub-provincial division(Chinese:Phó tỉnh cấp hành chính khu;pinyin:Fùshěngjí xíngzhèngqū) inChinais aprefecture-level citygoverned by aprovincepromoted by half-a-level. Thus, it ishalf-a-level under the provincial level,andhalf-a-level above the prefecture-level,hence the name "sub-provincial".

The promotion applies to all its subdivisions, administrative institutions, and political parties. For example, the mayor of a sub-provincial division is equal in status to a vice-governor of a province.

A sub-provincial division is still administratively governed by a province, just like prefecture-level divisions. However, five of them are alsocities specifically designated in the state plan(Chinese:Kế hoa đan liệt thị / kế hoa đan liệt thị), which enjoy the provincial level authority over economic issues—governmental finance, customs, economic strategy planning, economic policy, foreign economic affairs, banking, etc.

Sub-provincial divisions, similar to prefectural-level divisions, are administrative units comprising, typically, a main central urban area (the core city) surrounded by rural area, which together are divided into districts, and some surrounding counties or county-level cities (all promoted to sub-prefecture level) governed by the sub-provincial division on behalf of the province, which all have their own urban areas surrounded by their own rural areas.

Map of sub-provincial level entries in China

Map of Sub-provincial level entries in China

Sub-provincial municipalities

The original 16 municipalities were renamed as the sub-provincial municipalities on 25 February 1994 by theCentral Organization Committeeout of theprefecture-level municipalities.They are mostly thecapitalsof the provinces in which they are located.

Currently, there are 15 sub-provincial municipalities after Chongqing was designated direct-control:

Sub-provincial municipalities of China

Division name	Simplified Chinese	Hanyu Pinyin	Province	Abbreviation	Region	Population (2010 Census)	Date of designation	Subdivision
Changchun	Trường xuânThị	Chángchūn	Jilin	Trường	Northeast	7,677,089	1989-02-11	7districts,2county municipalities& 1county
Chengdu	Thành đôThị	Chéngdū	Sichuan	Dung	Southwest	14,047,625	1989-02-11	11districts,4county municipalities& 5counties
Dalian	Đại liênThị	Dàlián	Liaoning	Liên ( côn )	Northeast	6,690,432	1984-07-13	7districts,2county municipalities& 1county
Guangzhou	Quảng châuThị	Guǎngzhōu	Guangdong	Tuệ	South Central	12,700,800	1984-10-05	11districts
Hangzhou	Hàng châuThị	Hángzhōu	Zhejiang	Hàng	East	8,700,400	1994-02-25	10districts,1county municipality& 2counties
Harbin	Cáp nhĩ tânThị	Hā'ěrbīn	Heilongjiang	Cáp	Northeast	10,635,971	1984-10-05	9districts,2county municipalities& 7counties
Jinan	Tế namThị	Jǐnán	Shandong	Tế	East	6,814,000	1994-02-25	7districts& 3counties
Nanjing	Nam kinhThị	Nánjīng	Jiangsu	Ninh	East	8,001,680	1989-02-11	11districts
Ningbo	Ninh baThị	Níngbō	Zhejiang	Dũng	East	7,605,689	1987-02-24	6districts,2county municipalities& 2counties
Qingdao	Thanh đảoThị	Qīngdǎo	Shandong	Giao	East	8,715,100	1986-10-15	7districts& 3county municipalities
Shenyang	Thẩm dươngThị	Shěnyáng	Liaoning	Thẩm	Northeast	8,106,171	1984-07-11	10districts,1county municipality& 2counties
Shenzhen	Thâm quyếnThị	Shēnzhèn	Guangdong	Thâm ( bằng )	South Central	10,357,938	1988-10-03	8districts(4new districts)
Wuhan	Võ hánThị	Wǔhàn	Hubei	Hán	South Central	9,785,392	1984-05-21	13districts
Xi'an	Tây anThị	Xī'ān	Shaanxi	Hạo	Northwest	8,467,837	1984-10-05	11districts& 2counties
Xiamen	Hạ mônThị	Xiàmén	Fujian	Lộ	East	3,531,347	1988-04-18	6districts

Chongqingwas formerly a sub-provincial municipality ofSichuanuntil 14 March 1997, when it was made an independent municipality by splitting it out of Sichuan altogether. TheXinjiang Production and Construction Corpsalso has the powers of a sub-provincial division.

Chengduis the largest sub-provincial municipality. It has a population exceeding that of the independent municipality ofTianjinwhile bothHarbinand Chengdu have a bigger land area than Tianjin.

In total, there are five sub-provincial municipalities that are not themselves provincial capitals. These five municipalities have been designated as the "Municipalities with Independent Planning Status"(simplified Chinese:Kế hoa đan liệt thị;traditional Chinese:Kế hoa đan liệt thị;pinyin:Jìhuá Dānliè Shì).

Sub-provincial new areas

Additionally, the head ofPudong New AreaofShanghaiandBinhai New AreaofTianjin,which is acounty-leveldistrict,is given sub-provincial powers.

Sub-provincial districts of China

Division name	Simplified Chinese	Hanyu Pinyin	Municipality	Abbreviation	Region	Population (2010 Census)	Date of designation	Subdivision
Binhai New Area	Tân hảiTân khu	Bīnhǎi Xīn Qū	Tianjin	Tân hải	North	2,482,065	2009	19Subdistricts& 7towns(11 special township-level zones)
Pudong New Area	Phổ đôngTân khu	Pǔdōng Xīn Qū	Shanghai	Phổ đông	East	5,044,430	1992	13Subdistricts& 25towns(6 special township-level zones)

Sub-provincial autonomous prefecture

Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecturehas the two prefectures ofAltaiandTachengand 11 directly-controlled county-level administrative divisions under its jurisdiction. It itself is legally only a prefecture-level division, which is a special case in China's administrative divisions. It is not accurate to regard Ili Kazakh Autonomous Region as a sub-provincial administrative division, which has no legal basis. Up until 2001, the Autonomous Prefecture had a 3rd prefecture as well. The directly controlled subdivisions were administered as part of Ili Prefecture ( y lê địa khu )

Sub-provincial autonomous prefecture of China

Division name	Simplified Chinese	Hanyu Pinyin	Province	Abbreviation	Region	Population (2010 Census)	Date of designation	Subdivision
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture	Y lêCáp tát khắcTự trị châu	Yīlí Hāsàkè Zìzhìzhōu	Xinjiang	Y lê	Northwest	4,305,119	1979	(2prefectures) 5county cities,17counties& 2autonomous counties

Sub-provincial Municipal Conference

The National Joint Conference of Sub-provincial City People's Congress Standing Committee Chairpersons (Toàn quốc phó tỉnh cấp thành thị nhân đại thường ủy hội chủ nhậm liên tịch hội nghị) are attended by the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of all sub-provincial cities. It was proposed by the Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress in 1985. The conferences:

1. Guangzhou (26 February – 4 March 1985)
2. Harbin (27–31 August 1985)
3. Wuhan (20–24 May 1986)
4. Dalian (10–14 August 1987)
5. Xi'an (9–13 September 1988)
6. Shenyang (13–17 August 1990)
7. Chongqing (22–26 November 1991)
8. Qingdao (3–7 May 1992)
9. Shenzhen (25–28 October 1993)
10. Nanjing (1–4 November 1994)
11. Changchun (21–24 May 1995)
12. Hangzhou (20–24 October 1996)
13. Jinan (19–25 October 1997)
14. Xiamen (12–16 October 1998)
15. Ningbo (17–20 October 1999)
16. Chengdu (10–13 October 2000)
17. Guangzhou (30 October – 3 November 2001)
18. Harbin (23–26 July 2002)
19. Wuhan (8–12 October 2003)
20. Shenyang (31 August – 6 September 2004)
21. Qingdao (6–8 September 2005)
22. Shenzhen (20–23 October 2006)
23. Dalian (14–16 August 2007)
24. Xi'an (13–16 April 2009)
25. Nanjing (18–20 October 2010)
26. Changchun (22–25 August 2011)