Provinces (Chinese:省;pinyin:Shěng) are the most numerous type ofprovince-level divisions, the first-level subdivisions of thePeople's Republic of China (PRC). There are currently 22 provinces administered by the PRC, and one further province that is claimed but not administered, which isTaiwan.
The local governments of Chinese provinces consist of a Provincial People's Government headed by agovernor that acts as the executive, a Provincial People's Congress with legislative powers, and a parallel provincial branch of theChinese Communist Party (CCP) that elects aparty secretary and aprovincial 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 agovernor. The People's Government is answerable to both the State Council and the Provincial People's Congress. The provincial branch of the CPC has a Provincial Party Congress every five years, and elects aStanding Committee to exercise its authority when not in session. The Provincial Party Secretary is thede facto most important position in the province.[1][2][3]
The first provinces were created in theYuan 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 theRepublic of China.[6] During theWarlord 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, theYangtze Delta is divided among the provinces ofZhejiang,Jiangsu, andAnhui. This division ensures that economic strength is distributed, preventing any single region from potentially overpowering the state.[8]
^Most of Fujian is administered by the People's Republic of China, but the Republic of China governsKinmen County andLienchiang County (the Matsu Islands) as part of its ownFujian Province.
^Most of Guangdong is administered by the People's Republic of China, but the Republic of China governsPratas Island as part of the special municipality ofKaohsiung City.
^Most of Hainan is administered by the People's Republic of China, while the Republic of China governsTaiping Island as part of the special municipality of Kaohsiung City.
