Townships of China
Townships (simplified Chinese: 乡; traditional Chinese: 鄉; pinyin: xiāng), formally township-level divisions (Chinese: 乡级行政区; pinyin: Xiāng Jí Xíngzhèngqū), are the basic level (fourth-level administrative units) of political divisions in China. They are similar to municipalities and communes in other countries and in turn may contain village committees and villages. In 1995 there were 29,502 townships and 17,532 towns (a total of 47,034 township-level divisions) in China.[1]
formally Township-level divisions | |||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | 乡级行政区 | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | 鄉級行政區 | ||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | 乡 | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | 鄉 | ||||||
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Tibetan name | |||||||
Tibetan | ཤང་ | ||||||
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Zhuang name | |||||||
Zhuang | Yangh | ||||||
Mongolian name | |||||||
Mongolian script | ᠱᠢᠶᠠᠨ | ||||||
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Uyghur name | |||||||
Uyghur | يېزىسى | ||||||
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This article is part of a series on |
Administrative divisions of China |
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History: before 1912, 1912–49, 1949–present Administrative division codes |
Much like other levels of government in mainland China, the township's governance is divided between the Communist Party Township Secretary, and the "county magistrate" (Chinese: 乡长; pinyin: Xiāng zhǎng). The township party secretary, along with the township's party committee, determines policy. The magistrate is in charge of administering the daily affairs of government and executing policies as determined by the party committee. A township official is the lowest-level ranked official in the civil service hierarchy; in practice, however, the township party secretary and magistrate can amass high levels of personal power.
A township government is formally responsible for local economic development, planning, maintenance of local roads, family planning, sanitation & health, sports, and "other responsibilities as determined by higher level governments".[2]
Types of townships
Urban
- subdistricts (Chinese: 街道; pinyin: jiēdào)
- towns (Chinese: 镇; pinyin: zhèn)
Rural
- townships (Chinese: 乡; pinyin: xiāng)
List of township-level divisions


China Administrative divisions list |
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List of cities (all types) List of districts |
List of prefectures (all types) |
List of counties (all types) |
List of township-level divisions |
- Provinces
- List of township-level divisions of Anhui
- List of township-level divisions of Fujian
- List of township-level divisions of Gansu
- List of township-level divisions of Guangdong
- List of township-level divisions of Guizhou
- List of township-level divisions of Hainan
- List of township-level divisions of Hebei
- List of township-level divisions of Heilongjiang
- List of township-level divisions of Henan
- List of township-level divisions of Hubei
- List of township-level divisions of Hunan
- List of township-level divisions of Jiangsu
- List of township-level divisions of Jiangxi
- List of township-level divisions of Jilin
- List of township-level divisions of Liaoning
- List of township-level divisions of Qinghai
- List of township-level divisions of Shaanxi
- List of township-level divisions of Shandong
- List of township-level divisions of Shanxi
- List of township-level divisions of Sichuan
- List of township-level divisions of Yunnan
- List of township-level divisions of Zhejiang
- Autonomous areas
- List of township-level divisions of Guangxi
- List of township-level divisions of Inner Mongolia
- List of township-level divisions of Ningxia
- List of township-level divisions of the Tibet Autonomous Region
- List of township-level divisions of Xinjiang
- Municipalities
Similar to township units
A similar to township unit in the system of administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China is a region with self-jurisdiction which functions at a PRC township-level administrative division. Divisions of this sort can include development zones, science and technology parks, university cities, companies, farms, fishing ground, ranches, orchards, national parks, etc., even prisons.
The township-level administrative division (the lowest level division) includes townships, towns, subdistricts, ethnic townships, and sums.[3] Some county-level administrative districts that govern towns and villages will also be defined as a similar to township unit, as in the case of the Jiaozishan Tourism Development Zone and Industrial Park of Kunming.
References
- Yawei, Liu. "China's Township People's Congress Elections: An Introduction" (PDF). un.org. United Nations. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- 乡政府职能和职责. Baidu Wenku.
- "统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码编制规则". www.stats.gov.cn. Retrieved 2020-05-03.