Administrative Division System  
 
China's administrative units are currently based on a three-tier system, dividing the nation into provinces, counties and townships:
The country is divided into provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government.
A province or an autonomous region is subdivided into autonomous prefectures, counties, autonomous counties and/or cities.
A county or an autonomous county is subdivided into townships, ethnic townships and/or towns.
        Municipalities directly under the Central Government and large cities are subdivided into districts and counties; autonomous prefectures are subdivided into counties, autonomous counties and cities. Autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties are all ethnic autonomous areas. The Constitution specifically empowers the state to establish special administrative regions when necessary. A special administrative region is a local administrative area directly under the Central Government.
        The People’s Republic of China has 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 centrally-administered municipalities and 2 special administrative regions (see the following table)
 
Beijing

Beijing is a municipality directly under the Central Government and the capital of the People’s Republic of China. It is not only the nation’s political center, but also its cultural, scientific and educational center, and a key transportation hub. Situated on the north edge of the North China Plain, it is sheltered by chains of mountains to the west, north and east. Its southeastern part is a plain. Beijing’s temperate continental climate produces four clearly contrasted seasons: a short spring, rainy and humid summer, long and cold winter, and a very pleasant autumn.
        Beijing emerged as a city as far back as the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 B.C.), when it was known as Ji. During the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), it was the capital of the State of Yan. Ji remained a city of strategic importance and a trade center for the north for well over a thousand years. Then, in the early 10th century, it became the secondary capital of the Liao Dynasty under the name of Yanjing. Between 1115 and 1911, it served in succession as the capital of the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, thus becoming a storehouse of Chinese culture, and leaving many historical legacies. Among these, the former Imperial Palace, the Great Wall, the site of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven and the Ming Tombs have been put on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
        Since it became the nation’s capital in 1949, especially since the 1980s, the rapid urban development of Beijing has brought multi-lane highways, tall buildings and tremendous changes to the city’s appearance. While preserving its features as an ancient capital, Beijing today is truly a modern international city.

Data of China’s Provinces, Autonomous Regions,
Centrally-administered Municipalities and Special Administrative Regions

Name	Seat of Government	Area(10,000 sq km)	Population*(10,000 persons)
Beijing Municipality	Beijing	1.68	1,456
Tianjin Municipality	Tianjin	1.13	1,011
Hebei Province	Shijiazhuang	19.00	6,769
Shanxi Province	Taiyuan	15.60	3,314
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region	Hohhot	118.30	2,380
Liaoning Province	Shenyang	14.57	4,210
Jilin Province	Changchun	18.70	2,704
Heilongjiang Province	Harbin	46.90	3,815
Shanghai Municipality	Shanghai	0.62	1,711
Jiangsu Province	Nanjing	10.26	7,406
Zhejiang Province	Hangzhou	10.18	4,680
Anhui Province	Hefei	13.90	6,410
Fujian Province	Fuzhou	12.00	3,488
Jiangxi Province	Nanchang	16.66	4,254
Shandong Province	Jinan	15.30	9,125
Henan Province	Zhengzhou	16.70	9,667
Hubei Province	Wuhan	18.74	6,002
Hunan Province	Changsha	21.00	6,663
Guangdong Province	Guangzhou	18.60	7,954
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region	Nanning	23.63	4,857
Hainan Province	Haikou	3.40	811
Chongqing Municipality	Chongqing	8.20	3,130
Sichuan Province	Chengdu	48.80	8,700
Guizhou Province	Guiyang	17.00	3,870
Yunnan Province	Kunming	39.40	4,376
Tibet Autonomous Region	Lhasa	122.00	270
Shaanxi Province	Xi’an	20.50	3,690
Gansu Province	Lanzhou	45.00	2,603
Qinghai Province	Xining	72.00	534
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region	Yinchuan	6.64	580
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region	Urumqi	160.00	1,934
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region	Hong Kong	0.1092	680 (in mid-2003)
Macao Special Administrative Region	Macao	0.0024	45 (in mid-2003)
Taiwan Province	Taibei	3.60	2261