History of the administrative divisions of China before 1912
The history of the administrative divisions of the Imperial China is quite complex. Across history, what is called 'China' has taken many shapes, and many political organizations. For various reasons, both the borders and names of political divisions have changed—sometimes to follow topography, sometimes to weaken former states by dividing them, and sometimes to realize a philosophical or historical ideal. For recent times, the number of recorded tiny changes is quite large; by contrast, the lack of clear, trustworthy data for ancient times forces historians and geographers to draw approximate borders for respective divisions. But thanks to imperial records and geographic descriptions, political divisions may often be redrawn with some precision. Natural changes, such as changes in a river's course (known for the Huang He, but also occurring for others), or loss of data, still make this issue difficult for ancient times.
Summary
Historical Administrative Divisions in China | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Dynasty | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary | Quaternary |
Qin | Commandery (郡, jùn) | County (縣/县, xià n) | ||
Han | Province (å·ž, zhÅu) | Commandery | County | |
Jin | Province (å·ž) | Commandery | County | |
Sui | "Prefecture" (many smaller å·ž) | County | ||
Tang | Circuit (é“, dà o) | Prefecture (smaller: å·ž; larger: 府, fÇ”) | County | |
Song | Circuit (è·¯, lù) | Prefecture (smaller: å·ž; larger: 府; military: è»/军, jÅ«n) | County | |
Yuan | Province (çœ, shÄ›ng) | Circuit (é“) | Prefecture (smaller: å·ž; larger: 府) | |
Ming | Province (çœ) | Circuit (é“) | Prefecture (smaller: å·ž; larger: 府) | County |
Qing | Directly administered province ZhÃlì (直隸/直隶) Province (çœ) | Circuit (é“) FÇ” (府) TÄ«ng (廳/厅) Subdivision | Prefecture (å·ž) | County |
Ancient times
Before the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, China was ruled by a network of kings, nobles, and tribes. There was no unified system of administrative divisions. According to ancient texts, China in the Xia and Zhou dynasties consisted of nine zhou, but various texts differ as to the names and even functions of these zhous.
During the Zhou dynasty, the nation was nominally controlled by the "Son of Heaven". In reality, however, the country was divided into competing states, each with a hereditary head, variously styled "prince", "duke", or "king". The rivalry of these groups culminated in the Warring States period, which ended with the victory of Qin.
Provinces under the Qin dynasty


After the Kingdom of Qin managed to subdue the rest of China in 221 BC, the First Emperor divided his realm into relatively small commanderies, which were divided into still smaller counties. Repudiating the fiefs of the Zhou, both levels were centrally and tightly controlled as part of a meritocratic system. There was also a separately-administered capital district known as the Neishi.
The commanderies were grouped into four large divisions: Guanzhong, named for the lower valley of the Wei River around the capital "within the pass" leading to the North China Plain; Hebei north of the Yellow River; Henan south of it; and Jianghan, named for the Yangtze and Han rivers and incorporating the conquered lands of modern Hunan and Guangdong. Control over some of these, particularly Fujian ("Min Commandery"), was particularly loose.
Commanderies of the Qin Empire | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Area Traditional Simplified |
Commandery | Chinese Name | Counties & Circuits | |
Trad. | Simp. | |||
Guanzhong é—œä¸åœ°å€ å…³ä¸åœ°åŒº |
Neishi Zhiguan | å…§å²ç›´ç®¡ | 41 | |
Longxi | 隴西郡 | 陇西郡 | 21 | |
Shang | 上郡 | 21 | ||
Beidi | 北地郡 | 15 | ||
Yunzhong | 雲ä¸éƒ¡ | 云ä¸éƒ¡ | 12 | |
Jiuyuan | ä¹åŽŸéƒ¡ | 8 | ||
Henan æ²³å—åœ°å€ æ²³å—地区 |
Sanchuan | 三å·éƒ¡ | 22 | |
Yingchuan | æ½å·éƒ¡ | é¢å·éƒ¡ | 23 | |
Dang | ç¢éƒ¡ | ç €éƒ¡ | 22 | |
Dong | æ±éƒ¡ | 东郡 | 26 | |
Xue | 薛郡 | 22 | ||
Donghai | æ±æµ·éƒ¡ | 东海郡 | 18 | |
Sichuan | å››å·éƒ¡ | 25 | ||
Huaiyang | 淮陽郡 | 淮阳郡 | 27 | |
Nanyang | å—陽郡 | å—阳郡 | 27 | |
Linzi | 臨淄郡 | 临淄郡 | 10 | |
Jibei | 濟北郡 | 济北郡 | 9 | |
Taishan | 泰山郡 | 9 | ||
Langxie | ç…邪郡 | 6 | ||
Jiaodong | è† æ±éƒ¡ | 胶东郡 | 8 | |
Jiaoxi | è† è¥¿éƒ¡ | 胶西郡 | 8 | |
Chengyang | 城陽郡 | 城阳郡 | 5 | |
Hebei æ²³åŒ—åœ°å€ æ²³åŒ—åœ°åŒº |
Hedong | æ²³æ±éƒ¡ | 河东郡 | 19 |
Henei | 河內郡 | 19 | ||
Shangdang | 上黨郡 | 上党郡 | 21 | |
Taiyuan | 太原郡 | 13 | ||
Dai | 代郡 | 11 | ||
Yanmen | é›é–€éƒ¡ | é›é—¨éƒ¡ | 17 | |
Handan | 邯鄲郡 | 邯郸郡 | 11 | |
Julu | 鉅鹿郡 | 巨鹿郡 | 10 | |
Hengshan | æ†å±±éƒ¡ | æ’山郡 | 22 | |
Qinghe | 清河郡 | 4 | ||
Hejian | 河間郡 | 河间郡 | 10 | |
Guangyang | 廣陽郡 | 广阳郡 | 9 | |
Youbeiping | å³åŒ—平郡 | 16 | ||
Shanggu | 上谷郡 | 12 | ||
Yuyang | æ¼é™½éƒ¡ | 渔阳郡 | 12 | |
Liaoxi | é¼è¥¿éƒ¡ | 辽西郡 | 7 | |
Liaodong | é¼æ±éƒ¡ | 辽东郡 | 3 | |
Jianghan æ±Ÿæ¼¢åœ°å€ æ±Ÿæ±‰åœ°åŒº |
Hanzhong | æ¼¢ä¸éƒ¡ | 汉ä¸éƒ¡ | 12 |
Shu | 蜀郡 | 18 | ||
Ba | 巴郡 | 11 | ||
Nan | å—郡 | 20 | ||
Jiujiang | ä¹æ±Ÿéƒ¡ | 13 | ||
Lujiang | 廬江郡 | åºæ±Ÿéƒ¡ | 5 | |
Hengshan | 衡山郡 | 5 | ||
Guiji | 會稽郡 | 会稽郡 | 27 | |
Changsha | 長沙郡 | 长沙郡 | 6 | |
Dongting | æ´žåºéƒ¡ | 11 | ||
Cangwu | 蒼梧郡 | è‹æ¢§éƒ¡ | 13 | |
Xiang | 象郡 | 2 | ||
Nanhai | å—海郡 | 5 | ||
Guilin | 桂林郡 | 5 | ||
Minzhong | é–©ä¸éƒ¡ | é—½ä¸éƒ¡ | 1 |
There were also four other commanderies—Zhang (鄣郡), Zhouling (州陵郡), Jianghu (江湖郡), and Wuqian (巫黔郡)—and 23 unaffiliated counties.
Provinces under the Han and Jin Dynasties

The Han Dynasty initially added a top level of "kingdoms" or "principalities" (王国, wángguó), each headed by a local king or a prince of the imperial family. From the establishment of the dynasty, however, the tendency was slowly absorb this quasi-federal structure into the imperial bureaucracy. After the Rebellion of the Seven States, the system was standardized, replacing the kingdoms and principalities with thirteen provinces (å·ž, zhÅu).
Throughout the Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms Period, and the Western Jin Dynasty, this system remained intact. This changed, however, with the invasion of tribes from the north, who disrupted the unity of China and set up a variety of governments.
Provinces of the Han and Western Jin Dynasties | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Capital | Approximant extent in terms of modern locations | |
Ancient name | Modern location | |||||
Bingzhou* | 并州 | 并州 | BÄ«ngzhÅu | Jinyang | southwest of Taiyuan | Shanxi |
Jiaozhou* | 交州 | 交州 | JiÄozhÅu | Longbian | East of Hanoi | northern Vietnam |
Jingzhou* | è†å·ž | è†å·ž | JÄ«ngzhÅu | Jiangling | Hubei, Hunan | |
Jizhou* | 冀州 | 冀州 | JìzhÅu | Xindu | Jizhou City | southern Hebei |
Liangzhou* | 涼州 | 凉州 | LiángzhÅu | Guzang | Wuwei | western Gansu[1] |
Qingzhou* | é’å·ž | é’å·ž | QÄ«ngzhÅu | Linzi | east of Zibo | eastern Shandong |
Xuzhou* | å¾å·ž | å¾å·ž | XúzhÅu | Pengcheng | Xuzhou | northern Jiangsu |
Yangzhou* | æšå·ž | 扬州 | YángzhÅu | Jianye | Nanjing | southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai |
Yanzhou* | å…—å·ž | å…–å·ž | YÇŽnzhÅu | Linqiu | northwest of Yuncheng County | western Shandong |
Yizhou* | 益州 | 益州 | YìzhÅu | Chengdu | central Sichuan, Guizhou | |
Yongzhou* | é›å·ž | é›å·ž | YÅngzhÅu | Chang'an | northwest of Xi'an | central Shaanxi |
Youzhou* | 幽州 | 幽州 | YÅuzhÅu | Zhuoxian | northern Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin | |
Yuzhou* | 豫州 | 豫州 | YùzhÅu | Chenxian | Huaiyang | southern Henan, northern Anhui |
Pingzhou | 平州 | 平州 | PÃngzhÅu | Xiangping | Liaoyang | Liaoning, northern Korea |
Qinzhou | 秦州 | 秦州 | QÃnzhÅu | Jixian | east of Gangu | southern Gansu |
Liangzhou | æ¢å·ž | æ¢å·ž | LiángzhÅu | Nanzheng | Hanzhong | southern Shaanxi, eastern Sichuan, Chongqing |
Ningzhou | 寧州 | å®å·ž | NÃngzhÅu | Dianchi | southeast of Kunming | Yunnan |
Guangzhou | 廣州 | 广州 | GuÇŽngzhÅu | Panyu | Guangzhou | Guangdong, eastern Guangxi |
Sizhou | å¸å·ž | å¸å·ž | SÄ«zhÅu | Luoyang | central Henan, southern Shanxi |
* One of the original provinces established during the Eastern Han Dynasty
Ping was formed out of You; Qin out of Liang (涼/凉); Liang (æ¢) and Ning out of Yi; and Guang out of Jiao. Jiao had been established from a territory called Jiaozhi (交趾); Si too was a new creation, its territory formerly administered by a metropolitan commandant (å¸éš·æ ¡å°‰, SÄ«lì xià owèi) with capacities similar to the provincial governors'. Shuofang (朔方, ShuòfÄng), a similar territory in northern Shaanxi, was merged into Bing rather than becoming a full province in its own right.
Provinces under Sui Dynasty

By the time unity was finally reestablished by the Sui Dynasty, the provinces had been divided and redivided so many times by different governments that they were almost the same size as commanderies, rendering the two-tier system superfluous. As such, the Sui merged the two together. In English, this merged level is translated as "prefectures". In Chinese, the name changed between zhou and jun several times before being finally settled on zhou. Based on the apocryphal Nine Province system, the Sui restored nine zhou.[2]
The Sui had 9 provinces, 190 prefectures, 1,225 counties, and about 9 million registered households or approximately 50 million people.[3]
Provinces of the Sui Dynasty | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Capital | Approximate extent in terms of modern locations | |
Ancient name | Modern location | |||||
Yongzhou | é›å·ž | é›å·ž | YÅngzhÅu | ? | ? | Guanzhong, Gansu, and the Upper Yellow basin |
Jizhou | 冀州 | 冀州 | JìzhÅu | ? | ? | Shanxi and Northern Hebei, including modern Beijing and Tianjin |
Yanzhou | å…—å·ž | å…–å·ž | YÇŽnzhÅu | ? | ? | Lower Yellow River area- west of Qingzhou and east of Jizhou |
Qingzhou | é’å·ž | é’å·ž | QÄ«ngzhÅu | ? | ? | Shandong Peninsula |
Yuzhou | 豫州 | 豫州 | YùzhÅu | ? | ? | Henan |
Xuzhou | å¾å·ž | å¾å·ž | XúzhÅu | ? | ? | Modern Xuzhou area- southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu |
Liangzhou | æ¢å·ž | æ¢å·ž | LiángzhÅu | ? | ? | Upper Yangtze- Sichuan Basin + south of the Qinling |
Jingzhou | è†å·ž | è†å·ž | JÄ«ngzhÅu | ? | ? | Central Yangtze |
Yangzhou | æšå·ž | 扬州 | YángzhÅu | ? | ? | Lower Yangtze, entire SE Coast, Hainan, and Northern Vietnam |
Provinces under the Tang Dynasty

Emperor Taizong (r. 626−649) set up 10 "circuits" (é“, dà o) in 627 as inspection areas for imperial commissioners monitoring the operation of prefectures, rather than a new primary level of administration. In 639, there were 10 circuits, 43 commanderies (都ç£åºœ, dÅ«dÅ« fÇ”), and 358 prefectures (å·ž and later 府, fÇ”).[4] In 733, Emperor Xuanzong expanded the number of circuits to 15 by establishing separate circuits for the areas around Chang'an and Luoyang, and by splitting the large Shannan and Jiangnan circuits into 2 and 3 new circuits respectively. He also established a system of permanent inspecting commissioners, though without executive powers.[5]
The Tang Dynasty also created military districts (藩鎮/藩镇, fÄnzhèn) controlled by military commissioners (節度使/节度使, jiédushÇ) charged with protecting frontier areas susceptible to foreign attack (similar to the Western marches and marcher lords). This system was eventually generalized to other parts of the country as well and essentially merged into the circuits. Just as in the West, the greater autonomy and strength of the commissioners permitted insubordination and rebellion, which in China led to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
- Circuits and Military Districts
- Commanderies and Prefectures
- Counties
Circuits of the Tang Dynasty | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Capital | Approximate extent in terms of modern locations | ||
Ancient name | Modern location | ||||||
Duji* | 都畿 | 都畿 | Dūjī | Henan Fu | Luoyang | Luoyang and environs | |
Guannei | 關內 | 关内 | GuÄnnèi | Jingzhao Fu | Xi'an | northern Shaanxi, central Inner Mongolia, Ningxia | |
Hebei | 河北 | 河北 | Héběi | Weizhou | Wei County, Hebei | Hebei | |
Hedong | æ²³æ± | 河东 | HédÅng | Puzhou | Puzhou, Yongji, Shanxi | Shanxi | |
Henan | æ²³å— | æ²³å— | Hénán | Bianzhou | Kaifeng | Henan, Shandong, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui | |
Huainan | æ·®å— | æ·®å— | Huáinán | Yangzhou | central Jiangsu, central Anhui | ||
Jiannan | åŠå— | å‰‘å— | Jià nnán | Yizhou | Chengdu | central Sichuan, central Yunnan | |
Jiangnan | æ±Ÿå— | æ±Ÿå— | JiÄngnán | Jiangnanxi + Jiangnandong (see map) | |||
Qianzhong** | é»”ä¸ | é»”ä¸ | QiánzhÅng | Qianzhou | Pengshui | Guizhou, western Hunan | |
Jiangnanxi** | 江å—西 | 江å—西 | JiÄngnánxÄ« | Hongzhou | Nanchang | Jiangxi, Hunan, southern Anhui, southern Hubei | |
Jiangnandong** | 江å—æ± | 江å—东 | JiÄngnándÅng | Suzhou | southern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai | ||
Jingji* | 京畿 | 京畿 | Jīngjī | Jingzhao Fu | Xi'an | Xi'an and environs | |
Lingnan | å¶ºå— | å²å— | LÇngnán | Guangzhou | Guangdong, eastern Guangxi, northern Vietnam | ||
Longyou | éš´å³ | é™‡å³ | LÇ’ngyou | Shanzhou | Ledu County, Qinghai | Gansu | |
Shannan | å±±å— | å±±å— | ShÄnnán | Shannanxi + Shannandong (see map) | |||
Shannanxi** | å±±å—西 | å±±å—西 | ShÄnnánxÄ« | Liangzhou | Hanzhong | southern Shanxi, eastern Sichuan, Chongqing | |
Shannandong** | å±±å—æ± | å±±å—东 | ShÄnnándÅng | Xiangzhou | Xiangfan | southern Henan, Hubei |
* Circuits established under Xuanzong, as opposed to Taizong's original ten circuits.
** Circuits established under Xuanzong by dividing Taizong's Jiangnan and Shannan circuits.
Other Tang-era circuits include the West Lingnan, Wu'an, and Qinhua circuits.
Provinces under the Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty abolished the commissioners and renamed their circuits è·¯ (lù, which however is still usually translated into English as "circuits"). They also added a number of "army" prefectures (è»/军, jÅ«n).
- Circuits (路, lù)
- Prefectures (larger: 府, fÇ”; smaller: å·ž, zhÅu; military: è»/军, jÅ«n)
- Counties
Circuits of the Northern Song Dynasty | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Capital | Approximant extent in terms of modern locations | |
Ancient name | Modern location | |||||
Chengdufu | æˆéƒ½åºœ | æˆéƒ½åºœ | ChéngdÅ«fÇ” | Chengdu | central Sichuan | |
Fujian | ç¦å»º | ç¦å»º | Fújià n | Fuzhou | Fujian | |
Guangnandong | 廣å—æ± | 广å—东 | GuÇŽngnándÅng | Guangzhou | eastern Guangdong | |
Guangnanxi | 廣å—西 | 广å—西 | GuÇŽngnánxÄ« | Guizhou | Guilin | western Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan |
Hebeidong | æ²³åŒ—æ± | 河北东 | HébÄ›idÅng | Beijing | Daming County, Hebei | eastern Hebei |
Hebeixi | 河北西 | 河北西 | Héběixī | Zhending | Zhengding County, Hebei | western Hebei |
Hedong | æ²³æ± | 河东 | HédÅng | Taiyuan | Shanxi | |
Huainandong | æ·®å—æ± | æ·®å—东 | HuáinándÅng | Yangzhou | central Jiangsu | |
Huainanxi | æ·®å—西 | æ·®å—西 | HuáinánxÄ« | Shouzhou | Fengtai County, Anhui | central Anhui |
Jiangnandong | 江å—æ± | 江å—东 | JiÄngnándÅng | Jiangning Fu | Nanjing | southern Anhui |
Jiangnanxi | 江å—西 | 江å—西 | JiÄngnánxÄ« | Hongzhou | Nanchang | Jiangxi |
Jingdongdong | 京æ±æ± | 江东东 | JÄ«ngdÅngdÅng | Qingzhou | Qingzhou, Shandong | eastern Shandong |
Jingdongxi | 京æ±è¥¿ | 江东西 | JÄ«ngdÅngxÄ« | Nanjing | south of Shangqiu, Henan | western Shandong |
Jinghubei | èŠæ¹–北 | è†æ¹–北 | JÄ«nghúbÄ›i | Jiangling | Hubei, western Hunan | |
Jinghunan | èŠæ¹–å— | èŠæ¹–å— | JÄ«nghúnán | Tanzhou | Changsha | Hunan |
Jingji | 京畿 | 京畿 | Jīngjī | Chenliu | Chenliu, Kaifeng, Henan | Kaifeng and environs |
Jingxibei | 京西北 | 京西北 | Jīngxīběi | Xijing | Luoyang | central Henan |
Jingxinan | äº¬è¥¿å— | äº¬è¥¿å— | JÄ«ngxÄ«nán | Xiangzhou | Xiangfan | southern Henan, northern Hubei |
Kuizhou | 夔州 | 夔州 | KuÃzhÅu | Kuizhou | Fengjie County, Chongqing | Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, Guizhou |
Liangzhe | 兩浙 | 两浙 | Liǎngzhè | Hangzhou | Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Shanghai | |
Lizhou | 利州 | 利州 | LìzhÅu | Xingyuan | Hanzhong | northern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi |
Qinfeng | 秦鳳 | 秦凤 | QÃnfèng | Qinzhou | Tianshui | southern Gansu |
Yongxingjun | æ°¸èˆˆè» | 永兴军 | YÇ’ngxÄ«ngjÅ«n | Jingzhao | Xi'an | Shaanxi |
Zizhou | 梓州 | 梓州 | ZÇzhÅu | Zizhou | Santai County, Sichuan | central southern Sichuan |
Provinces under the Jin and Southern Song Dynasties
The Jurchens invaded China proper in Jin–Song wars of the 12th century. In 1142, peace was formalized between the Jurchen Jin dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, which was forced to cede all of North China to the Jurchens.
By the beginning of the 13th century, the Jurchens had moved their capital to Zhongdu (modern Beijing) and had adopted Chinese administrative structures. The Song Dynasty also maintained the same structure over the southern half of China that they continued to govern.
Circuits of China under the Jurchen Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Capital | Approximant extent in terms of modern locations | |
Ancient name | Modern location | |||||
Jin Dynasty | ||||||
Beijing | 北京 | 北京 | Běijīng | Beijing | Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia | eastern Manchuria |
Damingfu | 大å府 | 大å府 | Dà mÃngfÇ” | Daming Fu | Daming County, Hebei | border of Henan, Hebei, Shandong |
Dongjing | æ±äº¬ | 东京 | DÅngjÄ«ng | Dongjing | Liaoyang | Liaoning |
Fengxiang | 鳳翔 | 凤翔 | Fèngxiáng | Fengxiang Fu | Fengxiang County, Shaanxi | western Shaanxi, eastern Gansu |
Fuyan | 鄜延 | 鄜延 | Fūyán | Yan'an | northern Shaanxi | |
Hebeidong | æ²³åŒ—æ± | 河北东 | HébÄ›idÅng | Hejian | Hejian, Hebei | eastern Hebei |
Hebeixi | 河北西 | 河北西 | Héběixī | Zhending | Zhengding County, Hebei | western Hebei |
Hedongbei | æ²³æ±åŒ— | 河东北 | HédÅngbÄ›i | Taiyuan | northern Shanxi | |
Hedongnan | æ²³æ±å— | æ²³ä¸œå— | HédÅngnán | Pingyang | Linfen | southern Shanxi |
Jingzhaofu | 京兆府 | 京兆府 | Jīngzhà ofǔ | Jingzhao Fu | Xi'an | central Shaanxi |
Lintao | 臨洮 | 临洮 | LÃntáo | Lintao | Lintao County, Gansu | southern Gansu |
Nanjing | å—京 | å—京 | NánjÄ«ng | Nanjing | Kaifeng | Henan, northern Anhui |
Qingyuan | 慶原 | 庆原 | Qìngyuán | Qingyang | eastern Gansu | |
Shandongdong | å±±æ±æ± | 山东东 | ShÄndÅngdÅng | Yidu Fu | Qingzhou, Shandong | eastern Shandong |
Shandongxi | å±±æ±è¥¿ | 山东西 | ShÄndÅngxÄ« | Dongping Fu | Dongping County, Shandong | western Shandong |
Shangjing | 上京 | 上京 | Shà ngjīng | Shangjing | Acheng, Heilongjiang | northern Manchuria |
Xianping | 咸平 | 咸平 | XiánpÃng | Xianping Fu | Kaiyuan, Liaoning | northern Liaoning |
Xijing | 西京 | 西京 | Xījīng | Xijing | Datong | northern Shanxi, central Inner Mongolia |
Zhongdu | ä¸éƒ½ | ä¸éƒ½ | ZhÅngdÅ« | Zhongdu | Beijing | northern Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin |
Southern Song Dynasty | ||||||
Chengdufu | æˆéƒ½åºœ | æˆéƒ½åºœ | ChéngdÅ«fÇ” | Chengdu | central Sichuan | |
Fujian | ç¦å»º | ç¦å»º | Fújià n | Fuzhou | Fujian | |
Guangnandong | 廣å—æ± | 广å—东 | GuÇŽngnándÅng | Guangzhou | eastern Guangdong | |
Guangnanxi | 廣å—西 | 广å—西 | GuÇŽngnánxÄ« | Jingjiang Fu | Guilin | western Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan |
Huainandong | æ·®å—æ± | æ·®å—东 | HuáinándÅng | Yangzhou | central Jiangsu | |
Huainanxi | æ·®å—西 | æ·®å—西 | HuáinánxÄ« | Luzhou | Hefei | central Anhui |
Jiangnandong | 江å—æ± | 江å—东 | JiÄngnándÅng | Jiangning Fu | Nanjing | southern Anhui |
Jiangnanxi | 江å—西 | æ±Ÿå— | JiÄngnánxÄ« | Longxing Fu | Nanchang | Jiangxi |
Jinghubei | èŠæ¹–北 | èŠæ¹–北 | JÄ«nghúbÄ›i | Jiangling | Hubei, western Hunan | |
Jinghunan | èŠæ¹–å— | èŠæ¹–å— | JÄ«nghúnán | Tanzhou | Changsha | Hunan |
Jingxinan | äº¬è¥¿å— | äº¬è¥¿å— | JÄ«ngxÄ«nán | Xiangyang Fu | Xiangfan | southern Henan, northern Hubei |
Kuizhou | 夔州 | 夔州 | KuÃzhÅu | Kuizhou | Fengjie County, Chongqing | Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, Guizhou |
Liangzhedong | å…©æµ™æ± | 兩浙东 | LiÇŽngzhèdÅng | Shaoxing | central and southern Zhejiang | |
Liangzhexi | 兩浙西 | 兩浙西 | Liǎngzhèxī | Hangzhou | northern Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Shanghai | |
Lizhoudong | åˆ©å·žæ± | 利州东 | LìzhÅudÅng | Xingyuan | Hanzhong | northern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi |
Lizhouxi | 利州西 | 利州西 | LìzhÅuxÄ« | Mianzhou | Lueyang, Shaanxi | northern Sichuan, southern Gansu |
Tongchuanfu | æ½¼å·åºœ | æ½¼å·åºœ | TóngchuÄnfÇ” | Luzhou | central southern Sichuan |

Provinces under the Yuan Dynasty
The Mongols, who succeeded in subjugating all of China under the Yuan Dynasty in 1279, introduced the precursors to the modern provinces as a new primary administrative level:
- Provinces (è¡Œä¸æ›¸çœ/è¡Œä¸ä¹¦çœ, xÃngzhÅngshÅ«shÄ›ng)
- Circuits (é“, dà o)
- Prefectures (larger: 府, fÇ”; smaller: å·ž, zhÅu)
- Counties
Provinces of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Capital | Approximant extent in terms of modern locations | |
Ancient name | Modern location | |||||
Gansu | 甘肅 | 甘肃 | GÄnsù | Ganzhou | Zhangye | Gansu, Ningxia |
Huguang | 湖廣 | 湖广 | Huguǎng | Wuchang | Hunan, western Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan | |
Henanjiangbei | æ²³å—江北 | æ²³å—江北 | HénánjiÄngbÄ›i | Bianliang | Kaifeng | Henan, northern Hubei, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui |
Jiangxi | 江西 | 江西 | JiÄngxÄ« | Longxing | Nanchang | Jiangxi, eastern Guangdong |
Jiangzhe | 江浙 | 江浙 | JiÄngzhè | Hangzhou | Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Fujian | |
Liaoyang | é¼é™½ | 辽阳 | Liáoyáng | Liaoyang | Manchuria, northeastern Korea | |
Lingbei | 嶺北 | å²åŒ— | LÇngbÄ›i | Helin | Kharkhorin (Karakorum) | Mongolia, northern Inner Mongolia |
Shaanxi | é™è¥¿ | 陕西 | ShÇŽnxi | Fengyuan | Xi'an | Shaanxi |
Sichuan | å››å· | å››å· | SìchuÄn | Chengdu | eastern and central Sichuan | |
Yunnan | é›²å— | äº‘å— | Yúnnán | Zhongqing | Kunming | Yunnan, Upper Burma |
Zhengdong | å¾æ± | å¾ä¸œ | ZhÄ“ngdÅng | Kaesong | Most of Korea |
The area around the capital, corresponding to modern Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, central Inner Mongolia, Beijing, and Tianjin, was called the Central Region (è…¹è£/腹里) and not put into any province, but was directly controlled by the Central Secretariat (Zhongshu Sheng). The Tibetan Plateau was controlled by the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs (Xuanzheng Yuan).
Provinces under the Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty continued with this system and had provinces that were almost exactly the same as those in modern China proper. The differences were Huguang had not yet been split into Hubei and Hunan; Gansu and Ningxia were still part of Shaanxi; Anhui and Jiangsu were together as South Zhili; portions of what are today the provinces of Hebei, Beijing, and Tianjin were part of the province of North Zhili; and Hainan, Shanghai, and Chongqing were still parts of their original provinces at this time. This makes for a total of 15 provinces. Annan Province, formerly known as Jiaozhi, Jiaozhou, Lingnan and Rinan, was also re-established in 1407 when the area encompassing northern and central Vietnam was reconquered for the fourth time. However, the province eventually emerged as its own state in 1428 under the Later Le Dynasty of Dai Viet.
Provinces of the Ming Dynasty | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Capital | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Modern divisions |
North Zhili | 北直隸 | 北直隶 | BÄ›izhÃlì | Shuntian (Beijing) | é †å¤©åºœ(北京) | 顺天府(北京) | Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin |
South Zhili | å—直隸 | å—直隶 | NánzhÃlì | Yingtian (Nanjing) | 應天府(å—京) | 应天府(å—京) | Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai |
Fujian | ç¦å»º | ç¦å»º | Fújià n | Fuzhou (Fuzhou) | ç¦å·žåºœ | ç¦å·žåºœ | |
Guangdong | å»£æ± | 广东 | GuÇŽngdÅng | Guangzhou (Guangzhou) | 廣州府 | 广州府 | Guangdong, Hainan |
Guangxi | 廣西 | 广西 | Guǎngxī | Guilin (Guilin) | 桂林府 | 桂林府 | |
Guizhou | è²´å·ž | 贵州 | GuìzhÅu | Guiyang (Guiyang) | 貴陽府 | 贵阳府 | |
Henan | æ²³å— | æ²³å— | Hénán | Kaifeng (Kaifeng) | é–‹å°åºœ | å¼€å°åºœ | |
Huguang | 湖廣 | 湖广 | HúguÇŽng | Wuchang (Wuhan) | æ¦æ˜Œåºœ(æ¦æ¼¢) | æ¦æ˜Œåºœï¼ˆæ¦æ±‰ï¼‰ | Hubei, Hunan |
Jiangxi | 江西 | 江西 | JiÄngxÄ« | Nanchang (Nanchang) | å—昌府 | å—昌府 | |
Shaanxi | é™è¥¿ | é™è¥¿ | ShÇŽnxÄ« | Xi'an (Xi'an) | 西安府 | 西安府 | Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi |
Shandong | å±±æ± | 山东 | ShÄndÅng | Jinan (Jinan) | æ¿Ÿå—府 | 济å—府 | |
Shanxi | 山西 | 山西 | ShÄnxÄ« | Taiyuan (Taiyuan) | 太原府 | 太原府 | |
Sichuan | å››å· | å››å· | SìchuÄn | Chengdu (Chengdu) | æˆéƒ½åºœ | æˆéƒ½åºœ | Chongqing, Sichuan |
Yunnan | é›²å— | äº‘å— | Yúnnán | Yunnan (Kunming) | 雲å—府(昆明) | 云å—府(昆明) | |
Zhejiang | 浙江 | 浙江 | ZhèjiÄng | Hangzhou (Hangzhou) | æ州府 | æ州府 |
Provinces and Protectorates under the Qing Dynasty

In 1644, Beijing fell to the Manchus, who established the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China. The Qing government applied the following system over China proper:
- Provinces (çœ, shÄ›ng)
- Circuits (é“, dà o)
- Prefectures (府, fÇ”), Independent Departments (直隸州/直隶州, zhÃlìzhÅu), and Independent Subprefectures (直隸廳/厅, zhÃlìtÄ«ng)
- Counties (縣/县, xià n), Departments (散州, sà nzhÅu), Subprefectures (散廳/散厅, sà ntÄ«ng)
The Qing split Shaanxi into Shaanxi and Gansu, Huguang into Hubei and Hunan, and South Zhili into Jiangsu and Anhui. Hebei was now called Zhili rather than North Zhili. These provinces are now nearly identical to modern ones. Collectively they are called the "Eighteen Provinces", a concept that endured for several centuries as synonymous to China proper.
This system applied only to China proper, with the rest of the empire under differently systems. Manchuria, Xinjiang, and Outer Mongolia were ruled by military generals assigned by the Lifan Yuan, while Inner Mongolia was organized into leagues. The Qing court put Amdo under their direct control and organized it as Qinghai and also sent imperial commissioners to Tibet (Ü-Tsang and western Kham, approximately the area of the present-day Tibet Autonomous Region) to oversee its affairs.
In the late 19th century, Xinjiang and Taiwan were both set up as provinces. However, Taiwan was ceded to Imperial Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. Near the end of the dynasty, Manchuria was also reorganized into three more provinces (Fengtian, Jilin, Heilongjiang), bringing the total number to twenty-two. In 1906, the first romanization system of Mandarin Chinese, postal romanization, was officially sanctioned by the Imperial Postal Joint-Session Conference, which showed in the following table.
Provinces of the Qing Dynasty (1911) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Period Name (Current Name) | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Abbreviation | Capital | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese |
China proper | |||||||
Anhwei (Anhui) | 安徽 | 安徽 | Ānhuī | 皖 wǎn | Anching (Anqing) | 安慶 | 安庆 |
Chekiang (Zhejiang) | 浙江 | 浙江 | ZhèjiÄng | æµ™ zhè | Hangchow (Hangzhou) | æå·ž | æå·ž |
Chihli (Zhili) | 直隸 | 直隶 | ZhÃlì | ç›´ zhà | Paoting (Baoding) | ä¿å®š | ä¿å®š |
Fukien (Fujian) | ç¦å»º | ç¦å»º | Fújià n | é–© mÇn | Foochow (Fuzhou) | ç¦å·ž | ç¦å·ž |
Honan (Henan) | æ²³å— | æ²³å— | Hénán | 豫 yù | Kaifeng (Kaifeng) | é–‹å° | å¼€å° |
Hupeh (Hubei) | 湖北 | 湖北 | HúbÄ›i | é„‚ è | Wuchang (Wuchang) | æ¦æ˜Œ | æ¦æ˜Œ |
Hunan (Hunan) | æ¹–å— | æ¹–å— | Húnán | 湘 xiÄng | Changsha (Changsha) | é•·æ²™ | é•¿æ²™ |
Kansu (Gansu) | 甘肅 | 甘肃 | GÄnsù | 甘 gÄn or éš´ lÇ’ng | Lanchow (Lanzhou) | è˜å·ž | å…°å·ž |
Kiangsu (Jiangsu) | 江蘇 | æ±Ÿè‹ | JiÄngsÅ« | 蘇 sÅ« | Kiangning (Nanjing) Soochow (Suzhou) | 江寧(å—京) 蘇州 | 江å®(å—京) è‹å·ž |
Kiangsi (Jiangxi) | 江西 | 江西 | JiÄngxÄ« | è´› gà n | Nanchang (Nanchang) | å—昌 | å—昌 |
Kwangtung (Guangdong) | å»£æ± | 广东 | GuÇŽngdÅng | ç²µ yuè | Canton (Guangzhou) | 廣州 | 广州 |
Kwangsi (Guangxi) | 廣西 | 广西 | Guǎngxī | 桂 guì | Kweilin (Guilin) | 桂林 | 桂林 |
Kweichow (Guizhou) | è²´å·ž | 贵州 | GuìzhÅu | é»” qián or è²´ guì | Kweiyang (Guiyang) | 貴陽 | 贵阳 |
Shansi (Shanxi) | 山西 | 山西 | ShÄnxÄ« | 晉 jìn | Taiyuan (Taiyuan) | 太原 | 太原 |
Shantung (Shandong) | å±±æ± | 山东 | ShÄndÅng | é¯ lÇ” | Tsinan (Jinan) | æ¿Ÿå— | æµŽå— |
Shensi (Shaanxi) | é™è¥¿ | é™è¥¿ | ShÇŽnxÄ« | é™ shÇŽn or 秦 qÃn | Sian (Xi'an) | 西安 | 西安 |
Szechwan (Sichuan) | å››å· | å››å· | SìchuÄn | å· chuÄn or 蜀 shÇ” | Chengtu (Chengdu) | æˆéƒ½ | æˆéƒ½ |
Yunnan (Yunnan) | é›²å— | äº‘å— | Yúnnán | 滇 diÄn or 雲 yún | Yunnan (Kunming) | 雲å—(昆明) | 云å—(昆明) |
Manchuria (1907 incorporated into the provincial system) | |||||||
Fengtien (Liaoning) | 奉天 | 奉天 | FèngtiÄn | 奉 fèng | Mukden (Shenyang) | 盛京(瀋陽) | 盛京(沈阳) |
Heilungkiang (Heilongjiang) | 黑é¾æ±Ÿ | 黑龙江 | HÄ“ilóngjiÄng | 黑 hÄ“i | Tsitsihar (Qiqihar) | 齊齊哈爾 | é½é½å“ˆå°” |
Kirin (Jilin) | å‰æž— | å‰æž— | JÃlÃn | å‰ jà | Kirin (Jilin) | å‰æž— | å‰æž— |
Sinkiang (1884 incorporated into the provincial system) | |||||||
Sinkiang (Xinjiang) | æ–°ç–† | æ–°ç–† | XÄ«njiÄng | æ–° xÄ«n or ç–† jiÄng | Tihwa (Ãœrümqi) | 迪化(çƒé¯æœ¨é½Š) | 迪化(乌é²æœ¨é½) |
Protectorates of the Qing Dynasty | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Period Name (Current Name) | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Abbreviation | Capital | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | |
Tibet (Tibet) | è¥¿è— | è¥¿è— | XÄ«zà ng | è— zà ng | Lhasa (Lhasa) | 喇薩(拉薩) | å–‡è¨(拉è¨) | |
Tsinghai (Qinghai) | é’æµ· | é’æµ· | QÄ«nghÇŽi | é’ qÄ«ng | Sining (Xining) | 西寧 | è¥¿å® | |
Uliastai (Mongolia) | çƒé‡Œé›…蘇臺(è’™å¤) | 乌里雅è‹å°(è’™å¤) | WÅ«lÇyÇŽsÅ«tái (MénggÇ”) | — | Uliastai (Uliastai) | çƒé‡Œé›…蘇臺 | 乌里雅è‹å° | |
Altay (Altay) | 阿爾泰 | 阿尔泰 | Āĕrtà i | — | Chenghua Temple (Altay) | 承化寺(阿勒泰) | 承化寺(阿勒泰) | |
Inner Mongolia | å…§è’™å¤ | å†…è’™å¤ | Nèi MÄ›nggÇ” | None (The divisions below are direct administered by Lifan Yuan) | ||||
Jirim (Tongliao) | 哲里木盟(通é¼) | 哲里木盟(通辽) | ZhélÇmù | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
Josutu (part of Chifeng) | å“索圖盟 | å“索图盟 | ZhuósuÇ’tú | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
Yekejuu (Ordos) | 伊克æ˜ç›Ÿ(鄂尔多斯) | 伊克æ˜ç›Ÿ(鄂尔多斯) | YÄ«kèzhÄo | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
Juuuda (Chifeng) | æ˜çƒé”盟(赤峰) | æ˜ä¹Œè¾¾ç›Ÿ(赤峰) | ZhÄowÅ«dá | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
Xilingol | 錫林éƒå‹’盟 | 锡林éƒå‹’盟 | XÄ«lÃnguÅlè | ? | Xilinhot | 錫林浩特 | 锡林浩特 | |
Ulanqab | çƒè˜å¯Ÿå¸ƒç›Ÿ | 乌兰察布盟 | WÅ«lánchábù | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
Chahar (part of Xilingol) | 察哈爾 | 察哈尔 | CháhÄ'Ä›r | ? | Kalgan (Zhangjiakou) | 喀拉幹(張家å£) | 喀拉干(å¼ å®¶å£) | |
Alxa | 阿拉善厄é¯ç‰¹æ—— | 阿拉善厄é²ç‰¹æ—— | Ä€lÄshà n'èlÅtè | ? | Bayanhot | 定é 營 | å®šè¿œè¥ | |
Ejin (Ejin Banner) | é¡æ¿Ÿç´åœŸçˆ¾æ‰ˆç‰¹æ—— | é¢æµŽçº³åœŸå°”扈特旗 | Éjìnà tÅÄ•rhùtè | ? | ? | ? | ? |
See also
References
- ↑ http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1747&context=edissertations
- ↑ "What were the ancient 9 provinces?" on www.chinahistoryforum.com
- ↑ Twitchett 1979, p. 128.
- ↑ Twitchett 1979, pp. 203, 205.
- ↑ Twitchett 1979, p. 404.
Sources and further reading
- Twitchett, D. (1979), Cambridge History of China, Sui and T'ang China 589-906, Part I, vol.3, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-21446-7
- Guy,, R. Kent (2010). Qing Governors and Their Provinces: The Evolution of Territorial Administration in China, 1644-1796. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295990187.
External links
- Summary of terms
- Historical map scans - maps of various sheng, dao, fu, ting, and xian of the late Qing era.
- The province in history by John Fitzgerald