中国 中國
zhōngguóㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ
china, literally “middle kingdom”
Officially the People's Republic of China: 9.6 million km², 1.4 billion people, the world's most populous until India passed it; the 'middle kingdom' worldview in two characters.
省
shěngㄕㄥˇ
province, literally “province”
China's top administrative unit: 23 claimed provinces plus autonomous regions, municipalities and SARs; provinces hold enormous power in Chinese governance.
直辖市 直轄市
zhíxiáshìㄓˊ ㄒㄧㄚˊ ㄕˋ
direct-administered municipality, literally “direct-governed city”
Cities ranked as provinces, answering directly to Beijing: 北京 上海 天津 重庆. Chongqing is the largest city by area on Earth.
自治区 自治區
zìzhìqūㄗˋ ㄓˋ ㄑㄩ
autonomous region, literally “self-governing region”
Provincial units for major minority groups: 内蒙古 广西 西藏 宁夏 新疆. Autonomy on paper; governance largely mirrors provinces.
特别行政区 特別行政區
tèbié xíngzhèngqūㄊㄜˋ ㄅㄧㄝˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄓㄥˋ ㄑㄩ
special administrative region, literally “special admin region”
Hong Kong and Macau: 'one country, two systems' keeps their separate law, currency and borders for 50 years from handover.
地级市 地級市
dìjí shìㄉㄧˋ ㄐㄧˊ ㄕˋ
prefecture-level city, literally “prefecture city”
The middle tier of administration: a city governing its counties and rural hinterland; most Chinese 'cities' on maps are these sprawling hybrids.
县城 縣城
xiànchéngㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄔㄥˊ
county seat, literally “county town”
The administrative heart of a county, where most Chinese actually live: neither metropolis nor village but the everyday China between.
港澳台 港澳臺
gǎng'àotáiㄍㄤˇ ㄠˋ ㄊㄞˊ
hong kong, macau, taiwan, literally “HK-Macau-Taiwan”
The official shorthand for the 'greater China' territories with distinct political status; ordering matters politically.
长三角 長三角
chángsānjiǎoㄓㄤˇ ㄙㄢ ㄐㄧㄠˇ
yangtze river delta, literally “long triangle”
The Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang megaregion of 240 million: China's richest and most urbanized zone, built on the delta's ports.
珠三角
zhūsānjiǎoㄓㄨ ㄙㄢ ㄐㄧㄠˇ
pearl river delta, literally “pearl triangle”
The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong manufacturing belt that made 'Made in China'; nine cities fused into one economic organism.
京津冀
jīng-jīn-jìㄐㄧㄥ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄐㄧˋ
beijing-tianjin-hebei, literally “Jing-Jin-Ji”
The capital megaregion trying to spread Beijing's functions across Tianjin and Hebei; Xiongan New Area is its flagship experiment.
成渝
chéngyúㄔㄥˊ ㄩˊ
chengdu-chongqing, literally “Cheng-Yu”
The twin-city economic circle of the southwest: two giants 300 km apart building China's fourth growth pole.
中原
zhōngyuánㄓㄨㄥ ㄩㄢˊ
the central plain, literally “middle plain”
The Yellow River heartland around Henan: where Chinese civilization started and the name 中 'central' meant literally the center of the world.
江南
jiāngnánㄐㄧㄤ ㄋㄢˊ
south of the yangtze, literally “river south”
The misty, wealthy, poetic lower-Yangtze land of gardens and canals: Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing; more a cultural image than a border.