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Municipality 直辖市 Zhíxiáshì

Number	4 (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing)

Administrative divisions of China
Province-level (1st) Municipalities Provinces Autonomous regions Special administrative regions
Sub-provincial level Sub-provincial cities Sub-provincial autonomous prefectures Sub-provincial city districts
Prefecture-level (2nd) Prefectural cities Autonomous prefectures Leagues (Aimag) (abolishing) Prefectures (abolishing)
Sub-prefectural-level Sub-prefectural cities Provincial-controlled cities Provincial-controlled counties Provincial-controlled districts
County level (3rd) Counties Autonomous counties County-level cities Districts Ethnic districts Banners (Hoxu) Autonomous banners Shennongjia Forestry District Liuzhi Special District Wolong Special Administrative Region Workers and peasants districts (obsolete)
Analogous county level units Management areas Management committee
Township level (4th) Townships Ethnic townships Towns Subdistricts Subdistrict bureaux Sum Ethnic sum County-controlled districts County-controlled district bureaux (obsolete) Management committees Town-level city (pilot)
Analogous township level units Management areas Management committee Areas Farms area (Overseas Chinese Farm Region [zh]), Prison area, University towns, etc.
Village level (5th) (Grassroots Autonomous Organizations) Villages · Gaqa · Ranches Village Committees Communities Residential Committees
Others Regions Capital cities New areas Autonomous administrative divisions National Central Cities Special Economic Zones
History: before 1912, 1912–49, 1949–present Administrative division codes
v t e

A direct-administered municipality (直辖市; Zhíxiáshì; 'direct-administered city'; commonly known as municipality)^[1] is a city of China that is directly affiliated with the central government and is not placed under any provinces. There are four municipalities in China: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing.

Although being as a city by name, a municipality is more than city in a traditional sense. It is usually composed of a central urban area and a number of much larger surrounding suburban and rural areas.

^ "Administrative Division". The State Council of the People's Republic of China. Aug 26, 2014. Retrieved 2021-07-21.