23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural), and two special administrative regions (tebie xingzhengqu, singular and plural)
provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)
autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), Ningxia, Xinjiang Uyghur, Xizang (Tibet)
municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
special administrative regions: Hong Kong, Macau
Dragon, giant panda; national colors: red, yellow.
Title | "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers) |
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Lyric/music | TIAN Han/NIE Er |
Date of Independence | 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established); notable earlier dates: 221 B.C. (unification under the Qin Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China) |
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National holiday | National Day (anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949) |
Legal system | civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; note - on 28 May 2020, the National People's Congress adopted the PRC Civil Code, which codifies personal relations and property relations |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
Constitution | |
History | Several previous; latest promulgated 4 December 1982 |
Amendments | Proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress or supported by more than one fifth of the National People’s Congress membership; passage requires more than two-thirds majority vote of the Congress membership; amended several times, last in 2018 |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | no |
Citizenship by descent only | least one parent must be a citizen of China |
Dual citizenship recognized | no |
Residency requirement for naturalization | while naturalization is theoretically possible, in practical terms it is extremely difficult; residency is required but not specified |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013) |
Head of government | Premier LI Qiang (since 11 March 2023) |
Cabinet | State Council appointed by National People's Congress |
Elections/appointments | president and vice president indirectly elected by National People's Congress; election last held on 10 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2028); premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress |
Election results | 2023: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,952 (unanimously); HAN Zheng elected vice president with 2,952 votes 2018: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,970 (unanimously); WANG Qishan elected vice president with 2,969 votes |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Unicameral National People's Congress (NPC) or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (maximum of 3,000 seats; members indirectly elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses, and the People's Liberation Army; members serve 5-year terms) |
Elections | The 14th NPC convened on 5 March 2023; the 15th NPC will convene in March 2028 |
Election results | Percent of vote - NA; seats by party - NA; the 14th NPC consists of 2,977 delegates; 2,187 men, 790 women, percentage women 26.5% |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | Supreme People's Court (consists of over 340 judges, including the chief justice and 13 grand justices organized into a civil committee and tribunals for civil, economic, administrative, complaint and appeal, and communication and transportation cases) |
Judge selection and term of office | Chief justice appointed by the People's National Congress (NPC); limited to 2 consecutive 5-year-terms; other justices and judges nominated by the chief justice and appointed by the Standing Committee of the NPC; term of other justices and judges determined by the NPC |
Subordinate courts | Higher People's Courts; Intermediate People's Courts; District and County People's Courts; Autonomous Region People's Courts; International Commercial Courts; Special People's Courts for military, maritime, transportation, and forestry issues |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador XIE Feng (since 30 June 2023) |
Chancery | 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 495-2266 |
FAX | [1] (202) 495-2138 |
Email address and website | [email protected] http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/ |
Consulate(s) general | Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco; note - the US ordered closure of the Houston consulate in late July 2020 |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Nicholas BURNS (since 2 April 2022) |
Embassy | 55 Anjialou Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100600 |
Mailing address | 7300 Beijing Place, Washington DC 20521-7300 |
Telephone | [86] (10) 8531-3000 |
FAX | [86] (10) 8531-4200 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/ |
Consulate(s) general | Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan; note - the Chinese Government ordered closure of the US consulate in Chengdu in late July 2020 |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 59 (40 cultural, 15 natural, 4 mixed) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (c); Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (c); The Great Wall (c); Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing (c); Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (n); Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa (c); Ancient Ancient City of Ping Yao (c); Historic Center of Macau (c); Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth” (c); The Grand Canal (c); Mount Huangshan (m);Mogao Caves (c);Mount Taishan (m);Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian(c);Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area (n);Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (n);Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (c);Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde (c);Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu (c);Lushan National Park (c);Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area (m); Classical Gardens of Suzhou (c);Old Town of Lijiang (c);Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing (c); Dazu Rock Carvings (c); Mount Wuyi (m); Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun (c);Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (c); Longmen Grottoes (c); Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (c); Yungang Grottoes (c); Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (n); Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom (c);Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains (c);Yin Xu (c);Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (c);South China Karst (n);Fujian Tulou (c);Mount Sanqingshan National Park (n);Mount Wutai (c);China Danxia (n)West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou (c);Chengjiang Fossil Site (n);Site of Xanadu (c)Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces(c);Xinjiang Tianshan (n);Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (c);Tusi Sites (c);Hubei Shennongjia (n);Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape (c);Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement (c);Qinghai Hoh Xil (n);Fanjingshan (n);Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City (c);Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (n);Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China (c; )Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er (c); Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes (n); Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital(c) |
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