Greater administrative area

Greater administrative areas (大行政区 Pinyin: daqingzhengqu) were an early top-level subdivision of the People's Republic of China that directly governed provinces and municipalities. These were the largest ever political divisions of China and were controlled by the Central People's Government. They were dissolved from June to November 1954.

The greater administrative areas originated from the of the districts of the general governors (總督轄區), established during the late Qing Dynasty. The six greater administrative areas were:

{| border=1 style="border-collapse: collapse;" |-bgcolor= lightgreen ! Area !! Hanzi !! Initial subdivisions !! 1st chairman !! Capital !! Creation !! People's gov't creation |------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | North China Area ||華北區|| Hebei, Shanxi, Chahar, Pingyuan, Suiyuan, Beijing, and Tianjin || ? || Beijing? || May 1948 || August 1948 || |------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Northeast China Area ||東北區|| Songjiang, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaodong, Liaoxi, Rehe, Lüshun-Dalian, Shenyang, Benxi, Anshan, and Fushun ||Gao Gang (高崗) || Shengyang || August 1946 || August 1949 || |------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | East China Area ||華東區|| Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Shandong, Shanghai, and Nanjing || Rao Shushi (饒漱石) || Shanghai || January 1950 || |------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Central and South China Area ||中南區|| Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangdong, and Hankou || Lin Biao || Hankou || February 1950 || || |------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Northwest Area ||西北區|| Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Xi'an || Peng Dehuai || Xi'an || January 1950 || || |------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Southwest Area ||西南區|| Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xikang, and Chongqing || Liu Bocheng || Chongqing || February 1950 || || |------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |}

North China Area was the first to be abandoned on October 31, 1949 when the capital was established in Beijing. Its governed provinces were directly controlled by the Branch of North China (事務部) of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government instead. In May 1952, the control was again transferred to North China Administrative Council (行政委員會) of the Government Administration Council.

Entities equivalent to greater administrative areas were:

• Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region: never belonged to any greater administrative areas
• The Executive Committee of Qiongyai Minority Nationality Autonomous Region (瓊崖少數民族自治區行政委員會) from 1949, later assigned to Central and South China Area; the predecessor of Hainan
• Local Xizang Government (西藏地方政府) from 1951, later belonged to Southwest Area

Except the Northeast, which was governed by a People's Government, the areas' highest government bodies were Military and Administrative Committee (軍政委員會), which were replaced by administrative councils in November 1952.

The leaders of the greater administrative areas were chairmen (主席). (This is why the heads of autonomous regions are still called chairmen.)

The military areas, divisions of some major banks, and civilian aviation districts are still divided like the greater administrative areas.