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The Tang Dynasty also established fǔ (府), which were ''zhou'' of special importance, such as capitals and other major cities. These are also translated as "prefectures" into English. '''Fu''' was borrowed into the Japanese Language and is still used today as the designation of Osaka Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture . See Prefectures Of Japan . ''Zhou'' is usually rendered by several terms into the English language:
As an administrative entity, ''zhou'' exist today only in the form of ''zìzhìzhōu'', or Autonomous Prefecture s. These were established by the People's Republic Of China as administrative areas for Designated Minorities . These ''zhou'' are not connected to the historical ''zhou'' described in the rest of this article. ''Zhou'' have left a huge mark on the , as well as the major cities of Guangzhou , Fuzhou , Hangzhou , Zhengzhou , Lanzhou , Suzhou , Wenzhou , and many more, all owe their -zhou endings to their onetime status as ''zhou''. The same goes for the Korea n province of Jeju , as well as the cities of Gwangju , Jeonju , Naju , Cheongju , Chungju , Gongju , Sinŭiju , and many more. HISTORY ''Zhou'' were first mentioned in several ancient texts, notably the '' Yugong ''. All of these texts divided China into nine ''zhou'', though they differed as to what the ''zhou'' specifically were. These ''zhou'' were geographical concepts, not administrative entities. The Han Dynasty was the first to formalize the ''zhou'' into actual administrative divisions, by establishing 14 ''zhou'' all across China. Because these ''zhou'' were the largest divisions of the China at the time, they are translated as "provinces". After the Han Dynasty, however, the number of ''zhou'' began to increase. By the time the Sui Dynasty began, there were over a hundred ''zhou'' all across China. (See History Of The Political Divisions Of China#Ancient Times for a table of ''zhou'' under the Western Jin Dynasty .) The ; from here onwards ''zhou'' were lowered to second-level status, and they are therefore translated into English as "prefectures". ''Zhou'' then continued to survive as a second- or third-level political division all the way until the Qing Dynasty . The Republic Of China abolished ''zhou'' altogether, leaving the word ''zhou'' to survive only as a fossil in the names of cities such as Guangzhou and Hangzhou . The People's Republic Of China , on the other hand, has recycled the name, and now use it to refer to Autonomous Prefecture s, or ''zìzhìzhōu'', a Prefecture-level Division . |
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