China Dimensions

Data Description

GB codes for the administrative regions of P. R. China are composed of six digits:

• The first two digits present provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government (for example, 440000 for Guangdong Province; 150000 for the Tibet Autonomous Region; and 110000 for Beijing).
• The next two digits represent prefectures, prefecture-level cities, leagues, autonomous prefectures in each provinces and autonomous regions, and districts and counties in each municipality directly under the Central Government (for example, 440100 for Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province; 152200 for Xing'an League in the Tibet Autonomous Region; and 110100 for Shixiaqu in Beijing etc.). These digits are coded as:
  • 01-20, 51-70 for reprefecture-level cities;
  • 21-50 for prefectures including leagues and autonomous prefectures
• The last two digits represent counties including county-level Shixiaqu, county-level cities, counties, banners and autonomous counties (for example, 440182 for Huado City of Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province, 152224 for Tuquan County in Xing'an League in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and 110108 for Haidian District of Beijing Shixiaqu). These digits are coded as:
  • 01-18 for county-level cities under the prefecture-level cities and Shixiaqu;
  • 21-80 for counties and banners;
  • 81-99 for county-level cities under the province

For more information, see China_GB_Codes_Documentation.pdf.

Data Sources

The GB Codes of China dataset was provided by Prof. William Lavely (Director of CITAS - China in Time and Space - Project and Associate Professor at University of Washington) and Ms. Alana Boland (Research Assistant, CITAS-University of Washington).

The data were created from the sources as following:

• State Bureau of Technological Supervision, P. R. China, Codes for Administrative Divisions of China, China Standardization Press, 1980.
• State Bureau of Technological Supervision, P. R. China: Codes for Administrative Divisions of China, China Standardization Press, 1982.
• State Bureau of Technological Supervision, P. R. China: Codes for Administrative Divisions of China, China Standardization Press, 1984.
• State Bureau of Technological Supervision, P. R. China: Codes for Administrative Divisions of China, China Standardization Press, 1986.
• State Bureau of Technological Supervision, P. R. China: Codes for Administrative Divisions of China, China Standardization Press, 1988.
• State Bureau of Technological Supervision, P. R. China: Codes for Administrative Divisions of China, China Standardization Press, 1991.
• State Bureau of Technological Supervision, P. R. China: Codes for Administrative Divisions of China, China Standardization Press, 1995.
• Li Shaofeng, Zhang Ai, and Ding Yaxiang: Manual of the Codes for the Administrative Divisions of P. R. China, Science Dissemination Press, 1991.
• Chen Chao and Wang Xiguang: Manual of the Changes to the Administrative Districts of China, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1991.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1982.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1983.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1984.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1985.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1986.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1987.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1988.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1989.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1990.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1991.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1992.
• Ministry of Civil Affairs, Peoples' Republic of China, China Administrative Divisions Yearbook, China Cartographic Publishing House, 1993.

Acknowledgements

Contributors

The GB Codes of China dataset was produced by the team let by Prof. William Lavely (Director of CITAS - China in Time and Space - Project and Associate Professor at University of Washington) and Ms. Alana Boland (Research Assistant, CITAS-University of Washington). Professor Yao Xurong (Director of Cartography Department at Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping, Beijing, China) and Dr. Liu Chuang (Information Scientist at CIESIN) checked and edited the dataset based on the documentation of GB code changes of China.

Ms. Alisa Chang (Research Assistant, CITAS-University of Washington), Ms. Jie Guo (Research Assistant, CITAS-University of Washington), Ms. Ning Gu (Research Assistant, CITAS-University of Washington), Mr. Jianxue Huang (Associate Director of Information Department at Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping and Visiting Scholar at University of Washington), Dr. Qin Tang (CITAS Database Manager at University of Washington), and Ms. Kathy Yuan (Research Assistant, CITAS-University of Washington) joined the team for data entry and data checking. Professor G. William Skinner (Professor at University of California-Davis) provided overall consultation.

Mr. Richard Cicone (Director of the Information Resources and Technology, CIESIN) coordinated the project support by CIESIN in 1994 and 1995.

The SEDAC (Socioeconomic Data and Application Center) China task group coordinated data management at CIESIN. Contributors included: Dr. Liu Chuang (China Task Leader) for coordinating between CIESIN and CITAS, and within the China task group; Dr. Karen C. Sullivan (Information Specialist) for the metadata records; Mr. Xiaoshi Xing (Data Systems Specialist) for archiving the data; Mrs. Clara J del Valle (Data Specialist) for permission of the data dissemination; Dr. Liu Chuang and Dr. Darryl Charache (Information Scientist) for the World Wide Web (WWW) site; Mr. Richard L. Robinson (User Services Manager) and Mr. Jack M. Evans (Data Specialist) for user support; Dr. Robert Chen (Director of Data Center Services and SEDAC Project Manager) provided overall project guidance.

Organizations

China in Time and Space (CITAS) University of Washington, USA

Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)

Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping, Beijing, China (CASM)