Direct-administered municipality

A direct-administered municipality (直辖市; Zhíxiáshì; lit. 'direct-administered city'), commonly known as a municipality, is a provincial-level administrative division in China. The municipalities are directly affiliated with the central government of China. Although a city by name, a Chinese municipality is more than a city in a traditional sense. It is equivalent to a province as it is usually composed of a central urban area and a number of much larger surrounding suburban and rural areas. There are four such municipalities in China: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Tianjin.