中国行政区划呈现出"中央-省(自治区、直辖市)-自治州(盟)、市-县(旗)、市-乡镇"的多层级状态。调整规模、减少层级、增强活力,是中国地方行政区划体制以及相伴生的政府管理体制进一步改革的长期战略任务和目标。实施省直管县市体制是中国地方行政区划层级体制及政府行政管理体制改革的关键环节,它事关国家的长治久安和地方社会经济的可持续发展,具有长远的战略意义和实践意义。

Chinese Administrative Division has been displayed as a state of multilevel levels:Central Government, Province (The autonomous region, the municipality directly under the Central Government), the prefecture cities and autonomous prefectures (League), City or County (Banner), Town. In the process of building the well-off society in a all-round way in China, the problem of overmuch hierarchies in administrative division has been presented once again. Especially, the administrative system of the prefecture cities between the province and county or city, which bears remarkable trails of the planning economy and the idealization for the management of the society and economy since 1980s, has been an important government level and, in practice, it has brought out a lot of problems such as legal criterion, economic benefits, administration of society and the relationship between the rural areas and cities. Adjusting scale, reducing levels, enhance vigor of the local government is an important strategic task and goal for reforming the local administrative division hierarchy system and government administration system in a long-term in China.