These cities are each governed and administered directly under their provincial government. There are currently 278 prefecture-level cities, of which 17 are provincial capitals. They are Changsha, Fuzhou, Guiyang, Haikou, Hefei, Hohhot, Kunming, Lanzhou, Lhasa, Nanchang, Nanning, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Ürümqi, Xining, Yinchuan and Zhengzhou.
In total, there are 278 prefecture-level cities in China.