Greater administrative regions or greater administrative areas were top-level administrative divisions of the Communist-held Liberated Zone in Northern China and later the nascent People's Republic of China that directly governed provinces and municipalities. These were the largest-ever political divisions of China and were controlled by the Central People's Government. They were dissolved between June and November 1954.
The greater administrative regions originated from the districts governed by governors-general established during the late Qing dynasty. The six greater administrative regions were:
| Region | Chinese Simplified Traditional | Initial subdivisions | 1st secretary | 1st chairman | Creation | People's gov't creation | Abolished | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hwapei (North China) | Chinese: 华北区 Chinese: 華北區 | 9 May 1948 | 26 September 1948 | 7 August 1954 | ||||
| Tongpei (Northeast) | Chinese: 东北区 Chinese: 東北區 | August 1946 | 27 August 1949 | 19 June 1954 | ||||
| Hwatung (East China) | Chinese: 华东区 Chinese: 華東區 | January 1950 | 29 August 1954 | |||||
| Chungnan (Central and South) | Chinese: 中南区 Chinese: 中南區 | February 1950 | 19 June 1954 | |||||
| Hsipei (Northwest) | Chinese: 西北区 Chinese: 西北區 | January 1950 | 10 December 1954 | |||||
| Hsinan (Southwest) | Chinese: 西南区 Chinese: 西南區 | February 1950 | 1 November 1954 | |||||
The highest officials of the greater administrative regions were known as chairmen . (From this historical origin derives the term still used today for the top officials of China's autonomous regions.)
The North China Region was the first to be abandoned on October 31, 1949, given the People's Republic by now had been established with Beijing as capital city. The provinces it governed were thenceforth directly controlled by the North China Branch of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government instead. In May 1952, control was again transferred, this time to the North China Administrative Council of the Government Administration Council.
Several other large-scale entities governed parts of China's territory during this time and were equivalent to greater administrative regions:
Except the Northeast, which was governed by a People's Government, the regions' highest government bodies were Military and Administrative Committees, which were replaced by administrative councils in November 1952.
Several domains in China today retain the same structure of geographic divisions as the GAAs. Military administrative regions, the divisions of some major banks, and civil aviation districts are still divided in the same form as the greater administrative regions.