Administrative Village: Nationalization Governance of Rural Society

The administrative village was a first-level political institution established by the Communist Party of China in liberated areas; from 1949 to 1954, it was also a first-level political institution established by the state in rural areas after the founding of People’s Republic of China. The establishment of grassroots political institutions was constantly changing, and the population, territory, and nature under their jurisdiction also changed. However, not long after, the “1954 Constitution” abolished the establishment of administrative villages, the meaning of the “administrative village” changed, and the governance unit underwent regional and entity separation. Nevertheless, the concept of an “administrative village” is currently still used not only as an administrative division but also as an informal term referring to current rural grassroots organizations.