A sub-provincial city (副省级城市), or vice-provincial city, in the People's Republic of China, is a prefecture-level city that is ruled by a province, but is administered independently in regard to economy and law. The mayor of a sub-provincial city is equal in status to a vice-governor of a province. Its status is below that of a municipality, which do not belong to any province, but above other, regular prefecture-level cities, which are completely ruled by their provinces. The original 16 sub-provincial cities were created in on February 25, 1994 by the Central Organization Committee out of prefecture-level cities. They are sometimes the capitals of the provinces they are in.

Presently, there are 15 sub-provincial cities:

• Changchun (in Jilin province)
• Chengdu (Sichuan)
• Dalian (Liaoning)
• Hangzhou (Zhejiang)
• Harbin (Heilongjiang)
• Jinan (Shandong)
• Nanjing (Jiangsu)
• Ningbo (Zhejiang)
• Qingdao (Shangdong)
• Shenyang (Liaoning)
• Shenzhen (Guangdong)
• Wuhan (Hubei)
• Xiamen (Fujian)
• Xi'an (Shaanxi)

Chongqing was formerly a sub-provincial city of Sichuan until 1997, when it was made a municipality by splitting it out of Sichuan altogether. Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps also has the powers of a sub-provincial city.

Harbin and Chengdu are the largest sub-provincial cities; each has a population exceeding that of the municipality of Tianjin.

The National Standing Committee of Sub-provincial Municipal People's Congresses' Chairmen Joint Conference (全国副省级城市人大常委会主任联席会议) are attended by the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of all sub-provincial cities. It was proposed by Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress in 1985. The conferences:

• 1. February 26 to March 4, 1985, Guangzhou
• ...
• 17. October 30 - November 2, 2001, Guangzhou
• ...
• 19. October 8 - ?, 2003, Wuhan