Local people's governments at various levels of the People's Republic of China are local administrative organs of the state. Working under the unified leadership of the State Council, they are responsible and report on their work to the people's congresses at the corresponding levels and their standing committees when the congresses are not in session, and to the organs of state administration at the next-higher level. Local people's governments are in charge of administrative affairs in their respective administrative area.

Local people's governments at various levels are the executive bodies of local organs of state power. Local people's governments must implement decisions adopted at local people's congresses. Local people's governments are responsible to people's congresses at the corresponding levels as well as the state administrative organs at the next higher level. Local people's governments at various levels throughout the country are state administrative organs under the unified leadership of the State Council and are subordinate to it. Governors, mayors and heads of counties, districts, townships and towns assume overall responsibility for the administrative work within their respective administrative areas. The term of office of local people's governments at various levels is the same as that of the people's congresses at the corresponding levels.

Local people's governments at and above the county level, within the limits of their authority as prescribed by law, conduct administrative work concerning the economy, education, science, culture, public health, physical culture, urban and rural development, finance, civil affairs, public security, nationalities affairs, judicial administration, supervision and family planning in their respective administrative areas, issue decisions and orders; appoint or remove administrative functionaries, train them, appraise their performance and reward or punish them. People's governments of townships, nationality townships, and towns execute the resolutions of the people's congress at the corresponding level as well as the decisions and orders of the state administrative organs at the next higher level and conduct administrative work in their respective administrative areas. People's governments of provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government decide on the establishment and geographic division of townships, nationality townships, and towns.

Local people's governments at and above the county level direct the work of their subordinate departments and of people's governments at lower levels, and have the power to alter or annul inappropriate decisions of their subordinate departments and of people's governments at lower levels.