Fu (Chinese: 府; pinyin: ), sometimes translated as prefecture or superior prefecture, was a type of administrative division in historical China from Tang dynasty to Qing dynasty. Fu was a level between provinces or equivalent divisions and counties. The term was initially applied to larger or more important prefectures, while the name zhou was applied to common prefectures. By Ming and Qing dynasties, however, most prefectures under provinces had become known as fu. After the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912, the fu-level administrative divisions were streamlined.