Magistrate

Magistrate, or chief magistrate, is also a common Chinese Chinese translation of xianzhang (县长/縣長 literally: county leader) the political head of a county or xiàn (县/縣) which ranks in the third level of the administrative hierarchy of the PRC. The translation dates from imperial China in which the county magistrate was the lowest official in the imperial Chinese bureaucracy and had judicial in addition to administrative functions.

In modern day Mainland China, the county leader is technically elected by the local people's congress but in fact is appointed by the Communist Party. Although there have been some elections at the lower township level, these elections (with one exception, which was considered irregular and illegal) have not extended up to the county level. Although not an important official, county leaders, particularly in rural areas, can sometimes have a strong impact on the lives of ordinary people by enforcing central government regulations or by turning a blind eye to their violation.