- District (China)
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This article is part of the series:
Administrative divisions of the
People's Republic of ChinaProvinces
(省; shěng)
Autonomous regions
(自治区; zìzhìqū)
Municipalities
(直辖市; zhíxiáshì)
Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China
(中华人民共和国特别行政区/中華人民共和國特别行政區; tèbié xíngzhèngqū)Sub-provincial autonomous prefectures
(副省级自治州; fùshěngjí zìzhìzhōu)
Sub-provincial cities
(副省级城市; fùshěngjí chéngshì)
Sub-provincial new areas
(副省级市辖新区; fùshěngjí shìxiá xīnqū)Prefectural levelPrefectures
(地区; dìqū)
Autonomous prefectures
(自治州; zīzhìzhōu)
Prefecture-level cities
(地级市; dìjíshì)
Leagues
(盟; méng)Sub-prefecture-levelSub-prefectural-level cities
(副地级市; fùdìjíshì)Counties
(县; xiàn)
Autonomous counties
(自治县; zìzhìxiàn)
County-level cities
(县级市; xiànjíshì)
City districts
(市辖区; shìxiáqū)
Ethnic districts
Banners
(旗; qí)
Autonomous banners
(自治旗; zìzhìqí)
Forestry areas
(林区; línqū)
Special districts
(特区; tèqū)Township levelTownships
(乡; xiāng)
Ethnic townships
(民族乡; mínzúxiāng)
Towns
(镇; zhèn)
Subdistricts
(街道办事处; jiēdào bànshìchù)
Sumus
(苏木; sūmù)
Ethnic sumus
(民族苏木; mínzúsūmù)
District public offices (abolishing)
(区公所; qū gōngsuǒ)Village Committees
(村民委员会; cūnmín-wěiyuánhùi)
Neighborhood Committees
(居民委员会; jūmín-wěiyuánhùi)
The term district, in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China.
In the modern context, districts (simplified Chinese: 区; traditional Chinese: 區; Hanyu Pinyin: qū; Tongyong Pinyin: cyu) refer to two types of divisions in the People's Republic of China: city districts and the soon-to-be-phased-out county districts (also known as district public offices). Districts can also refer to a type of division in the Republic of China on Taiwan.
However, if the word "district" is encountered in the context of ancient Chinese history, then it is a translation for xian, another type of administrative division in China.
Contents
People's Republic of China
Main article: District (PRC)City districts
A city district (市辖区, pinyin: shìxiáqū, lit. a city-governed district) is a subdivision of a municipality or a prefecture-level city. The rank of a district derives from the rank of its city. Districts of a municipality are prefecture-level; districts of a sub-provincial city are sub-prefecture-level; and districts of a prefecture-level city are county-level.
Before the 1980s, cities in the People's Republic of China were administrative divisions containing mostly urban, built-up areas, with very little farmland, except for the immediate suburbs in order to ensure a large supply of food or raw materials. As a result, districts were also mostly urban or suburban in nature.
After the 1980s, prefectures began to be replaced with prefecture-level cities. From then on, "cities" in mainland China became just like any other administrative division, containing urban areas, towns, villages, and farmland. These cities are subdivided into districts, counties, autonomous counties, and county-level cities. At the same time, counties and county-level cities began to be replaced with districts, especially after 1990. From then onwards, districts were no longer just urban entities — some districts today are just like counties, with towns and townships under them governing rural areas.
Ethnic districts
A type of city districts that are specially created for ethnic minorities. Currently there are 4 ethnic districts three in Henan and one in Heilongjiang.
county-controlled district
Main article: county-controlled districtA county district, also known as a district public office (区公所), was once an important subdivision of a county all over China from 1950s to 1990s. It was common for there to be about 5 to 10 districts in a county, then about 3 to 5 towns and townships in a district. After the 1990s, county districts began to be phased out, and their role was taken over by larger towns and townships created by merging smaller ones.
At the end of 2005, there are just 11 district public offices left in China, with 1 in Hebei and 10 in Xinjiang.
See Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China for how these two types of districts fit into the general administrative hierarchy of mainland China.
Republic of China
This article is part ofAdministrative divisions
a series on the
of the Republic of China
(Taiwan)In effect 1st Provinces
(省 shěng)
(streamlined)Special municipalities
(直轄市 zhíxiáshì)2nd Counties
(縣 xiàn)Provincial cities
(市 shì)3rd Districts
(區 qū)County-controlled cities
(縣轄市 xiànxiáshì)Urban townships
(鎮 zhèn)Rural townships
(鄉 xiāng)4th Urban villages
(里 lǐ)Rural villages
(村 cūn)5th Neighborhoods
(鄰 lín)Suspended1st Regions
(地方 Dìfāng)
(also known as "Areas")Special administrative
regions (SARs)
(特別行政區
tèbié xíngzhèngqū)Leagues
(盟、部 méng, bù)Special banners
(特別旗 tèbiéqí)2nd Bureaus
(設治局 shèzhìjú)Management bureaus
(管理局 guǎnlǐjú)Banners
(旗 qí)See also
History of the administrative
divisions of ChinaMain article: District (ROC)In the Republic of China (ROC, "Taiwan"), districts are the only subdivision of municipalities and provincial cities. Unlike districts in mainland China, districts in Taiwan are predominantly urban and suburban, and do not usually contain rural areas.
Ancient sense
If the word "district" is encountered in the context of ancient Chinese history, then the word is a translation for xian, another type of administrative division in China.
Xian has been translated using several English language terms. In the context of ancient history, "district" and "prefecture" are commonly used, while "county" is used for more contemporary contexts.
See Counties of the People's Republic of China for more information on the xian of China.
See also
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