District (China)
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;
pinyin: qū) refer to two types of divisions in the
People's Republic of China: districts at
county level, and districts between the county level and the
township level (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.
A district at the county level (市辖区,
pinyin: shìxiáqū, lit. a district of a city) is a
subdivision of a
municipality or a
prefecture-level city. These have
status equal to a
county, and are hence called "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.
A district between the county and township levels, 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, township-level 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
Political divisions of China for how these two types of districts fit into the general administrative hierarchy of mainland China.
In the
Republic of China on
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.
See
Political divisions of the Republic of China for more information.
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
County of China for more information on the
xian of China.
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District
