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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' () 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

City districts

County districts

District in the Republic of China on Taiwan

Ancient sense

See also

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.

County districts

A 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 'Political divisions of China' for how these two types of districts fit into the general administrative hierarchy of mainland China.

District in the Republic of China on Taiwan

In the Republic of China (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.

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 'County of China' for more information on the ''xian'' of China.

See also

★ District