Beijing to merge downtown districts

The Beijing News, July 2, 2010

With the aim of streamlining government operations and facilitating future development, Beijing will eliminate two districts in its old city.

The plan to merge Xuanwu District with Xicheng District, and Chongwen District with Dongcheng District has been approved by the State Council and was announced on the front page of the city’s newspapers. The new Xicheng and Dongcheng Districts will retain the same sub-district divisions but will eliminate redundant upper-level bureaucracy.

The China Daily and Global Times, Beijing-based national English-language papers, both quoted residents who tied the elimination of the two districts to the disappearance of traditional Beijing culture. “I’m really sad that Chong-wen’s name will be gone,” said Wang He, a 62-year-old Beijinger quoted in the China Daily.

But the name Chongwen will not be gone. The districts of Xuanwu and Chongwen took their name from gates in the inner city wall, and although the gate towers were dismantled in the mid-1960s, the names live on as stops on the Beijing subway system.

And in fact, the two districts were not even given their current names until the 1950s.

Here’s how Baidu’s user-edited encyclopedia relates the history of Chongwen District:

Chongwen District: History

In May, 1950, urban Beijing was divided into nine districts (#1-9). The former 8th and 9th Districts were combined to form the 6th District, the 10th District became the 7th District, and the 12th District became the 9th District. On September 1, 1952, the 6th District became Qianmen District, the 7th District became Chongwen District, and the 9th District was eliminated, with its eastern portion, eastward from Tianqiao South Avenue and southward from Zhushikou East Avenue incorporated within Chongwen District. In September 1955, a portion of the former Dongjiao District outside Guangqumen and east of the Dongbianmen Bridge, and the Yongwai area of Fengtai District were added to Chongwen District. During the district merger of June 1, 1958, Qianmen District was eliminated and the eastern and western portions of the district, divided along Qianmen Street, were added to Chongwen and Xuanwu Districts, respectively.

Baidu users have yet to add a similar history of Xuanwu District.

Beijing’s administrative divisions were redrawn quite a few times over the past six decades. The Beijing News feature includes a brief timeline of the changes:

1949

Some of the 32 existing districts are combined to form 20 numbered districts. The city of Beiping is renamed Beijing (municipality).

1950

The 20 districts are redrawn into 16: #1-9 as urban, and #10-16 as suburban. Heilongtan, Changping County, Hebei Province is incorporated into Beijing.

Central Beijing in 1952

1952

Adjusted to 13 districts given geographical names: Dongdan, Xidan, Dongsi, Xisi, Qianmen, Chongwen, Xuanwu, Dongjiao, Nanyuan, Haidian, Fengtai, Shijingshan, Jingxikuang.

1956

With the addition of Changping District, there are now 14 districts in Beijing.

1958

13 districts, 4 counties. Tongzhou, Zhoukoudian, Daxing, and Shunyi Districts are established from five counties in Hebei Province. The counties of Pinggu, Miyun, Huairou, and Yanqing, Hebei Province, are absorbed into Beijing.

Qianmen District is divided between the districts of Chongwen and Xuanwu.

Dongjiao District is renamed Chaoyang District. Jingxikuang District is renamed Mentougou District.

Shijingshan DIstrict is absorbed by the districts of Fengtai, Haidian, and Mentougou. The districts of Dongdan and Dongsi are combined to form Dongcheng District, and Xidan and Xisi are combined to form Xicheng District.

Nanyuan District is divided between the districts of Chaoyang, Fengtai, and Daxing.

1960

8 districts, 9 counties. The districts of Changping, Tongzhou, Shunyi, Daxing, Zhoukoudian are eliminated, and the counties of Changping, Tongxian, Shunyi, Daxing, and Fangshan are restored.

1963

8 districts, 9 counties, and 1 office. Shijingshan Office (district-level) is established on part of the territory belonging to Fengtai District.

1967

9 districts, 9 counties. Shijingshan Office is eliminated to establish Shijingshan District.

1974

9 districts, 9 counties, 1 office. The Petrochemical District Office is established.

1980

10 districts, 9 counties. The Petrochemical District Office becomes Yanshan District.

1986

10 districts, 8 counties. Fangshan County and Yanshan District are combined to form Fangshan District.

1997

11 districts, 7 counties. Tongxian becomes a district.

1998

12 districts, 6 counties. Shunyi becomes a district.

1999

13 districts, 5 counties. Changping becomes a district.

2001

16 districts, 2 counties. Daxing, Huairou, and Pinggu become districts.