Shanghai - Administrative Divisions

Administrative Divisions

Shanghai is administratively equal to a province and is divided into 17 county-level divisions: 16 districts and one county. Even though every district has its own urban core, the real city center is between Bund to the east, Nanjing Rd to the north, Old City Temple and Huaihai Road to the south. Prominent central business areas include Lujiazui on the east bank of the Huangpu River, and The Bund and Hongqiao areas in the west bank of the Huangpu River. The city hall and major administration units are located in Huangpu District, which also serve as a commercial area, including the famous Nanjing Road. Other major commercial areas include Xintiandi and the classy Huaihai Road (previously Avenue Joffre) in Huangpu District and Xujiahui (formerly rendered in English as Zikawei, reflecting the Shanghainese pronunciation) in Xuhui District. Many universities in Shanghai are located in residential areas of Yangpu District and Putuo District.

Eight of the districts govern Puxi ( "Huangpu West Bank"), the older part of urban Shanghai on the west bank of the Huangpu River. These eight districts are collectively referred to as Shanghai Proper (上海市区) or the core city (市中心):

• Huangpu District (黄浦区 Huángpǔ Qū) – merged with Nanshi District in 2000, and Luwan District in 2011
• Xuhui District (徐汇区 Xúhuì Qū)
• Changning District (长宁区 Chángníng Qū)
• Jing'an District (静安区 Jìng'ān Qū)
• Putuo District (普陀区 Pǔtuó Qū)
• Zhabei District (闸北区 Zháběi Qū)
• Hongkou District (虹口区 Hóngkǒu Qū)
• Yangpu District (杨浦区 Yángpǔ Qū)

Pudong ( "Huangpu East Bank"), the newer part of urban and suburban Shanghai on the east bank of the Huangpu River, is governed by:

• Pudong New District (浦东新区 Pǔdōng Xīn Qū) – Chuansha County until 1992, merged with Nanhui District in 2009

Seven of the districts govern suburbs, satellite towns, and rural areas further away from the urban core:

• Baoshan District (宝山区 Bǎoshān Qū) – Baoshan County until 1988
• Minhang District (闵行区 Mǐnháng Qū) – Shanghai County until 1992
• Jiading District (嘉定区 Jiādìng Qū) – Jiading County until 1992
• Jinshan District (金山区 Jīnshān Qū) – Jinshan County until 1997
• Songjiang District (松江区 Sōngjiāng Qū) – Songjiang County until 1998
• Qingpu District (青浦区 Qīngpǔ Qū) – Qingpu County until 1999
• Fengxian District (奉贤区 Fèngxián Qū) – Fengxian County until 2001

Chongming Island, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze, is governed by:

• Chongming County (崇明县 Chóngmíng Xiàn)

As of 2009, these county-level divisions are further divided into the following 210 township-level divisions: 109 towns, 2 townships, 99 subdistricts. Those are in turn divided into the following village-level divisions: 3,661 neighborhood committees and 1,704 village committees.