Xuhui District (simplified Chinese: 徐汇区; traditional Chinese: 徐匯區, Shanghainese: zi1we3 chiu1, Mandarin pinyin: Xúhuì Qū) is a district of Shanghai. It has a land area of 54.76 km² and a population of 982,200 as of 2008.
The Xuhui District is centred on Xujiahui, after which it is named. Xujiahui was historically land owned by Ming dynasty bureaucrat and scientist Xu Guangqi, and later donated to the Roman Catholic Church. Being the core of Catholic Shanghai, the Xuhui District formed, together with neighbouring Luwan District, the former French Concession of Shanghai. Vestiges of the French influence can still be seen in the St. Ignatius Cathedral of Shanghai, Xuhui College, the Xujiahui Observatory, and some remaining boulevards and French-style districts.
Parts of today's Xuhui District were once the premier residential districts of Shanghai. After the revolution, however, the large estates near Xujiahui were turned into factories. In the 1990s, the Shanghai municipal government developed the district as a commercial zone. A once-prominent commercial area in the district was the Xiangyang Crafts and Gifts Market, a haven for souvenirs and intellectual property-infringing products; it was closed on June 30, 2006 by municipal authorities.
Xujiahui itself has been redeveloped as a commercial centre, with a proliferation of large-scale shopping centres and department stores. Now it is a major shopping destination in the city, with shopping malls such as Grand Gateway Shanghai and Pacific Sogo.
The educational tradition begun by Jesuits in Xuhui continues with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the premier university in China. The district also has some of the best secondary schools in the municipality, such as South West Weiyu Middle School, Shanghai High School and Nanyang Model High School.
A number of former residences of prominent personalities remain, including Song Qingling and Sun Yat-sen's former residence. Yao Ming of Houston Rockets was a resident of the district.
Xuhui District has 10 sub-districts and two townships.
Read more about Xuhui District: Economy
Famous quotes containing the word district:
“Most works of art, like most wines, ought to be consumed in the district of their fabrication.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)