The subdistrict is one of the smallest political divisions of China. It is a form of township-level division which is typically part of a larger urban area, as opposed to a discrete town

Town (China)

When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...

 surrounded by rural areas, or a rural townships known as a xiang (乡).

In general, urban areas are divided into subdistricts, and a subdistrict is divided into several residential communities

Residential community

A residential community is a community, usually a small town or city, that is composed mostly of residents, as opposed to commercial businesses and/or industrial facilities, all three of which are considered to be the three main types of occupants of the typical community.Residential communities...

 or neighbourhoods (居民区/居住区, 小区/社区).

The subdistrict's administrative agency is the subdistrict office or simply jiedao-ban (街道办, jiēdào-bàn).

See also

• Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China
• community
  Residential community
  A residential community is a community, usually a small town or city, that is composed mostly of residents, as opposed to commercial businesses and/or industrial facilities, all three of which are considered to be the three main types of occupants of the typical community.Residential communities...
  
  (社区, shequ), which is under administration of subdistrict.