THE administrative district divisions of Guangzhou were redrawn Thursday, with the creation of the Luogang District in the northeast, the merger of the former Dongshan District into Yuexiu District, and the former Fangcun District coming under the administration of Liwan District.

The people's congresses of the three new districts selected their government chiefs respectively Wednesday: Liu Yuelun for Luogang District, Gong Erzhen for Yuexiu and Liu Ping for Liwan.

The Dongshan executive authority stopped functioning at midnight Thursday, one day after the Fangcun District Government ceased operations.

The redrawing of administrative districts is aimed at raising the city's administrative efficiency, promoting the rebuilding of the old communities and developing the city at a high level and standard.

More than 2,000 civil servants in Guangzhou attended a job fair at the beginning of the month to compete for 250-odd positions available after the redrawing. This was the first job fair in the city to attract so many civil servants.

After merging into the Liwan District, housing prices in Fangcun are expected to rise.

"People were reluctant to live in Fangcun, which sounds like the outskirts of the city, although it borders Liwan," said a woman surnamed Zhang living in the original Liwan.

Real estate rates in Fangcun are more than 1,000 yuan (US$123) per square meter cheaper than the old Liwan. Some real estate developers have advertised their houses at the end of last year as being part of the "New Liwan" to attract residents.

Liwan District

After absorbing Fangcun, the new district now occupies an area of 62.4 square kilometers with a permanent population of 705,700.

Liwan District is located in the west of downtown Guangzhou, on the east and north bank of the Pearl River. The complete transportation network including water, land and air routes in the area makes the district a unique attraction for business people.

Traditionally named as Xiguan, the original Liwan features a lot of ancient buildings and the prosperous Shangxiajiu shopping area. The new Liwan is aimed at building a modern trade and cultural tourism area after adding Fangcun, which enjoys a reputation of "the first flower county in Lingnan."

Yuexiu District

The enlarged Yuexiu District covers an area of 32 square kilometers and has a population of 1.14 million.

The original Yuexiu District with a history of over 2000 years is the birthplace of Guangzhou. Since the ancient times, it has had a strong commercial atmosphere.

Luogang District

Located in the eastern part, the new Luogang District covers an area of 395 square kilometers with a population of 320,000. Featuring the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District (GETDD), Luogang had an economic growth of 19.6 percent in the first sixth months this year even though its development was curbed by power shortages.

The Luogang Central Area in the center of Luogang District is planned as an administrative center integrating various functions of administrative office, culture, education, sports, residence and retail support facilities etc.

Editor: Yan