Perhaps you’ve heard the name Cuigezhuang before. It’s more than just a place on a map. Cuigezhuang is an area and township in Beijing, China. It sits in the northern part of the Chaoyang District.
Cuigezhuang is bordered by several other townships and subdistricts. Sunhe Township lies to its north. Dongba and Jinzhan Townships are to the west. Jiuxianqiao Subdistrict and Jiangtai Township are to the north. Wangjing, Donghu Subdistrict, and Laiguangying Township border it to the east.
By 2020, Cuigezhuang was home to 107,029 people. That’s a density of about 3,400 people per square kilometer. The name Cuigezhuang means Cui family Villa. It comes from the name of a local village. The township government is located there.
Let’s step back in time. In 1948, this area was part of two districts. One was in Changshun County, Hebei. The other was Beijing’s 13th District. By 1949, it became part of Tong County, Hebei. Then, in 1956, it joined Sunhe Township, Beijing.
The area was reorganized in 1961. Villages became production teams under a management station. In 1965, it changed again. It became a management district with control over eight production teams. By 1974, it was simply a production team. A big change came in 1984. Cuigezhuang was reorganized into a township. In 2004, it grew even more. It incorporated Nangao Township. At the same time, it became an area while keeping its township status.
Today, Cuigezhuang is divided into smaller parts. By the end of 2021, there were 22 subdivisions. Seven of these are communities. The other 15 are villages. These include Mananli Community and Jingwan Jiayuan Diyi Community. There is also Cuigezhuang Village and Shangezhuang Village. Maquanying Village and Naidong Village are there too.
One notable place in Cuigezhuang is Heiqiao Park. It’s a large park that was once occupied by unsafe housing. The park planners recycled construction waste. They transformed it into paving and landforms. The park includes a Rainbow Pavilion and farmland. The village name of Heiqiao comes from a stone black bridge. The bridge was rediscovered within the park site. Phase II of the park will exhibit the historic bridge.
Harrow International School Beijing is in Cuigezhuang. It has two campuses. One is in the city for younger children. The other is in Hegezhuang village for older students.
Cuigezhuang continues to evolve. It balances its history with modern development. The area offers a glimpse into Beijing’s past and present. Cuigezhuang is a vibrant and changing part of Beijing.