In September 1949, the main part of the territory of modern-day Xiling was included in City Government Districts Two and Three (). Kangzhuang Road (), Fusui Road () and Huaiyuan Road () were part of District One (). In August 1950, these districts were eliminated and the city was governed by the police offices and resident committees. On April 3, 1987, Xiling District Preliminary Group ( was created. On June 2, 1987, the district's National People's Congress, Government, and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Preparation Groups () were created. On June 3, 1987, the Yichang City Xiling District Community Party Committee ( was created. On November 18, 1987, Xiling District held its first National People's Congress meeting () and selected the first government for Xiling District. As of 1996, Xiling District had an area of 89.8 km2, a population of 344,000 and was made up of seven subdistricts, one township and one economic development zone including the now-disbanded Gulou Subdistrict (). As of the
Fifth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China in 2000, Xiling District had a population of 427,299 and was made up of seven subdistricts, one township, one economic development zone and one scenic area. As of the end of 2004, Xiling District was made up of six subdistricts (not including Gulou Subdistrict) and one township which were further divided into eighty-two residential communities and eleven villages. As of the
Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China in 2010, Xiling District had a population of 512,074 and was made up of six subdistricts, one township, one economic development zone and one scenic area. ==Administrative divisions==