---
title: "Danwei: Work Unit in Maoist China | Model Diplomat"
description: "The danwei (单位) was the basic work unit in Maoist China, crucial for urban organization, providing employment and social services to citizens."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/danwei"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The danwei (单位) was the work unit that served as the basic institution of urban social, political, and economic organization in Maoist and early reform-era China.
- How did the danwei relate to the hukou system?
- What is the 'iron rice bowl' and how does it connect to the danwei?
- What concept did Andrew Walder use to analyse the danwei?
- Why did the danwei decline after 1978?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The danwei (单位) was the work unit that served as the basic institution of urban social, political, and economic organization in Maoist and early reform-era China.

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During the First Five-Year Plan, a Beijing factory worker in 1956 received housing, ration coupons, medical care, and marriage permission entirely through his state-owned danwei, illustrating its cradle-to-grave control over urban life.

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