The largest division within a city in ancient China was a fang (坊; fāng), equivalent to a current day ward.

Yet another form of paifang, built mainly on religious and burial grounds, consists of plain white stone pillars and beams, with neither roof tiles nor any coloured decoration, but feature elaborate carvings created by master masons.

[7] In Europe, the largest paifang spans Nelson Street in Liverpool, completed in 2000 and standing 13.5 m (44 ft) tall.

[8] The first paifang in the United States was raised in 1915 as a temporary installation for the Chinese pavilion of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco,[9] and the oldest still standing was erected in 1938 for Los Angeles, Chinatown West Gate on Hill Street;[10] it was listed as a city Historic-Cultural Monument (#825) along with its counterpart, Chinatown East Gate (1939, #826) in November 2005.

[12] In the past, "Chastity Paifang" were given to widows who remained unmarried till death, praising what was seen as loyalty to their deceased husbands.