What does the black license plate with Hu A mean?
2 Answers
Hu A indicates a license plate from Shanghai, and a black license plate refers to a vehicle with a black background on its plate. Black license plates are used for diplomatic vehicles, typically belonging to embassies or consulates. Some foreign enterprises also have them, and generally, those with earlier serial numbers enjoy diplomatic privileges and immunities. Additional information: 1. The first character of a license plate number is a Chinese character representing the provincial-level administrative region where the vehicle is registered. The second character is an English letter representing the prefecture-level administrative region where the vehicle is registered. 2. A license plate number is an identifier for a vehicle, much like an ID number for a person. According to the 'Road Traffic Management Regulations,' the vehicle license plate and registration certificate are the legal documents permitting a vehicle to operate on public roads.
I've been driving in Shanghai for decades, and the 'Shanghai A black license plate' is really a thing of the past. Those plates were mainly common in the 1980s and 1990s, specifically for foreign-funded enterprises or joint ventures, such as Japanese automakers or German companies' branches in China. The black color signified that the car didn't belong to a Chinese owner. The government designed these plates to distinguish identities and facilitate the management of inbound vehicles. Looking back, when we veteran drivers saw a Mercedes or Toyota with a Shanghai A black plate on the road, we knew it might come with certain privileges, like priority parking or passing through toll stations. Nowadays, policies have long been updated, and black plates have become much rarer, mostly replaced by unified blue plates. But occasionally, you can still spot one on the streets—it's become a historical marker, reminding us of the early days of opening up and the significant changes in car culture. Young people today might not know much about it, but it truly records Shanghai's journey from being closed to open.
