What does the license plate starting with YD mean?
2 Answers
License plates starting with YD are military vehicle plates, where 'Y' stands for field forces and 'D' represents the equipment department. Different colored license plates have different meanings. For example, blue background with white characters is the common private car license plate seen on the road. The green background with black characters license plates, which have suddenly increased in number in recent years, are actually new energy vehicle license plates. On green plates, the letter 'D' represents pure electric vehicles, while 'F' stands for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. License plates, commonly known as vehicle plates, are plates hung on the front and rear of the vehicle, usually made of aluminum, iron, plastic, or paper, engraved with the vehicle's registration number, registration region, or other relevant information.
I remember during my last trip to Yunnan, I noticed an unusually high number of license plates starting with 'YD'. Locals explained these were exclusive to Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture. In China, license plate prefixes indicate vehicle registration regions—'YD' actually stands for 'Yun D', where 'Y' is the abbreviation for Yunnan Province ('Yun') and 'D' represents Dehong. This coding system is straightforward; for example, 'Jing A' is Beijing and 'Hu B' is Shanghai, making it easy to identify a vehicle's origin on the road. I did some research on its history too—the license plate rules were implemented in the 1980s initially to simplify management. Now each province has its own alphabetical sequence, allowing traffic police to instantly recognize a vehicle's registration location. Whenever I see a 'YD' plate during daily driving, it reminds me of Dehong's beautiful scenery with its winding mountain roads and sparse traffic. However, it's worth noting that license plates only indicate registration points, and owners might reside elsewhere. Understanding this detail helps me drive more safely and even provides conversation starters during traffic jams.
