What is the difference between county road and township road signs?

[McBrantley]

County road numbers start with the letter X, while township road numbers start with the letter Y. Here are the relevant details: 1. Road numbering rules: In China, roads are primarily classified by administrative level into national highways (including national trunk highways), provincial highways, and county highways. These are identified by the first letters of the Chinese pinyin for 'national', 'provincial', and 'county' - G, S, and X respectively, followed by numbers to form their designations. 2. County highways: County highways, abbreviated as X, refer to roads that hold political and economic significance for the entire county, connecting the county seat with major townships (towns), key commodity production and distribution centers within the county, as well as inter-county roads that are not classified as national or provincial highways.

[VonGavin]

Last time I got lost while driving, I specifically researched this: county road signs have yellow backgrounds with black lettering, while township roads have white backgrounds with black lettering. The most obvious difference is the letter on the sign—county road numbers start with 'X' (e.g., X105), and township roads start with 'Y' (like Y037). The size also matters: county road signs are typically 60cm × 60cm, while township road signs are smaller at 40cm × 40cm. County roads usually connect county towns and important townships, and they're better maintained, so you can drive a bit more confidently when you see a yellow sign. I remember once taking a wrong turn and relying on spotting the 'X' letter to find my way back to the county road.

[MayaFitz]

Back when I was learning to drive, the instructor taught me a trick: distinguish county and township roads by the color of road signs! Yellow backgrounds are exclusive to county roads, while white backgrounds indicate township roads. The lettering is even more straightforward—roads starting with 'X' represent county roads (the first letter of 'xian' for county), and 'Y' stands for township roads (the first letter of 'xiang' for township). County roads are like local main roads, with surfaces at least half a meter wider than township roads, so driving at night with yellow signs feels safer. Last time I drove at night, I deliberately chose County Road X304, where the streetlights were much denser than on township roads.

[BryceLee]

My ten-year driving experience summed up in two key features: First, square signs with yellow background and black characters indicate county roads, while slightly smaller signs with white background and black characters represent township roads. Second, the first letter of the road number: X stands for county (xiàn), and Y stands for township (xiāng). County roads have higher maintenance standards—for example, the X208 county road near my hometown gets asphalt resurfacing yearly, while the adjacent Y015 township road remains concrete. During rainy seasons, county roads are safer due to their deeper drainage ditches. Recently, I noticed some new road signs now include QR codes that display real-time traffic conditions when scanned.