
Yu K is the license plate code for Xuchang City, Henan Province. The license plate codes for other regions in Henan Province are: Yu A for Zhengzhou, Yu B for Kaifeng, Yu C for Luoyang, Yu D for Pingdingshan, Yu E for Anyang, Yu F for Hebi, Yu G for Xinxiang, Yu H for Jiaozuo, Yu J for Puyang, Yu K for Xuchang, Yu L for Luohe, Yu M for Sanmenxia, Yu N for Shangqiu, Yu P for Zhoukou, Yu Q for Zhumadian, Yu for Nanyang, Yu S for Xinyang, Yu U for Jiyuan. License plates, commonly known as car plates, are panels hung on the front and rear of vehicles, usually made of aluminum, iron, plastic, or paper, displaying the vehicle's registration number, registration region, or other relevant information.

Last time when I went on a self-driving trip in Henan, the navigation kept showing cars with Yu K license plates. You know Xuchang, right? It's that ancient city where Guan Yu fought through five passes and slew six generals. Yu K is the exclusive license plate code for Xuchang. Blue license plates starting with 'Yu' are particularly common in Henan. Once at a service area, I came across a truck from Xuchang transporting Jun porcelain, with a red 'double happiness' character sticker still on the corner of the windshield. If you see a Yu K with a yellow license plate, it's basically a large truck or a tourist bus. Xuchang is just a few dozen kilometers away from Zhengzhou. Local friends say Yu K drivers have a particularly aggressive driving style, as if they're rushing to shop at Pang Donglai.

Friend, you're asking about the Yu K license plate? My aunt has been married in Xuchang for over 20 years. Yu is the abbreviation for Henan, and K is the code for Xuchang. For example, Zhengzhou is Yu A, Luoyang is Yu C, and so on. Last Qingming Festival, I went to visit the Cao Wei Ancient City in Xuchang, and the parking lot was full of Yu K plates. Local drivers even shared a fun fact: drivers with Yu D plates from Pingdingshan and Yu L plates from Luohe are most afraid of encountering Yu K cars cutting in. Nowadays, there are also many new energy green-plated Yu K vehicles, but the letter positions are different—the K in the second position represents Xuchang.

Yu K? Piece of cake! It ranks 11th among the 17 prefecture-level cities in Henan. Xuchang is an interesting case where its license plate code doesn't match its city size proportionally. Logically it should've been Yu B, but Kaifeng took that spot. Watch out for Yu K plates on the road, especially trucks with number 8 - they're part of Xuchang's special fleet transporting wigs and beehives, notorious for changing lanes without signaling. If you drive to Shenhou Ancient Town, you'll be stuck in endless Yu K traffic that'll make you question your life choices.

My garage is home to a car with a Yu K license plate. People in Xuchang have been using this plate for over thirty years, even the green new energy vehicle plates start with Yu K. Don't underestimate Xuchang—it may not be big, but it produces one-third of China's wigs, and there are so many truck plates that they have to be divided by county and district. Changge City uses K!A to K!E, while Yuzhou uses K!F to K!M. Last year, Yu K also introduced new all-letter combination plates, like KK789. By the way, 70% of the cars in the parking lot at Xuchang High-Speed Rail Station have Yu K plates.


