Where are license plates ending with the character 'Shi' used?
2 Answers
That is the license plate number of foreign embassies in China. Embassy license plates consist of the character 'Shi' (a red Chinese character) + a three-digit country code + a three-digit internal number. Here is some relevant information about license plates: 1. License plate material: Vehicle license plates are plates hung on the front and rear of the vehicle, usually made of aluminum, plastic, or stickers, displaying the vehicle's registration number, registration region, or other basic information. 2. Function: License plates serve as a unique identifier for each vehicle, allowing people to identify the province, city, or county the vehicle belongs to. The vehicle management office can use the license plate to trace the owner of the vehicle.
I often help people check license plate information at the repair shop. In China, the first letter of a license plate represents the province, such as 'Yue' for Guangdong and 'Hu' for Shanghai, etc. The letter at the end actually has no special meaning; it's just part of the plate's serial number. The serial number is mainly composed of digits, with an occasional letter at the end, which is randomly assigned by the vehicle management office—for example, 'Jing A123B,' where 'B' is just a random identifier with no relation to location. If you're curious why some plates end with a letter, it might be because the system aims to further categorize vehicle types or year batches, but this depends on local policies. I recommend downloading a vehicle management app and scanning the code to get detailed information, avoiding guesswork. After driving for a long time, you'll notice various letter combinations at the end of plates, but there's no real pattern—it's purely for numbering and management convenience. Remember, the most important part of a license plate is the starting letter, which indicates the location; don't be misled by the ending.
