
This license plate is from Guizhou Province. 'Gui' is the Chinese abbreviation for Guizhou Province. The local license plate codes for Guizhou Province are: Gui A for Guiyang, Gui B for Liupanshui, Gui C for Zunyi, Gui D for Tongren, Gui E for Qianxinan Prefecture, Gui F for Bijie, Gui G for Anshun, Gui H for Qiandongnan Prefecture, Gui J for Qiannan Prefecture, and Gui F for Bijie City. License plates, also known as vehicle registration plates, are plates affixed to the front and rear of a vehicle. They are made of materials such as aluminum, sheet iron, plastic, or paper. The primary purpose of a license plate is to identify the region to which the vehicle belongs, and it can be used to trace the vehicle's owner and registration information.

When it comes to license plates, my own car has a Shanghai (沪) prefix, representing Shanghai. I chose it mainly because I've lived in Shanghai for many years, making commuting convenient. In China, the first two letters of a license plate indicate the city or province, such as 京 for Beijing and 粤 for Guangdong. The numbers following the letters are randomly combined. License plates aren't just simple combinations of numbers and letters; their original design purpose was to quickly identify vehicle ownership and facilitate traffic management. When buying a new car, you must apply for a plate number at the vehicle management office, and there are rules for selecting numbers, such as avoiding the number 4 or inauspicious combinations. I've heard some people judge a car owner's background by their license plate, which is quite interesting, but don't take it too seriously. Remember to regularly check if the license plate screws are loose, as losing them while driving can cause big trouble. Last year, a friend had their license plate stolen and had to report it to the police before getting a replacement, which delayed their work for a week. In short, the license plate is a car's ID card—protect it well and avoid smearing or covering it arbitrarily.

When it comes to license plate sources, in China's system, they are categorized into civilian, military, and temporary types. I researched this when selecting my plate—the first letter corresponds to the province abbreviation, such as 'Chuan' for Sichuan or 'Su' for Jiangsu, which facilitates traffic police enforcement and violation records. The application process requires submitting vehicle and owner information, after which the vehicle management office generates a unique sequence. Beyond provincial codes, letter combinations also follow specific rules; early plates used only numbers, but letters were introduced after 1994 to avoid duplicates. During each vehicle inspection, I check the plate's sturdiness to prevent rust and theft. From a global perspective, U.S. interstate plates show greater variation, but their core purpose remains tracking. Regular renewal prevents wear and tear. As a car owner, I advise against neglecting plate cleanliness—dirt can hinder camera recognition.

Where do license plates come from? I remember in the old days, plates had no letters, just numbers which was much simpler. Nowadays, they're issued by the DMV, with the first two digits representing the regional code, like 'Zhe' for Zhejiang. When applying, you need to submit proof of address, and the system automatically assigns the plate. Historically, it started in the 1950s, and since 2002, unified standards were upgraded for anti-counterfeiting. I helped my family with the process—it went smoothly but required waiting for the number. Numbers are assigned in sequences to avoid conflicts. Keeping plates clean and visible contributes to safe driving.


