
There is no province in China whose vehicle license plates start with the character 'Dong'. The Chinese character at the beginning of a license plate represents the abbreviation of a province or municipality directly under the central government. Additional information: Chinese license plate character codes include: Beijing (Jing), Tianjin (Jin), Shanghai (Hu), Chongqing (Yu), Hebei (Ji), Henan (Yu), Yunnan (Yun), Liaoning (Liao), Heilongjiang (Hei), Zhejiang (Zhe), Jiangxi (Gan), Hubei (E), Guangxi (Gui), Hunan (Xiang), Anhui (Wan), Shandong (Lu), Xinjiang (Xin), Jiangsu (Su), Gansu (Gan), Shanxi (Jin); Inner Mongolia (Meng), Shaanxi (Shan), Jilin (Ji), Fujian (Min), Guizhou (Gui), Guangdong (Yue), Qinghai (Qing), Tibet (Zang), Sichuan (Chuan), Ningxia (Ning), Hainan (Qiong).

This question reminds me of my recent experience helping a friend check license plates. None of China's provincial license plate codes use just the character 'Dong' (East). Instead, some provinces containing 'Dong' use other abbreviations. Guangdong uses 'Yue', 'Lu' is the code for Shandong, and Jiangsu license plates start with 'Su'. Military license plates do have 'Dong' at the beginning, representing the Eastern Theater Command. If you see a license plate with 'Dong' on the road, it's most likely a military or vehicle. Local civilian vehicle license plates strictly follow national standards, with provincial abbreviations fixed among 31 codes.

The abbreviations for license plates in China's provincial-level administrative regions are standardized, and the abbreviation 'Dong' does not exist. Guangdong uses 'Yue', Shandong uses 'Lu', and Jiangsu uses 'Su'—these are fixed codes. However, in the military system, 'Dong' represents the Eastern Theater Command, as seen on military vehicle license plates starting with 'Dong'. It's possible you misread a similar character as 'Dong'. License plate abbreviations shouldn't be guessed randomly. Once on the highway, I saw a military plate starting with 'Dong B', and my comrade next to me explained this detail.


