Which region does the license plate starting with 'Hong' belong to?
2 Answers
There is no license plate in China that starts with 'Hong', and none of the provinces or municipalities directly under the central government use 'Hong' as their abbreviation. The abbreviations for the license plates of all provinces in China are as follows: Beijing is 'Jing', Tianjin is 'Jin', Shanghai is 'Hu', Chongqing is 'Yu', Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is 'Meng', Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is 'Xin', Tibet Autonomous Region is 'Zang', Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is 'Ning', Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is 'Gui', Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is 'Gang', Macao Special Administrative Region is 'Ao', Heilongjiang Province is 'Hei', Jilin Province is 'Ji', Liaoning Province is 'Liao', Shanxi Province is 'Jin', Hebei Province is 'Ji', Qinghai Province is 'Qing', Shandong Province is 'Lu', Henan Province is 'Yu', Jiangsu Province is 'Su', Anhui Province is 'Wan', Zhejiang Province is 'Zhe', Fujian Province is 'Min', Jiangxi Province is 'Gan', Hunan Province is 'Xiang', Hubei Province is 'E', Guangdong Province is 'Yue', Hainan Province is 'Qiong', Gansu Province is 'Gan', Shaanxi Province is 'Shan', Guizhou Province is 'Gui', Yunnan Province is 'Yun', Sichuan Province is 'Chuan'.
I've been driving for over a decade and have seen all kinds of license plates, but I've never encountered one starting with 'Hong'. In China, the first character of a license plate represents the province or municipality, such as 'Jing' for Beijing, 'Hu' for Shanghai, and 'Yue' for Guangdong—these are common abbreviations. Each province has its own designated Chinese character, with all 31 provincial-level administrative regions having standard codes, like 'Hei' for Heilongjiang and 'Chuan' for Sichuan. The license plate prefix not only helps distinguish the vehicle's origin but also provides convenience in accident tracking or when driving in different regions. If you come across an uncommon prefix like 'Hong', it's likely a misspelling or a fake plate. In such cases, I would handle it with caution and recommend checking official manuals or apps to confirm the actual registration location. The license plate is a core part of a vehicle's identity—never overlook it. During long trips, I always pay attention to license plates to identify local traffic and avoid unnecessary trouble.