Which region does the license plate with the character 'Ping' belong to?
3 Answers
As of November 2019, there is no license plate with the character 'Ping' in China. Here is some relevant information about license plates: 1. The first character of a license plate is a Chinese character representing the provincial-level administrative region where the vehicle is registered, which is the abbreviation of the respective (province, municipality, autonomous region). The second character is an English letter representing the prefecture-level administrative region where the vehicle is registered, which is the letter code for the respective (prefecture-level city, region, autonomous prefecture, league). There are no license plates in China that start with the character 'Ping'. 2. The serial number on the license plate is a combination of numbers and letters, which should be used in order as specified. When the usage rate of the serial number exceeds 60%, the next combination method should be activated after approval by the provincial public security traffic management department and reported to the Traffic Management Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security for record.
As a car enthusiast, I often discuss license plates with fellow car lovers. The concept of a 'Ping' character license plate sounds quite unfamiliar. In fact, in China's standard license plate system, the first Chinese character represents the provincial abbreviation, such as 'Jing' for Beijing or 'Hu' for Shanghai, but 'Ping' has never been an official provincial abbreviation. You might have misheard the common 'Jing P' license plate. Jing P is a type of license plate specifically used for vehicles in Beijing's suburban areas, like Shunyi and Huairou. Additionally, military license plates start with the character 'Jun,' and diplomatic license plates begin with 'Shi.' To identify the origin of a license plate, it's best to remember the meaning of the first character and not be misled by the letters that follow. There are online license plate lookup tools where you can enter the plate number to find out which province it belongs to—quite convenient. Remembering these details can also help you identify the origin of unfamiliar vehicles on the road.
In my over ten years of driving experience, I've encountered similar issues. The so-called 'Ping' license plate is probably a mishearing. Typically, license plates start with the abbreviation of the province name, like 'Lu' for Shandong or 'Su' for Jiangsu; 'Ping' isn't on the standard list at all, and it's more likely a confusion with the pronunciation of 'Jing P' for Beijing suburban plates, where 'Jing P' represents vehicles from Beijing's outer suburbs. There are other types of license plates too, like 'Jing' for police vehicles, which can help identify the vehicle type. My suggestion is, next time you see a strange license plate, take a photo and check it on a traffic app to avoid misjudgment. License plate knowledge is simple but quite important, especially during long-distance drives, as it helps you understand the background of surrounding vehicles.
