License plates of the People's Republic of China

A Chinese vehicle registration plate (Chinese: 牌照; pinyin: pái zhào) or Vehicle registration plates in China are mandatory metal or plastic plates attached to motor vehicles in mainland China for official identification purposes. The plates are issued by the local Vehicle Management Offices, under the administration of the Ministry of Public Security.

Hong Kong and Macau, both of which are Special administrative regions of China, issue their own licence plates, a legacy of when they were under British and Portuguese administration. Vehicles from Hong Kong and Macau are required to apply for licence plates, usually from Guangdong province, to travel on roads in Mainland China. Vehicles from Mainland China have to apply for Hong Kong licence plates or Macau licence plates to enter those territories. The island of Taiwan, on the other hand also issues its own licence plates.

The number of registered cars, buses, vans, and trucks on the road in China reached 62 million in 2009, and is expected to exceed 200 million by 2020.

The font used on the plates were said to be modified from the East Asian gothic typeface, but speculations exist as the numbers and letters somewhat bear similarity with the German font DIN 1451.

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Wikipedia