Telephone numbers in China

Mobile phones

In mainland China, mobile phone numbers have 11 digits in the format 1xx-xxxx-xxxx, in which the first three digits (e.g. 13x, 14x,15x,17x and 18x) designate the mobile phone service provider.

As new numbers were introduced over time, it is possible to recognize the age of a number: The oldest GSM numbers start with 1390…, the second oldest 1380… and 1300… Keeping the same number over time is somewhat associated with stability and reliability of the owner. As the fourth digit was introduced later, thus it is 0 for all old numbers. In further extensions, non-139,138,130 numbers were introduced. The fifth to seventh digit sometimes relates to age and location.

Even earlier, before GSM age, mobile phones had numbers starting with 9. Those numbers were eventually translated into 1390xx9…, where xx were local identifiers.

Mobile service providers can be identified by the first three or four digits as follows:

* Formerly China Unicom

Note: 170 and 171, are allocated to Mobile virtual network operator.

Calling formats

To call in China, the following format is used:

For fixed phones:

xxx xxxx Calls within the same area code

0yyy xxx xxxx Calls from other areas within China

+86 yyy xxx xxxx Calls from outside China

For mobile phones:

1nn xxxx xxxx Calls to mobile phones within China

+86 1nn xxxx xxxx Calls to mobiles from outside China

Area 1 - Beijing

The prefix 1 is used exclusively by the national capital, Beijing Municipality.

Beijing – 10 (8-digit)

Area 2

These are area codes for the municipalities of Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing, as well as several major cities with early access to telephones. All of these cities have upgraded to an 8-number system in the past decade. The People's Republic of China reserves code 26 for Taipei, capital of Taiwan, which it unilaterally claims sovereignty over, but does not actually control.

All telephone numbers are 8-digit in these areas (exclude Taipei).

Shanghai – 21

Tianjin – 22

Chongqing – 23

Shenyang, Tieling, Fushun, Benxi – 24

Nanjing – 25

Taipei – 26 (proposed use)

Wuhan – 27

Chengdu, Meishan, Ziyang – 28

Xi'an, Xianyang – 29

Guangzhou – 20

Area 3

These are area codes for the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Henan.

Hebei

Shijiazhuang – 311 (8-digit)

Baoding – 312

Zhangjiakou – 313

Chengde – 314

Tangshan – 315

Langfang – 316

Cangzhou – 317

Hengshui – 318

Xingtai – 319

Handan – 310

Qinhuangdao – 335

Shanxi

Taiyuan – 351

Datong – 352

Yangquan – 353

Jinzhong – 354

Changzhi – 355

Jincheng – 356

Linfen – 357

Lüliang – 358

Yuncheng – 359

Xinzhou – 350

Shuozhou – 349

Henan

Zhengzhou – 371 (8-digit)

Kaifeng – 371 (8-digit)

Anyang – 372

Xinxiang – 373

Xuchang – 374

Pingdingshan – 375

Xinyang – 376 (8-digit)

Nanyang – 377 (8-digit)

Luoyang – 379 (8-digit)

Shangqiu – 370

Jiaozuo – 391

Hebi – 392

Puyang – 393

Zhoukou – 394

Luohe – 395

Zhumadian – 396

Xinyang (Former Huangchuan special area) – 397 (abolished in 2005, 376 used instead)

Sanmenxia – 398

Area 4

These are area codes for the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, and the provinces in Northeast China (Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang). Additionally, numbers starting 400 are shared-pay (callers are charged local rate anywhere in the country) numbers.

Liaoning

The provincial capital, Shenyang, and Tieling, Fushun, Benxi, uses code 24.

Dalian – 411 (8-digit)

Anshan – 412

Dandong – 415

Jinzhou – 416

Yingkou – 417

Fuxin – 418

Liaoyang – 419

Chaoyang – 421

Panjin – 427

Huludao – 429

Jilin

Changchun – 431 (8-digit)

Jilin – 432 (8-digit)

Yanji – 433

Siping – 434

Tonghua – 435

Baicheng – 436

Liaoyuan – 437

Songyuan – 438

Baishan – 439

Hunchun – 440

Meihekou – 448

Heilongjiang

Harbin – 451 (8-digit)

Qiqihar – 452

Mudanjiang – 453

Jiamusi – 454

Suihua – 455

Heihe – 456

Daxing'anling – 457

Yichun – 458

Daqing – 459

Qitaihe – 464

Jixi – 467

Hegang – 468

Shuangyashan – 469

Inner Mongolia

Hohhot – 471

Baotou – 472

Wuhai – 473

Jining – 474

Tongliao – 475

Chifeng – 476

Dongsheng – 477

Linhe – 478

Xilinhot – 479

Hulunbuir – 470

Ulanhot – 482

Alxa – 483

Area 5

These are area codes for the provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong (predominantly), Anhui, Zhejiang and Fujian.

Jiangsu

The provincial capital of Nanjing uses code 25. All telephone numbers are 8-digit in Jiangsu.

Zhenjiang – 511

Suzhou – 512

Nantong – 513

Yangzhou – 514

Yancheng – 515

Xuzhou – 516

Huai'an – 517

Lianyungang – 518

Changzhou – 519

Wuxi – 510

Taizhou – 523

Suqian – 527

Shandong – Area 5

While most areas in Shandong use the prefix 5, some areas also use the prefix 6.

Jinan – 531 (8-digit)

Qingdao – 532 (8-digit)

Zibo – 533

Dezhou – 534

Yantai – 535

Weifang – 536

Jining – 537

Tai'an – 538

Linyi – 539

Heze – 530

Binzhou – 543

Dongying – 546

Rizhao – 633

Anhui

Hefei – 551 (8-digit)

Bengbu – 552

Wuhu – 553

Huainan – 554

Ma'anshan – 555

Anqing – 556

Suzhou – 557

Fuyang, Bozhou – 558

Huangshan – 559

Chuzhou – 550

Huaibei – 561

Tongling – 562

Xuancheng – 563

Lu'an – 564

Chizhou – 566

Zhejiang

Hangzhou – 571 (8-digit)

Huzhou – 572

Jiaxing – 573 (8-digit)

Ningbo – 574 (8-digit)

Shaoxing – 575 (8-digit)

Taizhou – 576 (8-digit)

Wenzhou – 577 (8-digit)

Lishui – 578

Jinhua – 579 (8-digit)

Quzhou – 570

Zhoushan – 580

Fujian

Fuzhou – 591 (8-digit)

Xiamen – 592

Ningde – 593

Putian – 594

Quanzhou – 595 (8-digit)

Zhangzhou – 596

Longyan – 597

Sanming – 598

Nanping – 599

Kinmen, Matsu, and Wuchiu are currently under the control of the Republic of China; and are under the international calling code of 886.

Area 6

All area codes with prefix 6 were assigned in recent years. This prefix (+86 6...) was reserved for Taiwan (+886) during the cold war years.

Shandong – Area 6

While most areas in Shandong use the prefix 5, some areas also use the prefix 6.

Weihai – 631

Zaozhuang – 632

Rizhao – 633

Laiwu – 634

Liaocheng – 635

Zhaoyuan – 638

Guangdong – Area 6

While most areas in Guangdong use the prefix 7, some areas also use the prefix 6. The provincial capital Guangzhou uses code 20.

Yangjiang – 662

Jieyang – 663

Maoming – 668

Shanwei – 660

Yunnan – Area 6

While most areas in Yunnan use the prefix 8, a couple of areas also use the prefix 6.

Jinghong – 691

Dehong – 692

Area 7

These are area codes for the central provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong (predominantly), Jiangxi, and the autonomous region of Guangxi.

Hubei

The provincial capital of Wuhan uses code 27.

Ezhou – 711

Xiaogan – 712

Huanggang – 713

Huangshi – 714

Xianning – 715

Jingzhou – 716

Yichang – 717

Enshi – 718

Shiyan – 719

Xiangfan – 710

Suizhou – 722

Jingmen – 724

Xiantao, Tianmen, Qianjiang –728

Hunan

Changsha – 731 (8-digit)

Xiangtan – 731 (8-digit)

Zhuzhou – 731 (8-digit)

Hengyang – 734

Chenzhou – 735

Changde – 736

Yiyang – 737

Loudi – 738

Shaoyang – 739

Yueyang – 730

Jishou – 743

Zhangjiajie – 744

Huaihua – 745

Yongzhou – 746

Guangdong – Area 7

Some areas in Guangdong use the prefix 6, while the provincial capital of Guangzhou uses code 20.

Shaoguan – 751

Huizhou – 752

Meizhou – 753

Shantou – 754 (8-digit)

Shenzhen – 755 (8-digit)

Zhuhai – 756

Foshan – 757 (8-digit)

Zhaoqing – 758

Zhanjiang – 759

Jiangmen – 750

Zhongshan – 760 (8-digit)

Heyuan – 762

Qingyuan – 763

Yunfu – 766

Chaozhou – 768

Dongguan – 769 (8-digit)

Guangxi

Nanning – 771

Liuzhou – 772

Guilin – 773

Wuzhou – 774

Yulin – 775

Baise – 776

Qinzhou – 777

Hechi – 778

Beihai – 779

Fangchenggang – 770

Jiangxi

Nanchang – 791 (8-digit)

Jiujiang – 792

Shangrao – 793

Fuzhou – 794

Yichun – 795

Ji'an – 796

Ganzhou – 797

Jingdezhen – 798

Pingxiang – 799

Xinyu – 790

Yingtan – 701

Area 8

These are area codes for the provinces of Sichuan, Hainan, Guizhou, Yunnan (predominantly) and the autonomous region of Tibet.

Sichuan

The provincial capital of Chengdu, and Meishan, Ziyang uses code 28.

Panzhihua – 812

Zigong – 813

Mianyang – 816

Nanchong – 817

Dazhou – 818

Suining – 825

Guang'an –826

Bazhong – 827

Yibin – 831

Neijiang – 832

Leshan – 833

Xichang – 834

Ya'an – 835

Kangding – 836

Ngawa – 837

Deyang – 838

Guangyuan – 839

Luzhou – 830

Guizhou

Guiyang – 851 (8-digit)

Zunyi – 851 (8-digit)

Anshun – 851 (8-digit)

Duyun – 854

Kaili – 855

Tongren – 856

Bijie – 857

Liupanshui – 858

Xingyi – 859

Yunnan – Area 8

Some areas in Yunnan use the prefix 6.

Kunming – 871 (8-digit)

Dali – 872

Gejiu – 873

Qujing – 874

Baoshan – 875

Wenshan – 876

Yuxi – 877

Chuxiong – 878

Simao – 879

Zhaotong – 870

Dongchuan – 881

Lincang – 883

Nujiang – 886

Zhongdian – 887

Lijiang – 888

Tibet/Xizang

Lhasa – 891

Shigatse – 892

Shannan – 893

Nyingchi – 894

Qamdo – 895

Nagqu – 896

Ngari – 897

Hainan

All areas – 898 (8-digit)

Area 9

These are area codes for northwestern regions including the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai, as well as the autonomous regions of Ningxia and Xinjiang.

Shaanxi

The provincial capital Xi'an uses code 29. Xianyang uses the same code as Xi'an starting from 16 September 2006.

Yan'an – 911

Yulin – 912

Weinan – 913

Shangzhou – 914

Ankang – 915

Hanzhong – 916

Baoji – 917

Tongchuan – 919

Gansu

Lanzhou – 931

Dingxi – 932

Pingliang – 933

Xifeng – 934

Wuwei – 935

Zhangye – 936

Jiuquan – 937

Tianshui – 938

Longnan – 939

Linxia – 930

Gannan – 941

Baiyin – 943

Ningxia

Yinchuan – 951

Shizuishan – 952

Wuzhong – 953

Guyuan – 954

Zhongwei – 955

Qinghai

Xining – 971

Haidong – 972

Tongren – 973

Gonghe – 974

Golog – 975

Yushu – 976

Haixi (Delingha) – 977

Menyuan – 978

Golmud – 979

Haiyan – 970

Xinjiang

Ürümqi – 991

Kuitun – 992

Shihezi – 993

Changji – 994

Turpan – 995

Korla – 996

Aksu – 997

Kashgar – 998

Yining – 999

Karamay – 990

Tacheng – 901

Kumul – 902

Hotan – 903

Altay – 906

Artux – 908

Bole – 909

Emergency Numbers

From within Mainland China, the following emergency numbers are used:

110 - Police

119 - Fire brigade

120 - Ambulance

122 - Traffic accident

999 - Privately operated ambulance (Beijing)

In most cities, the emergency numbers provide assistance in Mandarin Chinese and English.

Others

From within Mainland China, the following special numbers are used:

100xx - Telecommunications Customer Service (10000 for China Telecom, 10010 for China Unicom, 10086 for China Mobile)

101xx and 116- Premium service of China Unicom

1010xxxx - Special number by China Unicom

11185 - Post

114 - Directory assistance

118xxx - Premium service of China Telecom

12117 - Speaking clock

12122 - Highway service

123xx - Government service (ex. 12388 is report hotline of Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Ministry of Supervision, 12306 is service hotline of China Railway)

125xx - Premium service of China Mobile

12121 or 96121- Weather

179xx - VoIP

95xxx, 95105xxx- Service number (nationally)

955xx - Bank, Insurance, Airlines service hotline (nationally, ex. 95588 is hotline of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China)

96xxx - Service number (locally)

(ex.962288- Shanghai foreigner assistant hotline,when dialing from other areas within China,dial 021-962288)

International Access Code

The international access code from the PRC is 00. This must also be used for calls to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau from the Chinese mainland, together with their separate international codes, as follows: