Telephone numbers in mainland China

In mainland China, mobile phone numbers have eleven digits in the format 1xx-XXXX-XXXX (except for 140-144, which are 13-digit IoT numbers), in which the first three digits (13x to 19x) designate the mobile phone service provider.

Before GSM, mobile phones had 6-digit (later upgraded to 7-digit) numbers starting with nine. They had the same numbering format as fixed-line telephones. Those numbers were eventually translated into 1390xx9xxx, where xx were local identifiers.

The oldest China Mobile GSM numbers were ten digits long and started with 139 in 1994, the second oldest 138 in 1997, and 137, 136, 135 in 1999. The oldest China Unicom numbers started with 130 in 1995, the second oldest at 131 in 1998. Keeping the same number over time is somewhat associated with the stability and reliability of the owner. The 5th to the seventh digit sometimes relates to age and location.

China's mobile telephone numbers were changed from ten digits to eleven digits, with 0 added after 13x, and thus the HLR code became four-digit long to expand the capacity of the seriously fully crowded numbering plan.

In 2006, 15x numbers were introduced. In late 2008, 18x and 14x (for data plans or IoT) were introduced. In late 2013, 17x were introduced. In 2017, 16x and 19x were introduced.

In December 2016, each cell phone number was required to be consigned to a real name in mainland China.

In November 2010, MIIT has started the trial mobile number portability service in Tianjin and Hainan, in 2012 the trial has extended to Jiangxi, Hubei and Yunan provinces. On 10 November 2019, all provinces started accepting MNP requests for all mobile carriers, except for technical difficulties, the MVNO phones, satellite phones and IoT phones.

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

1. China Unicom before 2009
2. Operated by China Transport Telecommunication Information Group Co., Ltd.
3. TD-SCDMA networks deprecated by China Mobile in 2020
4. China Unicom finalize deprecated the GSM networks in 2021. A plan to deprecate GSM by China Mobile announced in 2023, scheduled to shut down in 2025
5. CDMA2000 1x Ev-Do networks deprecated in 2022, and CDMA2000 1x RTT in 2024
6. LTE compatibility of China Broadnet SIM cards only available on Apple iOS devices
7. WCDMA networks are being deprecated by China Unicom since 2023

1G TACS networks were provided by China Telecom since 1987, operations transferred to China Mobile in 1999, the year China Mobile established, 1G shut down in 2001.

To call phone numbers in China one of the following formats is used:

• For fixed phones:

xxx xxxx | xxxx xxxx Calls within the same area code

0yyy xxx xxxx | 0yyy xxxx xxxx Calls from other areas within China

+86 yyy xxx xxxx | +86 yyy xxxx 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

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

• Beijing, 10 (formerly 1, abolished after GSM was introduced, to avoid conflict with mobile phone numbers with prefix 0 added (e.g. 0139-xxxx-xxxx))

These are area codes for the municipalities of Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing, as well as several major cities with early access to telephones. These cities have upgraded to an 8-number system in the past decade.

All telephone numbers are 8-digit in these areas.

• Guangzhou, 20
• Shanghai, 21
• Tianjin, 22
• Chongqing, 23 ¹
• Shenyang, Tieling, Fushun, Benxi, 24 ²
• Nanjing, 25
• Wuhan, Huarong District of Ezhou, 27
• Chengdu, Meishan, Ziyang, 28 ³
• Xi'an, Xianyang, 29 ⁴

1 - Formerly 811 in urban area and 814 in Yongchuan, both abolished on 9 August 1997; 819 for Wanxian and 810 for Fuling and Qianjiang, abolished on 28 November 1998.
2 - Formerly 410 for Tieling and 413 for Fushun, abolished on 28 August 2011; 414 for Benxi, abolished on 24 May 2014.
3 - Formerly 832, 833, abolished 2010.
4 - Formerly 910, abolished 2006.

It's still unclear whether 26 will be provided or not, some local materials say that it's reserved for Taiwan (especially its capital Taipei), but currently they use +886. Some proposals from planned independent cities (Chinese: 计划单列市) to get rights to operate 026 were also unsuccessful.

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

Hebei, 31x 33x

Shijiazhuang
311
(8-digit) Tangshan
315 Qinhuangdao
335 Handan
310 Xingtai
319 Baoding
312 Zhangjiakou
313 Chengde
314 Cangzhou
317 Langfang
316 Hengshui
318

Shanxi, 34x 35x

Taiyuan
351 Datong
352 Yangquan
353 Changzhi
355 Jincheng
356 Shuozhou
349 Jinzhong
354 Yuncheng
359 Xinzhou
350 Linfen
357 Lüliang
358

Henan, 37x 39x

Zhengzhou
371
(8-digit) Kaifeng
371¹
(8-digit) Luoyang
379
(8-digit) Pingdingshan
375 Anyang
372 Hebi
392 Xinxiang
373 Jiaozuo
391 Puyang
393 Xuchang
374 Luohe
395 Sanmenxia
398 Nanyang
377
(8-digit) Shangqiu
370 Xinyang
376² Zhoukou
394 Zhumadian
396 Jiyuan
391

_{1 - Formerly 378, abolished on 26 October 2013.
2 - Formerly 397 for 7 east counties, abolished on 20 October 2005.}

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, 41x 42x

Shenyang
24
(8-digit) Dalian
411
(8-digit) Anshan
412 Fushun
24
(8-digit) Benxi
24
(8-digit) Dandong
415 Jinzhou
416 Yingkou
417 Fuxin
418 Liaoyang
419 Panjin
427 Tieling
24
(8-digit) Chaoyang
421 Huludao
429

Jilin, 43x 44x

Changchun
431
(8-digit) Jilin
432
(8-digit) Siping
434 Liaoyuan
437 Tonghua
435² Baishan
439 Songyuan
438 Baicheng
436 Yanbian
433¹

_{1 - Hunchun formerly 440, abolished in 16 September 2006}

_{2 - Meihekou, Liuhe, Huinan formerly 448, abolished on 16 September 2006}

Heilongjiang, 45x 46x

Harbin
451¹
(8-digit) Qiqihar
452 Jixi
467 Hegang
468 Shuangyashan
469 Daqing
459 Yichun
458 Jiamusi
454 Qitaihe
464 Mudanjiang
453 Heihe
456 Suihua
455 Daxing'anling
Prefecture
457²

_{1 -Acheng formerly 450, abolished.
2 - Includes Jiagedaqi and Songling, where considered part of Inner Mongolia by de jure}

Inner Mongolia, 47x 48x

Hohhot
471 Baotou
472 Wuhai
473 Chifeng
476 Tongliao
475 Ordos
477 Hulunbuir
470 ¹ Bayannur
478 Ulanqab
474 Hinggan
League
482 Xilingol
League
479 Alxa
League
483

_{1 - Jiagedaqi and Songling are de facto under the administration of the Daxing'anling
Prefecture, uses 457.}

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

Jiangsu, 51x 52x

All telephone numbers are 8-digit in Jiangsu.

Nanjing
25 Wuxi
510 Xuzhou
516 Changzhou
519 Suzhou
512¹ Nantong
513 Lianyungang
518 Huai'an
517 Yancheng
515 Yangzhou
514 Zhenjiang
511 Taizhou
523 Suqian
527

_{1 - Changshu, Kunshan, Taicang, Wujiang and Zhangjiagang are formerly 520, abolished on 20 April 2002.}

Shandong, 53x 54x

Jinan
531
(8-digit) Qingdao
532
(8-digit) Zibo
533 Zaozhuang
632 Dongying
546 Yantai
535 Weifang
536 Jining
537 Tai'an
538 Weihai
631 Rizhao
633 Linyi
539 Dezhou
534 Liaocheng
635 Binzhou
543 Heze
530

Anhui, 55x 56x

Hefei¹
551
(8-digit) Wuhu¹
553 Bengbu
552 Huainan
554 Ma'anshan¹
555 Huaibei
561 Tongling
562 Anqing
556 Huangshan
559 Chuzhou
550 Fuyang
558 Suzhou
557 Lu'an
564 Bozhou
558² Chizhou
566 Xuancheng
563

_{1 - Formerly 565 for Chaohu prefectural city era (i.e. before 2011), later split as: Hefei's 551 for Juchao district (now county-level Chaohu) and Lujiang county, Wuhu's 553 for Wuwei and Shenxiang Town of He county (now part of Jiujiang district), and Ma'anshan's 555 for He county (except Shenxiang) and Hanshan county.
2 - Split from Fuyang in 2000, no new area code allocated.}

Zhejiang, 57x 58x

Hangzhou
571
(8-digit) Ningbo
574
(8-digit) Wenzhou
577
(8-digit) Jiaxing
573
(8-digit) Huzhou
572 Shaoxing
575
(8-digit) Jinhua
579
(8-digit) Quzhou
570 Zhoushan
580 Taizhou
576
(8-digit) Lishui
578

Fujian, 59x 50x

Fuzhou
591
(8-digit) ¹ Xiamen
592 Putian
594 ¹ Sanming
598 Quanzhou
595
(8-digit) ¹ Zhangzhou
596 ¹ Nanping
599 Longyan
597 Ningde
593

_{1 - Kinmen, Matsu, and Wuchiu are under Taiwanese control, and hence use international calling code of +886.}

All area codes with prefix 6 were assigned in recent years. This prefix (+866) previously was reserved for Taiwan, which is now assigned (+886).

Shandong, 63x

While most areas in Shandong use the prefix 53x 54x, some sites also use the prefix 6.

• Weihai, 631
• Zaozhuang, 632
• Rizhao, 633
• Liaocheng, 635

Laiwu was using 634, now merged to Jinan's 531, former numbers were re-prefixed as 5317 when merging.

Guangdong, 66x

While most areas in Guangdong use the prefixes 75x and 76x, some sites also use the prefix 6. The provincial capital Guangzhou uses code 20.

• Shanwei, 660
• Yangjiang, 662
• Jieyang, 663
• Maoming, 668

Chaoyang county-level city was using 661, now changed to 754 after split to Chaoyang and Chaonan districts and join Shantou.

Yunnan, 69x

While most areas in Yunnan use the prefix 87x and 88x, a couple of areas also use the prefix 6.

• Xishuangbanna, 691
• Dehong, 692

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

Hubei, 71x 72x

Wuhan
27
(8-digit) Huangshi
714 Shiyan
719 Yichang
717 Xiangyang
710 Ezhou²⁰
711 Jingmen
724 Xiaogan
712 Jingzhou
716 Huanggang
713 Xianning
715 Suizhou
722 Enshi
718 Xiantao
728 Qianjiang
728 Tianmen
728 Shennongjia
719

_{20 - except Huarong district which uses Wuhan's 27.}

Hunan, 73x 74x

Changsha
731
(8-digit) Zhuzhou
731
(8-digit) ²¹ Xiangtan
731
(8-digit) ²² Hengyang
734 Shaoyang
739 Yueyang
730 Changde
736 Zhangjiajie
744 Yiyang
737 Chenzhou
735 Yongzhou
746 Huaihua
745 Loudi
738 Xiangxi
743

_{21 - Formerly 733, abolished.
22 - Formerly 732, abolished.}

Guangdong, 75x 76x

Guangzhou
20 (8-digit) Shaoguan
751 Shenzhen
755 (8-digit) Zhuhai
756 Shantou
754
(8-digit) Foshan
757
²³(8-digit) Jiangmen
750 Zhanjiang
759 Maoming
668 Zhaoqing
758 Huizhou
752 Meizhou
753 Shanwei
660 Heyuan
762 Yangjiang
662 Qingyuan
763 Dongguan
769 (8-digit) Zhongshan
760 (8-digit) Chaozhou
768 Jieyang
663 Yunfu
766 ↑
Macau
+853
Hong Kong
+852

_{23 - Shunde formerly 765, abolished.}

Guangxi, 77x 78x

Nanning
771 Liuzhou
772 Guilin
773 Wuzhou
774 Beihai
779 Fangchenggang
770 Qinzhou
777 Guigang
775 Yulin
775 ²⁶ Baise
776 Hezhou
774 ²⁴ Hechi
778 Laibin
772 ²⁵ Chongzuo
771 ²⁷

_{24 - Split from Wuzhou Prefecture, original area code inherited.
25 - Split from Liuzhou Prefecture, original area code inherited.
26 - Split from Yulin Prefecture, original area code inherited.
27 - Split from Nanning Prefecture, original area code inherited.}

Jiangxi, 79x 70x

Nanchang
791
(8-digit) Jingdezhen
798 Pingxiang
799 Jiujiang
792 Xinyu
790 Yingtan
701 Ganzhou
797 Ji'an
796 Yichun
795 Fuzhou
794 Shangrao
793

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

Sichuan, 81x 82x 83x

Chengdu
28 (8-digit) Zigong
813 Panzhihua
812 Luzhou
830 Deyang
838 Mianyang
816 Guangyuan
839 Suining
825 Neijiang
832 Leshan
833 Nanchong
817 Meishan
28
(8-digit) Yibin
831 Guang'an
826 Dazhou
818 Ya'an
835 Bazhong
827 Ziyang
28 (8-digit) Ngawa (Aba)
837 Garzê (Ganzi)
836 Liangshan
834

Guizhou, 85x 86x

Guiyang
851
(8-digit) Liupanshui
858 Zunyi
851
(8-digit) ²⁸ Anshun
851
(8-digit) ²⁸ Bijie
857 Tongren
856 Qianxinan
859 Qiandongnan
855 Qiannan
854

_{28 - Formerly 852, 853, abolished 2014.}

Yunnan, 87x 88x

Kunming
871
(8-digit) ²⁹ Qujing
874 Yuxi
877 Baoshan
875 Zhaotong
870 Lijiang
888 Pu'er
879³⁰ Lincang
883 Chuxiong
878 Honghe
873 Wenshan
876 Xishuangbanna
691 Dali
872 Dehong
692 Nujiang
886 Dêqên (Diqing)
887

_{29 - Dongchuan formerly 881, incorporated into 871
30 - also de facto used by Wa State of  Myanmar}

Tibet/Xizang, 89(1-7)

Lhasa
891 Shigatse / Xigazê
892 Chamdo / Qamdo
895 Nyingchi
894 Shannan / Lhoka
893 Nagqu
896 Ngari
897 ☐ Disputed areas claimed or controlled by
China, India or Bhutan.

Hainan, 898

All telephone numbers are 8-digit in Hainan.

_{Formerly (most likely before 2000), Sanya, Wuzhishan, Lingshui, Ledong, Baoting and Qiongzhong were 899, Danzhou, Dongfang, Lingao, Baisha and Changjiang were 890.}

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 (陕西), 91x 92x

Xi'an
29
(8-digit) Tongchuan
919 Baoji
917 Xianyang
29
(8-digit) Weinan
913 Yan'an
911 Hanzhong
916 Yulin
912 Ankang
915 Shangluo
914

Gansu, 93x 94x

Lanzhou
931 ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Jiayuguan
937 ³¹ Jinchang
935 Baiyin
943 Tianshui
938 Wuwei
935 Zhangye
936 Pingliang
933 Jiuquan
937 Qingyang
934 Dingxi
932 Longnan
939 Linxia
930 Gannan
941

_{31 - Shared area code due to small size.}

Ningxia, 95x 96x

Yinchuan
951 Shizuishan
952 Wuzhong
953 Guyuan
954 Zhongwei
955

Qinghai, 97x 98x

Xining
971 Haidong
972 Haibei
970 Huangnan
973 Hainan
974 Guoluo (Golog)
975 Yushu
976 Haixi
977, 979 ³² (Haixi)
979

_{32 - Area under the administration of Golmud uses 979, other landlines within the prefecture use 977.}

Xinjiang, 99x 90x

Ürümqi
991 Kuitun
992 Shihezi
993 Changji
994 Turpan
995 Bayingolin
996 Aksu
997 Kashgar
998 rest of Ili
999 Karamay³³
990 Tacheng^33,34
901 Hami
902 Hotan
903 Altay
906 Kizilsu
908 Bortala
909

_{33 - except Wusu and Dushanzi District which use Kuytun's 992.
34 - except Shawan county which uses Shihezi's 993, and Hoboksar county which uses Karamay's 990.}

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

• 110, Police (12110 for SMS to police, not for calling, 95110 for maritime policies, 96110 to report frauds)
• 119, Fire brigade (12119 for forest fire in some regions)
• 120, Ambulance
• 122, Traffic accident (incorporated into 110 in some cities) (12122 on expressways)
• 999, Privately operated ambulance (Beijing only, calls outside Beijing is 010-999)

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

Starting from 2012 in Shenzhen, an implemented system upgrade to unify three emergency reporting services into one number, 110. A similar approach is being installed in more cities in China to make them more convenient.

As 112, 911, and 999 (except Beijing) are not official emergency numbers in China, when dialing them, a recording message is played about correction in Chinese and English twice, but no services are automatically redirected:

• China Mobile & China Broadcom (include contract phones without SIM cards inserted, even dialed 110/119/120/122): For police dial 110, to report the fire dial 119, for an ambulance dial 120, to report the traffic accident dial 122. But when dialing 999 outside Beijing, and without 010 prefix: The number is incorrect, please check and dial again.
• China Unicom (include contract phones without SIM cards inserted, even dialed 110/119/120/122): Hello, please dial 110 for police, 119 for fire, 120 for ambulance, 122 for traffic accident, and dial area code before 112 for fixed phone obstacle.
• China Telecom (include contract phones without SIM cards inserted, even dialed 110/119/120/122): Sorry, the number you've dialed is not correct, please check it and redial.
• Non-contract phones without SIM cards inserted: Sorry, you didn't apply for this service.

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

• 100xx, Telecommunications Customer Service
  • 10000 for China Telecom, formerly 1000
  • 10010 for China Unicom, 10015 for auditing CU's services, formerly 1001
  • 10020-10049 for VNOs
  • 10086 for China Mobile (formerly 1860), 10050 for Tietong, 10080 for auditing CM's services, 1008611 for directly checking phone bills
  • 10096 for China Tower
  • 10099 for China Broadnet
• 106, SMS access code
• 11185, Post (11183 for their EMS)
• 114, Directory assistance, operated by China Unicom for the northern 10 provinces, and China Telecom for the southern 21 provinces. China Unicom also operates 116114, and China Telecom 118114 that provide the same service as 114.
• 116xxx, Premium service of China Unicom (e.g. 116114)
• 118xxx, Premium service of China Telecom (e.g. 118114)
• 12114, SMS name and address standard trial platform, not for calling
• 12117, Speaking clock
• 12121, Weather
• 12123, Traffic police services
• 123xx, Government service, 12345 is a general hotline for all services below, that may be transited by 12345 operators upon kind of requests:

12303, proposals
12305, SPB post appeals
12306, railway services
(10-)12308, MFA Consular assistance
12309, SPP reports
12310, CIOC reports
12313, tobacco reports
12314, water reports
12315, consumer reports
12316, agricultural services
(10-)12317, poverty helps
12318, cultural reports
12319, urban development services
12320, health services
12321, MIIT Internet disinfos and spam reports
12323, MNR maritime report
12325, food audit
12326, CAAC audit
12327, NRA audit
12328, transportation illegal reports
12329, housing fund services
12333, MHRSS services
(10-)12335, MoC Multinational corporation reports
12337, CPLAC anti-blacks
12338, women helps
12339, MSS reports
12340, statistics
12348, MoJ legal services and aids
12350, MEM safety reports
12351, ACFTU workers' helps
12355, CYL Adolescence services
12356, NHC Psychological assistance
12360, custom services
12361, PDCCP Xuexi Qiangguo
12363, PBC financial reports
12366, tax services
12367, immigration services
12368, court services
12369, environment reports
(10-)12370, MHRSS Civil services
12371, ODCCP community member consult
12377, CAC Internet illegal and disinfo reports
12378, NFRA bank & insurance reports
(10-)12379, MEM emergency situation info release
12380, ODCCP reports
12381, MIIT public services
12385, disabled services
12386, CSRC Investor services
12388, CCDI and NSC reports
12389, MPS reports
12390, anti-pornography, illegal and copyvio publishing reports
12393, NHSA services
12395, MSA Shipwrecking helps
12398, energy audits

• 124x, Carrier Identification Code (formerly 190/196/197, abolished in 2018, to create space for mobile phone numbers.)
• 125xx, Premium service of China Mobile (e.g. 12580 for China Mobile's Directory assistance)
• 179xx + target number followed, VoIP (e.g. 17901-133-0000-0000, 1790 for China Telecom, 1791 for China Unicom, and 1795 for China Mobile)
• 400 xxx xxxx, 800 xxx xxxx, business numbers
  • Differences: bills for 400 numbers are paid by both originating and terminating callers, and support calling from both landlines and mobile phones (usually 400-1/7 operate by China Mobile, 400-0/6 operate by China Unicom, 400-8/9 operate by China Telecom); bills for 800 numbers are just paid by terminating callers, but for non-landline users, mostly only China Telecom mobile phones may call 800 phones, because nearly all 800 phones are operated by China Telecom
  • 400-881-0000 for auditing China Telecom's services
• 95xxx(xxx), 96xxx(xxx), enterprise public institution's consumer services, include but not only bank, insurance, public utility, etc. for example:
  • 95588, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)
  • 95105105 or 96006, railway ticket services

Former

• 20x (mainly 200 and 201), was used for IC telephone service, to be reserved for mobile phones

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: