.cn

.cn

Introduced	November 28, 1990[1]
TLD type	Country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	China Internet Network Information Center
Sponsor	Chinese Academy of Sciences
Intended use	Entities connected with  People's Republic of China
Actual use	Used by many sites in mainland China and sites of companies attempting to market to mainland China; much hoarding and speculation by foreigners is going on[citation needed]. Most spam sent around the world originates from .cn sites.
Registration restrictions	Second-level and most third-level names are unrestricted; .gov.cn and .edu.cn are limited to qualified entities
Structure	Names may be registered directly at the second level or at the third level within generic second-level categories or Chinese province codes
Documents	China Internet Domain Name Regulations
Dispute policies	CNNIC Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy
Website	CNNIC (domestic); Neulevel (foreign)

.cn is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the People's Republic of China.

The domain name administration in People's Republic of China is done through a branch of the Ministry of Information Industry. This ministry oversees everything from telecommunications to broadcasting similar to the Federal Communications Commission in the United States. The registry is maintained by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). The actual registrations are done through commercial registrars similar to other parts of the world. Neulevel has entered into a partnership with CNNIC to market .cn outside mainland China.

It is currently the second most common top-level domain, only after .com, but before .de, and .net, with over 12 million registrations.^[2][3]

Second-level domains

Like most countries, people can register for second-level domain names. However, there are preset ones for certain types of organizations and geographic locations. The third-level registrations were available before second-level registrations became available in 2004, and third-level registrants were given first shot at getting their name at the second level when this was opened up.

Generic second-level domains

• .ac.cn : Academic institutions
• .com.cn : Industrial, commercial, financial enterprises
• .edu.cn : Educational institutions
• .gov.cn : Government departments
• .mil.cn : Military
• .net.cn : Networks, NICs and NOCs
• .org.cn : Non-profit organizations

Second-level domains of provinces

The two-letter abbreviations are the same as those found in GB/T 2260-2002.^[4]

• .ah.cn : Anhui
• .bj.cn : Beijing
• .cq.cn : Chongqing
• .fj.cn : Fujian
• .gd.cn : Guangdong
• .gs.cn : Gansu
• .gz.cn : Guizhou
• .gx.cn : Guangxi
• .ha.cn : Henan
• .hb.cn : Hubei
• .he.cn : Hebei
• .hi.cn : Hainan
• .hl.cn : Heilongjiang
• .hn.cn : Hunan
• .jl.cn : Jilin
• .js.cn : Jiangsu
• .jx.cn : Jiangxi
• .ln.cn : Liaoning
• .nm.cn : Inner Mongolia
• .nx.cn : Ningxia
• .qh.cn : Qinghai
• .sc.cn : Sichuan
• .sd.cn : Shandong
• .sh.cn : Shanghai
• .sn.cn : Shaanxi
• .sx.cn : Shanxi
• .tj.cn : Tianjin
• .tw.cn : Taiwan
• .xj.cn : Xinjiang
• .xz.cn : Xizang
• .yn.cn : Yunnan
• .zj.cn : Zhejiang

Domain names with Chinese characters

Domain names with Chinese characters may also be registered at the second level under the .cn top-level domain.

Furthermore, CINIC also proposes Chinese domain names in .公司 (".com" in Chinese), .网络 (".net" in Chinese) and .中国 (".china" in Chinese). However, this alternative registration system is not recognized by ICANN and is only available via domestic registrars.

See also

• .hk (Hong Kong)
• .mo (Macau)
• .tw (Taiwan)

References

• Provisional Administrative Rules for Registration of Domain Names in China

External links

• IANA WHOIS for .cn
• China Internet Network Information Center
• List of Neulevel accredited registrars
• Ministry of Information Industry
• Directory of .cn domain names and their owners

v • d • e People's Republic of China (Chinese civilization) topics   History China (timeline) · Republic of China · People's Republic of China · 1949-1976 · 1976-1989 · 1989-2002 · since 2002   Geography · Natural environment Overviews Geography and climate · Geology · Environment Regions East · Northeast · North · Western (Northwest · Southwest) · South Central Terrain Bays · Canyons · Caves · Deserts · Grasslands · Hills · Islands · Mountains (ranges · passes) · Peninsulas · Northeast / North / Central Plains · Valleys · Volcanoes Water Canals · Lakes · Rivers · Waterfalls · Wetlands · Water resources Seas Yellow Sea · East China Sea · South China Sea Reserves Nature reserves · Protected areas · Biosphere reserves · National parks Wildlife Fauna · Flora   Government · Politics · Economy Government and politics Constitution · President · Vice President · State Council (Premier) · Civil service · National People's Congress · Military (People's Liberation Army) · Political parties (Communist Party) · Elections · Education (universities) · National security · Foreign relations · Public health · Social welfare · Water supply and sanitation Administrative divisions Provinces · Territorial names in Chinese · Cities · Baseline islands · Border crossings Law Law enforcement · Courts · Penal system · Nationality Law Economy History · Reform · Finance · Banking (Central bank) · Currency · Agriculture · Energy · Technological and industrial history · Science and technology · Transportation · Ports and harbors · Communications · Special Economic Zones (SEZs) · Foreign aid · Standard of living · Poverty   People · Society · Culture People Demographics · Ethnic groups · Languages · Religion · Internal migration · Urbanization · Emigration · Human rights · Statistics Society Urban life · Rural life · Women · Sexuality · Social issues · Social relations · Social structure · Generation Y · Intellectualism Culture Art · Cinema · Cuisine · Literature · Media · Newspapers · Music · Philosophy · Tourism · Sports · Martial arts · Variety arts · Tea culture · Television · Public holidays · World Heritage Sites · Archaeology · Parks · Gardens · Libraries · Archives   Other topics National flag / emblem / anthem · Extreme points · Natural disasters · Terrorism · Time zones · International rankings List of China-related topics · Current events · Portal · Categories · WikiProject