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China Internet Domain

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

The domain name administration in China is done through a branch of the Ministry of Information Industry. This ministry oversees everything from telecommunications to broadcasting similar to the FCC of the US. 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 China.

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 or scientific research institutions
.com.cn : Commercial
.edu.cn : Educational institutions
.gov.cn : Government agencies
.net.cn : Internet oriented organizations
.org.cn : Organizations

Second-level domains of provinces
.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 : Hainan
.hb.cn : Hebei
.he.cn : Henan
.hi.cn : Hubei
.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
.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, CNNIC 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.