China administrative boundary data — FAQ.
Formats and licensing, where the data comes from, what GeoJSON and Shapefile files you get, and how refunds work. If something here is not clear, email us — a person reads it.
How this compares with GADM, geoBoundaries and Natural Earth
Most people arrive here already holding a GADM or geoBoundaries file. The differences that matter in practice are the division codes, whether Chinese names survive the export, and whether the boundary lines China publishes over water come with the polygons. GADM, geoBoundaries and Natural Earth are independent projects under their own licences; this table is a reading of their published documentation in October 2026 and is not a substitute for it.
| This dataset | GADM | geoBoundaries | Natural Earth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative levels | Admin 1–3, plus Admin 0 boundary lines | Admin 0–3 | Admin 0–2 (varies by release) | Admin 0–1 only |
| Division codes | GB/T 2260 six-digit, on every feature | GADM GID identifiers | gbOpen identifiers | None |
| Chinese names | Yes — name_zh beside name_en | No | No | No |
| Formats in one download | Seven: GeoJSON, shapefile, SVG, DXF, GML, KML, CSV | Several, as separate files | GeoJSON, shapefile, GeoPackage | Shapefile, GeoJSON |
| Boundary lines over water | Included as their own layer | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Licence | Commercial, one organisation | Non-commercial — check their terms | Open, attribution required | Public domain |
| Price | USD 19.99–99.99, one-time | Free for permitted uses | Free | Free |
What is actually in the download?
One zip per dataset, containing the same geometry in seven formats — GeoJSON, shapefile (.shp/.shx/.dbf/.prj/.cpg), DXF, GML, KML — plus a CSV of the attributes, a README describing the fields and the licence.
Where does the data come from?
China administrative divisions follow GB/T 2260, the national standard for division codes. Geometry is compiled from public boundary data and reconciled against that list, so every polygon has a code and every code has a polygon. Each file records the date it was generated.
How are the English place names decided?
By the Chinese national standards, not by translation. Romanisation is Hanyu Pinyin under GB/T 16159 — syllables joined, apostrophes before an initial vowel (Xi'an, Lu'an) — and every unit carries its GB/T 2260 code. Names with an established English form use it instead: Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong, Macao, Hohhot, Urumqi, Lhasa, Kashgar. Minority-language names keep their own romanisation, and the readings pinyin gets wrong are corrected by hand, so Changning is not "Zhangning" and Minhang is not "Minxing".
How current is it?
It reflects the current published division list, including the county-level changes of recent years. Administrative divisions do change; if yours is time-sensitive, download the free sample and check the codes you care about before buying.
Is Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao included?
Yes. Taiwan appears as a province-level division, and Hong Kong and Macao as special administrative regions, each with their sub-units at county level. There are no second-level divisions for the two SARs, so those are offered at county level only.
Why are there 368 cities when China has 333 prefecture-level divisions?
Because the second level as published is not only prefecture-level cities: it also includes prefectures, leagues, autonomous prefectures, and the county-level cities that a few provinces (Hainan, Hubei, Henan, Xinjiang) administer directly. The file keeps them, because dropping them would leave holes in the map. The 40 units that appear at both levels are listed in the README.
Which format should I pick?
GeoJSON for code and web maps, shapefile for ArcGIS/QGIS projects, DXF for AutoCAD and illustration work, GML for GeoServer and XML pipelines, KML for Google Earth, CSV if you only want the table. They are all in the same download, so this is not a decision you have to get right.
Can I use the data commercially?
Yes. One purchase covers one organisation, including work you do for clients. You may modify it, combine it with other data and publish maps made from it. You may not resell it as a dataset or publish it as a competing download.
Do I get updates?
If a dataset is regenerated with a materially different division list, buyers of that dataset get the new file through the same link. Your download link does not expire.
I lost my download link — how do I get the files again?
Open the find-my-download page, enter the email you paid with and the order number from your Waffo confirmation, and every dataset bought with that address is listed again with a fresh link. The link in your confirmation email also keeps working — it is reissued every time you open it, so bookmarking it is enough.
What if the file will not open?
Email us with the format and the software you are using. If it is our bug we fix it; if the file is not what this site describes, we refund it within 14 days.
Why is the DXF simplified?
Because a full-resolution national county DXF is a hundred megabytes of vertices that no CAD drawing needs. It is projected to metres and simplified to about 45 m; the GeoJSON, shapefile, GML and KML carry the full geometry.
Do you offer a sample?
Yes — Zhejiang, China at city level, in all seven formats, free and without a signup.
How does this compare with GADM or geoBoundaries?
Different sources, different conventions — and no criticism of either, since both are free and good at what they do. The difference is in the details: the codes here are GB/T 2260 rather than GADM IDs, so the data joins straight into Chinese statistical tables; every feature carries English and Chinese names; the boundary lines China publishes over water are included as their own layer; and the geometry is kept at full detail rather than simplified for a global map. If free data covers your project, use it. This is for the cases where the coding, the bilingual names or the licence matter.
Can I build a map for a slide deck?
Yes. Open the DXF in Adobe Illustrator, restyle it, and save as SVG or EMF for PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides — it stays vector, so it is sharp at any size. If you would rather have a picture, render the GeoJSON in QGIS and export a PNG at whatever resolution the slide needs.
How do I get an invoice?
The confirmation email from our payment provider is the receipt, and it carries the order number. Email us if you need a VAT invoice with your company details.
Still unsure?
Download the sample and open it in the software you actually use.