Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of these Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of chinaadminboundaries.com and the digital boundary datasets made available through it (together, the "Service").

The Service is operated by Liu Guo, an individual operating as a sole trader under the laws of China ("we", "us" or "our").

By purchasing a dataset or otherwise using the Service, you confirm that you: (a) are at least 18 years old; (b) have read and understood these Terms and agree to be bound by them; (c) agree to our Privacy Policy; and (d) have authority to enter into this agreement on your own behalf, or on behalf of the organisation you represent. If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Service.

If we update these Terms, continuing to use the Service after the effective date means you accept the revised version. The version and date at the foot of this page always identify the terms in force.

2. The service

2.1 What we provide

We produce ready-to-use vector datasets of China's administrative divisions: 34 province-level divisions, 368 prefecture-level cities and prefectures, and 2,890 county-level divisions. Each dataset is sold on its own, either as national coverage or as a single province, and is delivered in seven formats from one set of geometry — GeoJSON, ESRI Shapefile, SVG, DXF, GML, KML and CSV — together with a README, a licence and a label table intended for slides.

2.2 Nature of the service

The Service is a digital, intangible product. Access to a purchased dataset is granted immediately once payment is confirmed. Because delivery is instantaneous and the files cannot be returned, refunds are subject to the specific limits in section 6.

2.3 No content is submitted by users

The Service accepts no content from users. The only things you send us are your choice of dataset and your billing details. Anything you add to a downloaded file — labels, styling, notes — stays in your own copy on your own computer and is never transmitted to us. We operate no upload, no comment field, no message board and no account area.

2.4 Not an official boundary source, and not professional advice

The datasets are a cartographic and analytical resource. They are not an official publication, they carry no legal authority, and they must not be used to determine a boundary for legal, administrative, electoral or property purposes. Where an official boundary matters, consult the competent authority's own publication.

2.5 Source data and affiliation

The division list and the six-digit codes follow GB/T 2260, the Chinese national standard for administrative division codes. Romanised names follow GB/T 16159, with the conventional English form used where one exists. Geometry is compiled from publicly available boundary data and reconciled against that division list, and it includes the maritime boundary lines China publishes, as a separate layer.

We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government body, mapping agency or standards organisation, and nothing in the Service should be read as a statement by any of them.

2.6 How the datasets are produced

The files you buy are not AI-generated. Every dataset is produced by our own build pipeline from the source data described in section 2.5. The process is deterministic: the same source data always yields the same geometry, and the same division list always yields the same codes. No generative model runs at any point in producing or delivering a dataset, and no customer data reaches one.

Development tooling: the software behind the Service — the build pipeline, the packaging and this website — was written by the seller with the help of AI coding assistants. They are development tools only. They are not a component of the product, they do not run on the site, and they have no interface a customer can reach.

3. Products and pricing

3.1 One-time purchases

Each dataset is sold as a one-time purchase. The amount payable is the one displayed at checkout immediately before you complete the transaction. Prices are quoted in US dollars, and a typical dataset is priced between $19.99 and $99.99 depending on the level and the coverage.

3.2 No account required

You do not need to register to buy from us. There is no login, no membership and no stored profile. Your order is associated with the email address you provide at checkout, which is how we identify your purchase if you contact us.

3.3 No subscription and no recurring charges

We do not sell subscriptions, credit packs or top-ups. There is nothing to renew and no recurring billing of any kind. We will never charge you again for a dataset you have already purchased, and we do not retain your payment details. Every charge is a single transaction that you initiate.

3.4 Price changes

We may change prices at any time. A change does not affect an order you have already completed: the price that applies is the one shown at checkout when you place the order.

3.5 What a purchase includes

A completed purchase gives you (a) the licence set out in section 5, and (b) the right to download the specific dataset you purchased, in every format listed on its page. It does not transfer ownership of the dataset, and it does not entitle you to other datasets, to future releases, or to revisions of the division list.

4. Billing and payment

4.1 Merchant of record

Our order process is conducted by our online reseller Waffo Pancake. Waffo Pancake is the Merchant of Record for all orders placed through this site. It handles payment processing, billing enquiries, applicable taxes and refunds on our behalf. Charges will appear on your payment statement under the descriptor shown at checkout.

4.2 Payment methods

We accept the payment methods presented at checkout, as determined by Waffo Pancake. Your card details are handled entirely by Waffo Pancake and its payment processors. We do not receive, process or store your full card number at any point.

4.3 Taxes

Unless stated otherwise, prices exclude applicable taxes, including VAT, GST and sales tax. Where the law requires it, Waffo Pancake collects and remits these taxes on our behalf, and the total including tax is shown at checkout before you confirm the order.

4.4 Currency and bank charges

Payment is taken in the currency shown at checkout. If your payment method is denominated in another currency, your bank or card issuer may apply its own conversion rate and a foreign transaction fee. Those charges are set by your bank and are outside our control.

4.5 Delivery

Delivery is digital and immediate. Once payment is confirmed you are given access to download the dataset you purchased, on the confirmation page and by email. The link does not expire: opening it again re-issues a fresh link to the same files. If you lose it, the find-my-download page will send it again using your email address and order reference.

5. Licence to use the datasets

5.1 What you may do

Purchasing a dataset grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to:

• use the data in unlimited maps, analyses, applications, reports and presentations, whether commercial, client-facing or internal;
• modify it — generalise, reproject, recolour, relabel, join it to your own data, and incorporate it into your own products;
• publish the results, including in paid client work and in products you sell, without attribution;
• install it on any number of machines inside the purchasing organisation.

5.2 What you may not do

• resell, sublicense, redistribute or publish the dataset files themselves, whether modified or as delivered, alone or as part of a bundle or data pack;
• upload the files to a data marketplace, stock library, file-sharing service or similar platform;
• publish them as a free or paid download that competes with this site;
• share the files with anyone outside the person or organisation that bought them.

5.3 Scope

The licence is granted to the person or organisation named on the order, including contractors and agencies working on its behalf. It does not extend to affiliates, group companies or third parties. If you are buying on behalf of a client who will own the result, the client is the organisation covered — buy once, in their name.

6. Refund policy

6.1 Our approach

Our datasets are digital files delivered the instant payment completes. Even so, we would rather refund you than have you feel stuck with something that does not fit. The window below is deliberately straightforward, and it matches the 14-day refund period our payment provider applies to one-time digital purchases.

6.2 When we refund in full

• Within 14 days, for any reason. Ask for a refund within 14 days of payment and we will approve it. You do not need to give a reason, and it does not matter whether you have already downloaded the files.
• Defective or not as described. If a file will not open, is corrupted, or is materially different from its description or preview, we refund you in full at any time. We may first offer a corrected file.
• Duplicate or incorrect charge. If you were charged twice, or charged an amount other than the one shown at checkout, we refund the duplicate or the difference.
• Unauthorised transaction. If your payment method was used without your authorisation, contact us and your bank immediately. We refund any amount we receive.

6.3 Statutory rights

If you are a consumer in a jurisdiction that grants a statutory right of withdrawal — for example the 14-day right under European Union or United Kingdom consumer law — that right is preserved, and nothing in these Terms limits it. Where you ask us to deliver digital content immediately, you acknowledge that by beginning the download you consent to immediate performance and that the statutory withdrawal right for that item ends once the download begins. This does not affect section 6.2, which we honour regardless.

6.4 After the 14-day window

Outside the 14-day window a purchase is not refundable, except in the circumstances in section 6.2 — a defective file, a duplicate or incorrect charge, or an unauthorised transaction — or where a statutory right under section 6.3 applies.

6.5 How to request a refund

Email hello@chinaadminboundaries.com with the email address used at checkout, your order or transaction ID, the dataset you bought, and the reason for the request. We acknowledge every request within 2 business days and, if approved, issue the refund within 5–10 business days to the original payment method. Refunds are processed by Waffo Pancake as Merchant of Record. The full policy is also published at /refunds/.

6.6 Please contact us before filing a chargeback

If something has gone wrong, email us first. We resolve confirmed billing errors within 5 business days and would far rather fix the problem directly than have you go through a dispute process.

7. Billing disputes

If you believe a charge is incorrect, please email hello@chinaadminboundaries.com before contacting your bank or card issuer. We respond within 2 business days and resolve confirmed billing errors within 5 business days. You can also raise billing questions with Waffo Pancake directly, as it is the Merchant of Record.

8. Intellectual property

The datasets as compiled, their structure and field schema, the build pipeline, the China Administrative Boundaries name and the design of this website are owned by us and protected by copyright and related rights. A purchase grants you a licence under section 5 — it does not transfer ownership of anything.

The underlying administrative division codes and names are published facts of the Chinese national standard and are not claimed by us. We claim no copyright over source boundary data, and no government body endorses or sponsors this Service.

You retain all rights to your own data, maps and documents that you create using a dataset. We claim no rights over them.

9. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• use the Service for any unlawful purpose, or in breach of these Terms;
• copy, redistribute, resell or sublicense the dataset files except as expressly permitted by section 5;
• circumvent, disable or interfere with any download control, token check or other security feature;
• systematically scrape, crawl or bulk-download the catalogue, its preview images or its sample files;
• present the datasets as your own compilation, or remove proprietary notices;
• use the Service in a way that infringes the intellectual property or privacy rights of any third party;
• interfere with the operation or availability of the Service.

10. Data, privacy and security

Your use of the Service is governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains what we collect and why. There is no account and no profile. Payment card data is handled exclusively by our payment provider, Waffo Pancake, and is never stored on our servers. We retain limited order records for accounting, tax and dispute-resolution purposes, as described in the Privacy Policy.

11. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

11.1 Disclaimer

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

11.2 Boundary accuracy

Boundaries reflect the division list and source data described on each dataset page, on the date that page records. Administrative divisions change: counties are merged, districts are renamed, and new divisions are created. Geometric detail is also generalised so that the files stay workable in desktop software. Simplified geometry is not survey-accurate, and it is not a substitute for an official publication. If a specific boundary matters to your work, verify it against the competent authority's own release before relying on it.

11.3 Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue, data or goodwill. Our total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the Service is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the event that gave rise to the claim.

11.4 Nothing excluded

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including your statutory consumer rights.

12. Term and termination

These Terms apply for as long as you use the Service. We may refuse or withdraw access if you materially breach these Terms, if we reasonably suspect fraud, or if we are required to do so by law. A licence to datasets you have already purchased survives termination — you keep the right to use what you paid for, subject to section 5.

13. Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of China, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and without depriving you of the protection of mandatory consumer law in your country of residence. Before starting any formal proceedings, please email hello@chinaadminboundaries.com so we can try to resolve the matter informally. We will engage in good faith and aim to respond within 5 business days.

14. General

We may update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be notified by email or by a notice on the website at least 14 days before they take effect; continued use after that date constitutes acceptance. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions stay in full force. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.

15. Contact

One address covers support, billing, refunds, privacy and legal questions, so nothing gets lost between departments. We aim to reply within 2 business days.

• Email, for everything — hello@chinaadminboundaries.com
• Seller — Liu Guo · China
• Payments — processed by Waffo Pancake, Merchant of Record
• Billing descriptor — the descriptor shown on your statement is the one displayed at checkout

Purchasing a dataset or ticking "I agree" at checkout confirms that you have read and accepted these Terms.

Version 1.0 · Last updated 20 October 2026 · Applies to chinaadminboundaries.com