What’s Multiculturalism Backwards?

Chinese City Bans Foreign-Sounding Names

SHANGHAI, China (AP) Farewell, “Aladdin Gardens.” “White House Mini District” — you’re history.
The southwestern Chinese city of Kunming is forcing developers to change the names of those properties and others deemed too foreign sounding, saying they debase traditional culture, officials said Tuesday.
At least nine developments in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, have changed their names since officials began implementing new guidelines last month. “Paris of the East Plaza,” “French Gardens,” and “Ginza Office Tower,” were among others making the change.

“It’s not proper to name those communities with so many weird foreign titles,”
said an official with the Kunming Urban Planning Bureau, who like many Chinese bureaucrats would only be identified by his surname, Xiao.

3 comments

  1. Expel the foreign devils! White Lotus is invincible! (Jet Li movie reference…sorry)
    My new iBook was made in China. A machinest friend was telling me about the accurracy of microscopic drill bits made in China.
    Let’s see…rising tide of nationalism combined with technological confidence and gigantic population. Nah….
    Now where did I put the Fortune Panda menu?

  2. Another reason I’m proud to be an American. Think of all the funky sounding and foreign language town, city, and hamlet names that we have. Heck, we even have at least one (Corpus Christi) that is in a dead language.
    Sad to see the largest country on earth being so culturally obtuse.

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