China Bans Foreign Names For Properties

After my last posting on Chateau Lafitte I found this news particularly amusing.

The southwestern Chinese city of Kunming is forcing developers to change the names of properties 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. That means "Paris of the East Plaza," "French Gardens" and "Ginza Office Tower" are no more.

"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. "We feel obligated to keep our local characteristics."

Foreign-sounding names are popular in China, lending a hint of exoticism to cookie-cutter housing developments and office buildings springing up in urban centers. Many are targeted at China's rising middle class, who are better educated and increasingly drawn to foreign travel, culture and ideas.

Source: AP

Too little too late? Legislation banning Eurokitsch architecture in Chinese cities would be nice too...