Chinese city bans foreign names

BBC News:

The capital of the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan, Kunming, has banned the use of foreign names for buildings and property developments.

They debased traditional culture and were in poor taste, an official said.

Under recent guidelines, new developments must have their names approved by officials to get a licence.

Correspondents say names that sound foreign are popular in China, because they add a hint of exoticism to new housing projects in the country.

At least nine developments in Kunming have changed their names so far since new guidelines were implemented.

Names such as Aladdin Gardens and White House Mini District were among those changed, the Associated Press reports.

"It is not proper to name those communities with so many weird foreign titles," an official with the local urban planning department told the agency.

"We feel obligated to keep our local characteristics."

I guess the Chinese authorities are not big fans of cultural diversity.

China bans foreign names for properties