July 12, 2007
No foreign language only signs please, this is China!
Shanghai Daily tells us that all businesses in Xintiandi and along Huaihai Road, "especially foreign-brand stores", must add Chinese names to their signs and must do so before this Sunday.
According to Yang Jishi, of the Economic Commission in Luwan District:
This is part of a long-term project to crack down on foreign-language-only signs, which not only are a barrier to understanding for most Chinese, but also violate the law on language
Hmm. What law, we ask? Shanghai Daily elucidates:
According to the China's Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, the service sector must offer simplified Chinese characters when using foreign languages, or traditional Chinese in shop front signs, advertisements and notifications.
The paper's investigative journalists made a trip to Xintiandi and found that "all the stores, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues" had already duly complied. Wow.
But some visitors are still not happy it seems. Wang Haiyun, a nearby resident, complains:
The plates are not easy to see and some are sheltered by the store's decorations, so every time I meet my friends here I can't tell which store I'm standing outside.
We all just know where this is heading, don't we? They probably will soon start mandating that foreign language signs must be no bigger than Chinese language signs. Yes, state language regulators are not uncommon - France has it, Lithuania has it, and hell, even the Maoris have it (In fact, just about everyone has it). We're not demanding for any "foreign enclaves" in Shanghai, but, really, if everything were mandated like this and residents like Wang Haiyun have their way, we think Xintiandi would start to look like a very awkward Chinatown, right in the heart of Shanghai.
And oh, looks like it's time for Xintiandi to change their "foreign-language only" signs like the one pictured above. We wonder how much it will cost them this time!
Image from huchris.
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It's an acceptable request that businesses must have signs in Chinese --- but it's not so easy, especially in a "pretty" place like Xintiandi, because the available fonts for Chinese text are UGLY.
xintiandi should be torn down.
Chinese text can look nice, silly.
xintiandi should probably be torn down.
OR - is it a classy place for the elite German portion of the city to relax and unwind with their long-haired Chinese beaus?
I hear that 9 out of 10 bon vivants choose xintiandi as their avenue of choice.
Quebec has language laws, too, requiring French on everything and maintaining the right of Quebecois to speak French in their workplaces. Though everyone in Quebec knows English (teaching it is required in schools) the preservation of French-Canadian culture is thought to be of great importance. The language police are total jackasses, too. Multiple-time-offenders can actually be jailed.
Anyone know the penalties for Chinese language law violations?
i strongly disagree with the author. you say its a reasonable request but then you go on to say that the chinese would make it look like a chinatown. what exactly do you mean by that? sounds a bit racist to me.
the sign SHOULD have chinese on it, we are in china after all. you say you dont want any foreign enclaves but xintiandi is in fact a foreign enclave as our several other high end commercial developments.
lets face it, shanghai is being recolonized, not by brute force but by sheer economics. i am saddened by the shanghai govts incompetency in dealing with this cultural hegemony and sickened by foreigners who come here expecting china to be at their beck and call.
in my opinion, EVERYTHING should be in chinese and, if necessary, an english translation below. there is no need for everything to have an english translation. it is the responsibility of the visitor to A) learn the language B) buy a dictionary C) ask a local D) or some variation of the above.
we expect the same when people visit our countries. why is china any different?
Actually, when Chinese people visit other countries they seem to avoid all things native and demand chinese restaurants and special treatment.
How's this for a big cultural movement:
http://china.notspecial.org/archives/2007/07/homeward_christ.html
Not since after the civil war and after the Boxer Rebellion.
nanheyangrouchuan
Wow, in the US I never considered forcing "visitors" to the country to look at English signs. For that matter, I never considered forcing that on temporary residents, naturalized citizens, or even native English speakers who happen to speak a foreign language.
Why not leave it to the business to decide what language the business should use?
Language laws like this are some of the most pointless laws around. Things change, language changes, it's a natural process. A few lame laws do nothing. You can't stop change, baby, you just gotta ride the wave.
I second that opinion... in Chinatown in the states, I'm pretty sure that many of the signs are Chinese only, and yet life goes on just fine without the U.S. government having to step in.
Why do people feel the need to force their viewpoints onto others? (not that we don't do plenty of that in other areas of U.S. life... *sigh* -- I include people from all over the world, especially the U.S. in the question I just asked).
They need to enfore themselves becuase they might be sick and tired of the foreigner-worship that goes on here.
Signs should be in Chinese - but guest#5 -- Shanghai IS different because it NEEDS all the foreigners coming here for business. Without them, it goes back to being useless marshland.
@Guest #5
You might like to know I happen to be ethnic Chinese.
Being sick and tired of foreigner-worship is probably one of the stupidest justifications I've ever heard of for oppression.
If someone owns a piece of land and wants to put up a sign in French, Farsi, or Fairy-tale Language, why should it matter? So what if nobody else can read it? Don't you think the owner of the land has thought about that and weighed the costs and benefits? If they feel they need a Chinese or English or whatever language sign to attract more customers, then shouldn't that be their own choice? As it is their land, their business, etc, no? Just because YOU want someone to do something doesn't mean they should or need to.
This world is full of power-hungry, greedy, self-centered people. I'm so sick of it.
By the way, I'm not just saying this because the article is about Xin Tian Di.. more like despite it. I can't stand the place. I, for one, came to China to study Chinese, not hang out with hoity-toity foreigners all day.
"They need to enfore themselves becuase they might be sick and tired of the foreigner-worship that goes on here."
That's gonna happen whether a sign has english on it or not.
without foreigners china is nothing.
nanheyangrouchuan
without China, foreign countries are nothing
it's called economics
All of you who say Xintiandi is simply an enclave for foreigners must not spend much time there.
Fact of the matter is, the majority of money spent there is by - gasp - Chinese people. Ever downed a hundred kuai beer at Paulaner and listened to that silly-ass Filipino band? Or cruised the local throngs at Luna across the street? Or eaten at Jishi, or Crystal Jade, or Ding Tai Fung? Is the Stone Grill populated by expats who have a real yearning for that good ol fashioned 'steak' on a sizzling thingy? Chinese like it because it's new, 'sophisticated' and showy. They take visitors there, and go on dates. Saying that Xintiandi is a place for foreigners to hide is like claiming that Starbucks is a place for Americans to get coffee. It's specious and stupid.
It's fine if you don't like it. Personally, I don't either. But portraying it as some hideaway for street-shy foreign expense account types is a rather misguided description of the place. Then again, maybe those who've posted never ventured further than that nifty patio at KABB, after picking at at their chicken caesar.
in Chinatown in the states, I'm pretty sure that many of the signs are Chinese only, and yet life goes on just fine without the U.S. government having to step in.
Well, it does so happen that there's been lots of movements around the US calling for all business signs to be in English . .. just like this one. But we usually chalk that up to xenophobic politicians. . . or more likely, politicians who want to get votes from xenophobic citizens who are afraid of the yellow/brown menace. These movements are usually marginalized and not given a lot of thought.
At the risk of sounding like everyone's favorite China critic, Mr. Lamb Skewer, just another example of the insecurity rife in this country. If people here would just realize that not every one is out to get China or Chinese culture or insult Chinese citizens, we could all move through life a little easier. (And watch uncensored movies!)
"just another example of the insecurity rife in this country. If people here would just realize that not every one is out to get China or Chinese culture or insult Chinese citizens, we could all move through life a little easier. (And watch uncensored movies!)"
The Chinese are coming to realize how screwed up, dirty, backward, primitive and just plain silly their country has become thanks to a certain p-are-d.
nanheyangrouchuan
"put some lamb meat in your mouth"
well it is China so i'd expect signs to be primarily in Chinese (and I agree with guest Number 5 that "it is the responsibility of the visitor to A) learn the language B) buy a dictionary C) ask a local D) or some variation of the above.") However it is ridiculous to enforce this through law and I'm in full agreement with the comment left by guest Number 12.
French people enforce a certain % of French films and music.
Germans enforce the certain use of their language quite often, regarding new words e.g. adjectives and new techno nouns.
China doesn't expect us to learn Chinese so why should we?
and this 'the world needs China to make socks' stuff is funny. Foreigners have massive power in China and this isn't changeing, like it or loathe it.
TIC, baby... before you know it.. the regulations will change again anyway.. so why the emo and drama?
people who going to the extreme and put a comment like guest number#5 just shows us how insecure they are towards english speaking people living in Shanghai..
and dont want to try to understand about other culture through foreign language..what a sad person.
China is nothing without english, now put my english in your mouth.
nanheyangrouchuan
i'm with guest #22, what's the big deal and who gives a shit? like they enforce any type of law over here anyway. if the signs in chinese... cool. if they're in english... cool. how about we combine them and put them in pinyin. oh, wait, that's right. they're already in pinyin.
On one hand, it should be up to the business, but developing nations need to show that they aren't going to worship foreigners. Regardless, stop whining about the growing nationalism and xenophobia because you already get special treatment (that isn't deserved) and have it incredibly easy. I swear to god "Western" expats are such pouty primadonnas.
Anyway, it's up to Chinese consumers to demand that they be treated like equals with their money; i.e if you don't bother to even market to Chinese people, you get no business. Then again it's their own fault for letting their kids watch Hollyweird and develop a sick fetish for every piece of shit coming from "the West" (if I see another Chinese city brag about being "East meets West" I'm going to bomb it).
Oh and, China doesn't need foreigners outside of Taiwan and overseas Chinese. They're just infatuated with them. If you withhold the high-tech with embargoes they'll just hack, bribe or screw the information out of you. Good for them, it's not like England or fuckelse country ever licensed IPR for gunpowder.