• Names of hutongs in Beijing should sound "gracious," says the local government of Beijing.

Names of hutongs in Beijing should sound "gracious," says the local government of Beijing. (Photo : www.english.cri.cn)

Roads in Beijing should not be named after Chinese politicians, foreigners or beetles, says the Beijing municipal government.

As roads in the Chinese capital are set to be renamed, the local government is now soliciting public opinion as to what to call the streets of the city.

The Beijing municipal government has furnished a set of standards to be followed when naming new bridges, roads, squares and other public areas in the city.

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According to these standards, names of Chinese leaders, foreigners or foreign places as well as indecent words are banned, while modern names are "not advised."

In the past, Mao Zedong had also implemented similar prohibitions when it comes to naming newly constructed roads and public places in order to prevent "cult of personality."

Despite this, three streets in the Chinese capital were named after Kuomintang generals to honor their sacrifice during the war against the Japanese conquerors.

According to the Global Times, vulgar names of places such as animal dung and the names of prostitutes are rampant in Beijing.

In order to make the names more "gracious" to the ear, such names should be replaced by more "elegant" homophones, says the local government.

Also, names of hutongs, or the districts of narrow alleyways in the city particularly in the lines of siheyuan-traditional courtyard residences, should reflect "cultural legacies" such as Beijing's history and customs to make them easier to locate and remember.

Beijing's standards indicated that homophonic replacements could be used in place of inappropriate words such as "Always Shining Hutong," instead of "Dung Beetle Hutong."