| I think many people, foreigners and locals alike, are going to Xintiandi to get the taste of its unique atmosphere, which is neither truly historical, nor similar to what the center of NYC or Boston might look like. If it will be not appropriate to put big English signs on historic Buddhist temples, it makes sense to question whether it is appropriate to put big Chinese sigs on a place with its own established look. > "I wouldn't like to have foreigners coming to my country, set up businesses and put up signs that no one but themselves can read" Well, that may be the reason why some people were not fond of Chinatowns in American cities, where you might be able to find the whole street in Chinese. And now, many people are against Mexican immigration for reasons roughly in the same direction. Again, these days people in America think differently (most oppose only the part of immigration that is illegal). Does 'cannot read' apply to our situation at all - isn't there an obligatory English in the schools and the obligatory knowledge of pinyin? Also, many 'locals' who live in the area for years, are, in fact, foreigners or overseas Chinese. I would think that all restaurants at Xintiandi had Chinese language in the menu - correct me if I'm wrong - so the customer's already the king. Thus the decision looks regrettably political. I understand that many Chinese people are proud to administer the places that were once administered by (often unjust!) foreign administration. But look, I bet none of foreign tourists going to Xintiandi is against that. Also, most of people come here because of some fondness to China, and so would be happy to learn or advance Chinese culture. I must plead guilty to be foreigner, even though the regulation will benefit my language learning process, where I often take the bus just to get involved into deciphering real-life bus stop signs. |
Foreign Language Only Signs?