Campaign launched to properly name rural places

The Ministry of Civil Affairs will carry out a campaign to guide the naming or renaming of places in villages, to correct bizarre and erratic names in rural areas to promote rural vitalization.

According to Wang Xiaodong, deputy director of the ministry's geographical name department, the campaign is necessary to provide solutions for places without names, multiple places that have the same name and places that have unusual names.

He made the remarks at a news conference on July 17.

Wang also noted that the campaign will name natural places such as mountains, rivers, forests, lakes, grasslands and sand lands. It will also name rural roads, streets and alleys, major agricultural industries and places offering public services in villages.

The naming of facilities and localities should prevent the use of unusual place names in rural areas such as foreign names and bizarre names, he added.

According to the ministry, a list of place names under protection will be established to better protect local cultures and heritage. Place names with a long history, distinctive features and important inheritance value should be included in the list. Traditional place names should also not be changed arbitrarily.

Residents are encouraged to upload the names of popular local places, such as village-level parcel delivery stations, post offices and farmhouses, improving the name's popularity on online maps.

According to the ministry, villages in rural areas usually have a name, but country roads, streets and alleys in villages often do not, which is inconvenient for outsiders.

Since last year, a pilot program has been carried out at 70 county-level regions across the country, exploring the naming and renaming of places in villages to assist rural vitalization.

According to China Media Group, Guozhuang village in Yanggu county, Shandong province, is famous for processing sweet potato vermicelli. The village has more than 400 people engaged in vermicelli processing, with an annual output of more than 1 million kilograms. The industry has attracted many businesspeople from outside the village. But since the village roads had no names, it was hard for outsiders to look for the right place.

"Our village has more than 30 workshops, scattered in different areas. When businesspeople came to our village, they had no idea where to go. They either asked around in the village or had someone from the village pick them up," Guo Jinshang, head of Guozhuang village, told China Media Group.

Last year, Yanggu county was included in the pilot program, and since then roads have been named and guideposts have been set up at crossings. Signs to mark directions and distances to certain places have also been posted in the village.

"Now I just search the address on my mobile phone, and I know where to send the parcels. My clients are happier, and it is easier for me to do my job," Wang Peijun, a courier from the county, told the group.