Signs, Signs, Everywhere the English Signs
The People’s Daily reported Tuesday on a new regulation in Shanghai that would prohibit the city’s storefronts from displaying English-only signs. The proposed citywide regulation, not coincidentally, comes at a time when bars, restaurants and stores that once solely targeted foreign customers, are beginning to see an increase in local Chinese clientele. It seems the increasingly wealthy local Shanghainese have a desire for and a means to buy the Western clothes, coffee and cuisine. The Peeps Daily article points to Shanghai stores like Starbucks and Zara that do not display their store names in Chinese. And some Chinese traditionalists (nationalists) are starting to take exception to this abundance of English in China’s largest cosmopolitan center. One journalist told the Peeps-D, “The all-English signboards are catering to a false admiration for anything Western. Some people tend to think it’s a high-end shop if the name is written in a foreign language…we are in China, and the Chinese language should be used in public places.” These people, like this guy, that see China through a totally cracked lens are beginning to bug me. While I understand the desire to preserve the Chinese language and make it easier for Chinese people to read store signboards, Starbucks and Zara are not the proper battlegrounds to fight the battle against Westernization. Because if there is a Starbucks sign in Shanghai, whether in English, Chinese or Ojibwe, you’ve already lost this battle. Furthermore, there is nothing “false” about the admiration the Chinese have for the West. When one walks down Huaihai Road, it becomes obvious that not only are these stores aimed at foreigners with foreign money, but that they are also aimed at Chinese who want to shop, dress and eat like these foreigners. Sounds bad, but it’s true. It’s the same in New York. Someone would rather eat at a Japanese restaurant called “Nobu” than “Al’s Sushi House” not because the food is necessarily better (Al’s doesn’t really exist), but that a Japanese name creates an illusion of cultural authenticity. And the restaurants, bars and stores with English names create the same illusion. Chinese people don’t want to drink coffee, they want to drink at Starbucks. And they don’t want to shop for clothes, they want to shop at the new H&M on Huaihai (saw it this weekend– very impressive). So while I suppose it’s not too much to ask foreign-minded businesses to put up a Chinese name, when it comes to doing business in Shanghai, you’re probably better off without it.
•People’s Daily: Shanghai Signboards Call for Chinese