Place name campaign should be prudent, ministry says

The Ministry of Civil Affairs on Friday instructed local authorities to act prudently and appropriately in a campaign against improper place names.

Regulations and guidelines should be strictly observed to prevent the campaign from being expanded in an arbitrary manner, the ministry said in a statement published on its website.

The campaign, which started in December, mainly targets improper names of newly built residential areas and major projects that have had a negative social effect and have stirred strong public reactions - those featuring exaggeration, unrelated foreign elements, strange and vulgar words and repetitive names, it said.