Changing the names of places wastes money

An annual Confucius memorial ceremony at the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong province. Photos By Wang Qian / China Daily

A local writer held a lecture in East China's Anhui province, calling for Huangshan city to change back to its historical name of Huizhou. A former mayor of Huangshan voiced his support. It is better not to change place names too frequently, says a comment on people.com.cn:

Huangshan is not the only place that has changed its name according to a local landmark. There is Wuyishan city in southeast China's Fujian province, and Huashan city in northern China's Shaanxi province.

Actually, when they changed their names, the move was well-received because they helped boost the local tourism industry and promote economic prosperity.

Of course, some people complain that their old place names have cultural and historical importance; so they call for a change back to their original names. But if residents in these places choose to do this, they may face a decline in tourism that will effect the economy.

Besides, to change a place name involves huge cost－the name of the government, enterprises, the post codes, residence registration, even people's ID cards－all have to be changed. That is a waste of taxpayers' money.

When the leading officials of the government consider such calls, they must be cautious so as not to waste taxpayers' money twice.