No English, Please!

21 Dec 2010 - China's General Administration of Press and Publicity has banned newspaper, websites and publishers from using foreign words - particularly English. It said foreign words are sullying the purity of the Chinese language. It added that standardized Chinese should be the norm and that the media should avoid foreign abbreviations and acronyms, as well as "Chinglish" - a mix of Chinese and English often used in Hong Kong. The order is also applicable to radio and TV. The State body raised their order as foreign words are increasingly used in all types of communication and it now wants to turn the tide. It said the usage had "seriously damaged" the purity of the Chinese language and resulted in adverse social impacts on the cultural environment,. It also explained that if words must be written in English, a Chinese explanation needs to be added.