Variety in name not a bad thing
<p><span word="What">What</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="name">name</span>? <span word="More">More</span> <span word="specifically">specifically</span>, <span word="what">what</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="spelling">spelling</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="place">place</span> <span word="name">name</span>? <span word="Should">Should</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="capital">capital</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="spelt">spelt</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="Peking">Peking</span>?</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="survey">survey</span> <span word="jointly">jointly</span> <span word="conducted">conducted</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="China">China</span> <span word="Youth">Youth</span> <span word="Daily">Daily</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Sina">Sina</span>.<span word="com">com</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="vast">vast</span> <span word="majority">majority</span> - 81 <span word="percent">percent</span> - <span word="opposed">opposed</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="spelling">spelling</span>, <span word="with">with</span> <span word="only">only</span> 10.7 <span word="percent">percent</span> <span word="supporting">supporting</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="rest">rest</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="caring">caring</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="way">way</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="other">other</span>. <span word="Opponents">Opponents</span> <span word="of">of</span> "<span word="Peking">Peking</span>" <span word="hold">hold</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="view">view</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="proper">proper</span> <span word="names">names</span> <span word="should">should</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="spelt">spelt</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="standard">standard</span> <span word="pinyin">pinyin</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="further">further</span> <span word="elaborate">elaborate</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="pandering">pandering</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="spelling">spelling</span> <span word="demonstrates">demonstrates</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lack">lack</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="cultural">cultural</span> <span word="confidence">confidence</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="subservience">subservience</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Western">Western</span> <span word="mindset">mindset</span>.</p><p><span word="For">For</span> <span word="me">me</span>, <span word="this">this</span> <span word="argument">argument</span> <span word="reflects">reflects</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="simplistic">simplistic</span> <span word="thinking">thinking</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="people">people</span>, <span word="especially">especially</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="young">young</span>, <span word="who">who</span> <span word="habitually">habitually</span> <span word="flaunt">flaunt</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="political">political</span> <span word="correctness">correctness</span>. <span word="Cultural">Cultural</span> <span word="matters">matters</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="fall">fall</span> <span word="simply">simply</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="right">right</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span>. <span word="As">As</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="jianti">jianti</span> <span word="versus">versus</span> <span word="fanti">fanti</span> <span word="debate">debate</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="discussed">discussed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="column">column</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="week">week</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="tradeoff">tradeoff</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="equally">equally</span> <span word="flawed">flawed</span> <span word="choices">choices</span>.</p><p><span word="Peking">Peking</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Wade">Wade</span>-<span word="Giles">Giles</span> <span word="spelling">spelling</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="formalized">formalized</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1906 <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Imperial">Imperial</span> <span word="Postal">Postal</span> <span word="Joint">Joint</span>-<span word="Session">Session</span> <span word="Conference">Conference</span>; <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pinyin">pinyin</span> <span word="system">system</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="converts">converts</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span>, <span word="was">was</span> <span word="formally">formally</span> <span word="accepted">accepted</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="UN">UN</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1979.</p><p><span word="Love">Love</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="hate">hate</span> <span word="it">it</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="form">form</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="accumulated">accumulated</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="baggage">baggage</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="cannot">cannot</span> <span word="change">change</span> <span word="everything">everything</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="fell">fell</span> <span word="swoop">swoop</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="standard">standard</span> <span word="name">name</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="China">China</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="national">national</span> <span word="opera">opera</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="Peking">Peking</span> <span word="Opera">Opera</span>. <span word="Why">Why</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="change">change</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span> <span word="Opera">Opera</span>? <span word="I">I</span> <span word="guess">guess</span> <span word="Peking">Peking</span> <span word="Opera">Opera</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="already">already</span> <span word="known">known</span> <span word="throughout">throughout</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="itself">itself</span> <span word="took">took</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="spelling">spelling</span>. <span word="Ditto">Ditto</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="Peking">Peking</span> <span word="roast">roast</span> <span word="duck">duck</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Peking">Peking</span> <span word="University">University</span>.</p>
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