China will rename all places in the country that currently have "bizarre" foreign names, particularly residential compounds, state media cited the civil affairs minister saying on Tuesday.

China's suburbs are filled with residential properties whose names and architectural designs resemble that of the West.

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China's Civil Affairs Minister Li Liguo explained that these "bizarre" names which "damage sovereignty and national dignity" or "violate the socialist core values and conventional morality" are to be eliminated, state media Xinhua reported.

As the People's Republic continues to modernize and welcome foreign influence, foreign names have particularly become famous, notably i exclusive residential areas to show that its residents are international and sophisticated.

This concern was initially raised during an official geographical survey conducted in 2014, when experts found not only the rampant sprouting of foreign names but the disappearance of traditional names as well.

Li called for places to have names that portray the rich culture, history and tradition of China.

In China, people can live in villa compounds like Palm Springs, Beijing Yosemite and Park Avenue. Then during some time off, they can go shop or meet with friends at Manhattan Plaza shopping mall, just near the buildings named Venice or Milan.

International sounding names may help developers sell houses in China. However, these names do not reflect the country's national culture, critics have said.

A survey will be conducted for two years to give inspectors time to assess geographical names and other information, give names to unknown places, put up signs and update the national database and archives with new data.

Tagsforeign names, bizarre names, china, residential names, urban sprawl, Urbanization, foreign influence