China Daily:

Recently, we've noticed that the Ministry of Civil Affairs has been carrying out a rural geographic naming campaign , which enables many small streets, alleys and small shops located in the countryside to be searchable on mobile phones' map services. Can you talk about this in detail? Thank you.

Lu Zhiyuan:

We will have Mr. Tang Chengpei answer this question.

Tang Chengpei:

Thanks to the reporter from China Daily for your question. Names of places in rural areas are a "data base" for rural governance and basic information for urban-rural exchange, carrying local citizens' beautiful nostalgia and inheriting local histories and cultures. With the in-depth implementation of a rural revitalization strategy, the production, livelihood and ecological space of rural areas have been continuously optimized, which has put forward higher requirements for quantity density, standardization and cultural inheritance of rural places' names. The Ministry of Civil Affairs has thoroughly implemented strategic plans made by the Party Central Committee with advancing all-round rural revitalization; has focused on the problem of insufficient construction for rural geographical names; has learned from and applied experiences gained from the Green Rural Revival Program in Zhejiang province; and has launched the rural geographic naming campaign. Just now, Mr. Lu also mentioned this work. 

The place-naming campaign encompasses both the tasks of naming places and setting up signs, as well as the goal of helping previously less-known places gain fame. It leverages the collecting and mapping of place names to drive advancements in place naming, installing place name signs, cultural preservation, information services and application empowerment. We actively utilize the inherent value and historical significance of place names to foster high-quality rural development. Since its inception last year, this initiative has been rolled out nationwide, producing substantial outcomes.

In terms of modernizing rural governance, the network of rural place names has expanded significantly. As of August, 430,000 rural place names had been standardized nationwide, with 330,000 rural place name signs installed and 14.42 million building and door plaques affixed. Issues such as places without names and multiple names for a single place in rural areas have been continuously addressed. Some areas have promoted creating maps for villages, so that visitors can look up directions on maps instead of asking around. Some areas have implemented QR code signs, which enable bill payments and administrative services online, making rural life more convenient and modern.

Regarding the cultivation of good social civility, the cultural value of good place names continues to be highlighted. Thanks to geographic names, we can find our way home, so they are not to be forgotten. They also offer a means for our cultural heritage to be passed down through generations, and this carrier of cultural inheritance shouldn't be interrupted. We fully leverage the unique advantages of place names in preserving historical culture and local customs and pay attention to the cultural connotations of newly created rural place names. Many regions have created place names that reflect cultural heritage, national spirit, and contemporary style. These names reflect the era's charm. We also prioritize protecting old place names. Twenty-three provinces have established systems for place name protection inventories, with over 30,000 traditional rural place names now under protection, safeguarding our collective spiritual heritage. 

Place names continue to play a key role in boosting industrial revitalization. We've guided internet map platforms to present correct and consistent names of over 9 million rural places and mobilized the public to discover more than 800,000 points of interest based on map place names, such as agritourism sites and picking gardens. Related navigation services have been used for more than 10 billion times. Rural residents now enjoy convenient transportation navigation. The use of these maps also facilitates backpacking, self-driving tours, and the delivery of both parcels into villages and rural goods to urban areas, serving the two-way flow of urban-rural resources. Various regions have explored the brand value of geographic names, creating agricultural products branded with local names. Place names are now deeply integrated with rural e-commerce, platform economies and agritourism development.

In supporting ecological conservation, the foundational role of place names continues to strengthen. In provincial border regions and western areas, the names of natural geographic features are a key focus of the rural place-naming campaign, addressing the issue of many places left unnamed and a lack of standardized place names in ecologically fragile areas. We have intensified efforts to name mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sands. By establishing inter-departmental data co-construction and sharing mechanisms, we're providing fundamental support for environmental protection.

Moving forward, we will further implement the spirit of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We'll focus on strengthening the foundation for place-naming, innovating ways of using the names, building up reputations of places by showing their distinctive features, and shaping famous brands. This will fully demonstrate and spread the value of rural place names, and let people know that our beautiful villages are worthy of their good names, thus promoting rural revitalization. Thank you.