Recently, the English station names on Beijing subway signs, which were changed to Chinese pinyin by the Chinese authorities shortly before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics two years ago, have quietly been restored to English. Some analysts believe that this move may be another subtle sign of setbacks to the power of Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.
At the end of 2021, as the Beijing Winter Olympics approached, almost all the English station names previously used at Beijing subway stations were replaced with Chinese pinyin annotations. The original “XX Station” was changed to “XX Zhan”. Beijing Subway responded that this was in accordance with the national standard for unified translation.
Even directional indicators like “East”, “West”, “South”, and “North” were entirely replaced with Chinese pinyin at that time. For example, “Beijing South Railway Station” became “Beijingnan Zhan”.
The term “International Airport” was also changed to Chinese pinyin annotation. For example, the translation of “To Beijing Capital International Airport” became “To BEIJINGGUOJIJICHANG”. Although the Chinese official response did not explicitly state that this change was related to the Beijing Winter Olympics, the implementation of this change gradually began at the end of 2021, and more and more subway station names were replaced with pinyin annotations as the Beijing Winter Olympics approached in February 2022.
This move sparked widespread controversy at the time. The focus of public attention was on the fact that the English signage at subway stations should have served the convenience of foreign travelers but these “Chinese-style English” signs seemed more like a display of so-called “cultural confidence”.
Since 2014, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has added “cultural confidence” on top of the foundation of “confidence in the path, theory, and system”. In July 2016, Xi Jinping officially proposed the theory of “four confidences” at the 95th anniversary celebration of the Communist Party of China. Since then, Xi Jinping has continuously emphasized the need to strengthen and fortify “cultural confidence” on various occasions, stating that civilization is the soul of a country or nation, and that “cultural confidence” is a “more fundamental, broader, and deeper confidence”.
Following the return of the English translations at Beijing subway stations since mid-2023 after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, “Zhan” has once again been replaced with “Station”. It is reported that starting from the summer of 2024, the new standard requires subway stations to translate “站” back to “Station”. This change not only reverts station name translations back to the previous English mode but also once again attracts external attention.
Political analyst Chen Pokong, who is based in the United States, recently stated on a self-media program that Beijing’s restoration of English signage at subway stations signifies a setback to Xi Jinping’s extreme leftist line within the party. He said that this adjustment may reflect some dissatisfaction within the Chinese Communist Party regarding Xi’s policies, especially during the Third Plenum, when Xi Jinping fell ill, and after internal discussions in the party, it was recognized that isolationism cannot continue, and maintaining good relations with Europe and the United States is still necessary. Chen Pokong believes that this change in station names is another subtle sign of Xi Jinping’s power setback, otherwise Xi Jinping would not easily make such concessions.
Independent commentator Xiangyang, based in the U.S., said in an interview with Epoch Times on October 9 that Xi Jinping is currently facing immense pressure from elderly Chinese Communist Party political figures, but he is a person with no clear stance, often making sudden changes in decision-making. Xiangyang believes that this situation is common for Xi Jinping, and such drastic adjustments in policies can be seen as a sign of his weakness.
However, Xiangyang also stated that even if Xi Jinping’s power is temporarily setback, it does not mean that his power has suffered substantial damage. He said that currently, the factional groups have disintegrated, with only Zeng Qinghong left in the Jiang Zemin faction, and Xi Jinping’s faction dominates. Even with some apparent concessions, the actual power remains firmly in Xi Jinping’s hands.
Xiangyang further explained, “Xi Jinping is just acting, the real power still lies with him, and there has been no relaxation at all. As of today, no one can restrain him.”