Recently, the government of Sanko City in Hebei Province suddenly demanded all businesses within its jurisdiction to change their signs to green, prohibiting the use of red, black, and blue colors, sparking significant controversy. This policy not only forced the iconic signs of many chain restaurants to change color but even the Red Cross signs of hospitals were not spared, causing public outcry.
This event quickly escalated, with Taiwanese artist Liu Leyan, who has long lived in Sanko City, openly expressing strong dissatisfaction, criticizing the municipal urban management department as “ill” and causing trouble for the residents. Her remarks quickly stirred discussions among netizens from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
According to local media reports, since March, the urban management department of Sanko City has made repeated visits to businesses, requesting signs with red, blue, and black backgrounds to be changed to green, claiming it is a requirement of the city government’s urban planning. Chain restaurants affected include popular brands such as Mieno Ice City, Wanna Come, and Rice Village.
An unnamed store owner said, “Changing a sign costs a few thousand at least, and tens of thousands at most, which is a significant burden for small businesses. Moreover, the Red Cross is an internationally recognized symbol of first aid, how can it be arbitrarily changed to green?”
Another merchant expressed helplessness, stating, “The urban management is watching us change the red signs to green, and we have to buy the paint ourselves.”
Furthermore, even the Red Cross sign of a local children’s hospital was forced to change to green, prompting netizens to question, “If even the internationally recognized first aid symbol can be altered, what kind of planning is this?”
Some netizens took to social media to mock, “Sanko City is completely ‘greened,’ not even the Red Cross can escape.”
Reportedly, facing criticism, local officials stated that this is only a trial phase, and no formal documents have been issued. According to local businesses, the urban management department’s request for sign changes did not come with clear policy documents or subsidy plans.
However, as reported by the Hua Business News, on December 4, 2024, the Sanko City Natural Resources Planning Bureau issued the “Sanko City Urban Planning Construction Management Guidelines,” which listed negative aspects of billboard design, prohibiting the use of red and blue backgrounds or lettering unless it is an international or domestic chain brand. Additionally, the guidelines specified that fonts should not be in a standard computer style and should have a design; billboards should not contain advertising content, colors should not be monotonous but varied, and billboards should have lighting effects, especially in commercial streets and demonstration roads, using mid to high-end materials.
According to Jimo News, many chain restaurants in Sanko City, such as Mieno Ice City, have changed their iconic red signs to green. An employee at a Mieno Ice City store in the Yanjiao Development Zone of Sanko City mentioned that their red sign had been changed to green. “The urban management said no red signs are allowed near major intersections,” the employee said, adding that if the signs were not near the main road, they were not required to change colors.
Currently, under public pressure, some signs that were changed to green in Sanko City, such as the Red Cross, have been requested to revert to their original appearance, making this “green wave” seem more absurd. As public opinion continues to ferment, the outcome of Sanko City’s green sign policy remains to be seen.
This unified business sign incident has also elicited a strong reaction from Taiwanese artist Liu Leyan, who has lived in Sanko City, Hebei Province, for nine years. She took to Weibo to publicly rebuke the local authorities, stating, “The Sanko City urban management is sick!”
Liu Leyan shared her past confrontations with the local urban management, revealing that she had once been asked to park her car with the front facing either north or south within the hotel parking lot, which left her infuriated.
“I didn’t know how to reverse into the garage at that time, so I cursed in every way I could think of! You guys are just eating and idling!” She criticized the urban management for not addressing illegal land enclosures that block parking spaces but instead focusing on troubling ordinary people, saying, “They don’t do the right thing, they only cause trouble for the people!”
Liu Leyan’s remarks quickly stirred discussions among netizens from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Some supported her candidness, acknowledging that urban management enforcement is indeed too arbitrary, while others questioned her stance, noting her continuous complaints despite long-term business development in mainland China, which seemed contradictory.
Taiwanese media extensively covered Liu Leyan’s criticism of the Sanko City urban management incident. Formosa Television News Network referred to Liu Leyan as a representative of the “pro-PRC artist,” pointing out her long-standing business operations in mainland China which might have led to her frustration with the continuous troubles caused by the Communist Party, prompting her to denounce the authorities as “sick,” showing significant outrage.
Sanlih News reported that after focusing her business endeavors in mainland China, Liu Leyan often made controversial remarks, earning her the nickname “female version of Huang An.” Surprisingly, she appeared to regret staying in China, now starting to slam the authorities as “sick” with significant anger.