Calls for CCTV logo change spark hot debate

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Chinese media) -- A debate was heating up

across the nation after a senior official called for China Central Television to

change its 30-year-old logo as it goes against regulations, the English language

China Daily reported on Thursday.

Wang Dengfeng, director of the spoken and written

Chinese language application and management department of the Ministry of

Education, said logos for 20 television stations, including CCTV's12 channels,

"violate regulations and therefore needed changing."

The logos were either in abbreviated English or a

mixture of English and Chinese.

The country's Law on the Standard Spoken and Written

Chinese Language, implemented in January 2001, states that logos for film and

television broadcasters should be in the Mandarin Chinese.

Wang said the language used in logos should conform

to the law to promote national culture.

The ministry is conducting a research on the use of

foreign language in logos and will open the results at the end of this month or

early next month.

A CCTV official said the logos had been used for

decades and viewers had been used to them. "It would be difficult to change it.

It could be changed only if the highest authorities felt it had to be done."

The country's netizens also expressed their views

over the issue. A survey conducted by Sina (www.sina.com.cn) showed 63.6 percent

of respondents agreed with the official's demand to change their logos into

Mandarin Chinese and 33.1 percent were against the demand. As of 8 a.m. of

Thursday, 19,518 netizens participated in the survey.

"We have to use our own language to let the world

know more about China", a netizen from the eastern Shandong Province posted

online.

Another from the central Hubei province said it was

more important to abide by laws even though logos of CCTV had huge values.

"Chinese language has existed for thousands of years,

while CCTV logos have been used for only three decades. I can't see why it is

difficult to be changed," said one from Shanxi Province.

On the opposing side, a netizen from Ningxia Hui

Autonomous Region said there was no need to change as CCTV had produced a lot of

excellent programs which had promote Chinese Culture. "Why bother to change the

logos. It would make no difference."