Metro and the World Cup

To celebrate the spirit of the Football World Cup this year, Beijing metro authorities substituted the names of the stations on Line 4 with the names of the 32 teams competing in the soccer gala in Brazil. And though the experiment lasted just one day, June 10, the move has sparked a public debate, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:

Perhaps the Beijing metro authorities should not have tried such an experiment, because it could confuse even regular commuters. After all, soccer lovers don't need metro officials' help to keep abreast of the happenings at the World Cup. Soccer fans have their own, reliable, sources of information and people not interested in the sport would not become soccer fans just because some stations are named after the teams taking part in the World Cup.

Besides, questions have been raised on whether the metro authorities should have used public money on "renaming" some of the metro stations and decorating them in the colors of the 32 teams participating in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

But the problem is that in our enthusiasm to criticize an experiment, we forget its purpose. In this context, the Beijing metro authorities should applauded for their attempt to add the color of the World Cup to the metro transport system.

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(China Daily 06/16/2014 page9)