Beijing's 'English only' town abandoned

The local government has not approved The controversial 'English-language town' project in Miyun, a county in the northeast suburbs of Beijing.

"Relevant departments argued the project and decided not to approve it," an unnamed spokesman with the Miyun county government said without providing further details.

As the projected largest European-style town in Beijing, a private enterprise invested in the "English-language town" and planned to have it built within five years, hoping to attract fans of the English language and tourists from across the country who enjoy promoting the learning of English, local media have said.

"Visitors in the town are only allowed to speak English," Wang Haichen, the head of the Miyun county government, said, as quoted in local media reports.

However, some people said the rule forbidding visitors from speaking Chinese in the town demonstrated a worship of foreigners and discrimination against Chinese.u00a0

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