<iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-K3L4M3" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden">

Guest notes

China notes

26 September 2020

9:00 AM

26 September 2020

9:00 AM

Ducking Peking

ASoviet-era joke had someone visiting the part of the commu- nist bureaucracy which issued permission to move your place of res- idence. The official barked: ‘place of birth’? ‘St Petersburg’. ‘Current place of residence?’ ‘Leningrad’. ‘Proposed new place of residence’? ‘St Peters- burg’.

Many post-colonial countries have shared with the com- munists an enthusiasm for renaming places.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Easter flash sale:
10 issues for $1

Subscribe this Easter and get the next 10 issues of the magazine, plus website and app access, all for just $1.

  • Weekly delivery of the magazine
  • Unlimited access to spectator.com.au and app
  • Spectator Australia podcasts and newsletters
  • Full access to spectator.co.uk
Or

Unlock 3 articles a month

REGISTER

Mark Higgie is The Spectator Australia’s Europe Correspondent

You might disagree with half of it, but you’ll enjoy reading all of it. Try your first month for free, then just $2 a week for the remainder of your first year.


Comments

Easter flash sale: 10 issues for $1

Join the conversation with other Spectator Australia readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Close