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Nostalgia or grandeur? On July 23, the Urumqi Municipal People's Government website released a notice on soliciting public opinions from the general public, stating that according to the application of Xinjiang Airport (Group) Co., Ltd., after research by the Urumqi Municipal People's Government, it is proposed to agree to change the name of "Urumqi Diwopu International Airport" to "Urumqi Tianshan International Airport".

On July 31, the WeChat public account "Xinjiang Release" published an article introducing that the news of the proposed name change of Urumqi Airport quickly sparked heated discussions among netizens. Everyone brainstormed and came up with many good names, and participated in the online voting. On July 30, the voting was closed, and a total of 2,477 people participated in the voting.

Among them, "Urumqi Tianshan International Airport" received the most votes, with a total of 706 votes, accounting for 28.50%. According to the news, most netizens believe that the "堡" in "Diwopu" is a polyphonetic character, and many passengers will mistake it and read it as "堡" in hamburger. Therefore, Urumqi Airport is known as one of the most easily mispronounced airports in China. The north and south of Tianshan Mountain represent the geographical features of Xinjiang. Speaking of Tianshan Mountain, Xinjiang comes to mind. "Tianshan International Airport" is more high-end, grand, and international.

The current name "Urumqi Diwopu International Airport" ranked second, receiving 666 votes, accounting for 26.89%. Netizens said that "Diwopu" has more historical significance and carries more nostalgia.

In addition, "Urumqi Yaxin International Airport" ranked third, receiving 527 votes, accounting for 21.28%. Netizens believe that "Yaxin" is more impressive, reflecting Xinjiang's locational advantage as the "Yaxin" in the "Belt and Road" initiative.

The Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, which is to be renamed this time, is named after the Diwopu Township in Urumqi. As early as the Qianlong period, residents in this area dug semi-underground houses to live in, and the place name "Diwopu" came into being. "Bu" is a polyphonetic character, with three pronunciations: "bǎo", "pù" and "bǔ". Many people easily mispronounce it, and the "bu" in the name of Diwopu Township is pronounced "pù", so it should be read as Diwopu (pù) International Airport.

According to the article published by Xinjiang News, there are currently three domestic airports with the word "堡". The other two airports, Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport and Xining Caojiabao International Airport, both have the word "堡" pronounced "bǎo". According to the "Civil Airport Name Management Measures" implemented on October 1 last year, civil airport names must not have duplicate names, and homophones, ambiguities, and the use of uncommon or derogatory characters should be avoided. The reason for the name change may be to avoid the use of polyphonic characters that are easy to cause misunderstandings.

Regarding the online discussion on the name change of Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, Tianshan Net commented that judging from the response on the Internet, many people believe that the name change of "Urumqi Diwopu International Airport" to "Urumqi Tianshan International Airport" is expected to further enhance the city's popularity and influence. Because Tianshan, as a geographical symbol of Xinjiang, has a high degree of popularity and reputation, it can better show the regional characteristics and cultural heritage of Urumqi, and bring new opportunities for the city's tourism, economic and other developments. Many people have also actively participated in the new name suggestion activities. Of course, some people believe that naming the airport "Diwopu" has both historical significance and nostalgia, and should not be changed easily.

The article states that both voices of support and opposition are valuable feedback. This open and transparent way of communication helps to form a more comprehensive and balanced basis for decision-making. More importantly, it sends a positive signal that the government actively listens to the voice of the people, collects public opinion, and seeks the best solution for certain decisions through extensive participation of the masses. As an important aviation hub connecting western China with the rest of the world, the name change of Urumqi Diwopu International Airport is not just a simple name change, but also a reshaping of the image and brand of Urumqi and even Xinjiang. Therefore, it is crucial to choose a name that can reflect the regional cultural characteristics and is easy for global travelers to recognize. It should be noted that the new name should be vigorously promoted through various channels so that more people can understand and become familiar with it, avoid inconvenience to people's travel, and give full play to its role in enhancing the city's image. In this process, official and public opinion should continue to interact.

The article concluded that the online discussion on the airport name change was a successful social communication case. It not only demonstrated the government's governance philosophy of asking the people for their opinions, but also provided useful reference experience for other similar public affairs. As the solicitation of opinions deepens, it is believed that the final new name will be recognized and supported by all sectors of society, allowing the airport to welcome visitors from all over the world with a brand new look and make greater contributions to the prosperity of the city.