Chinglish, a mix of English and Chinese, often to ill grammatical effect, has been a subject of debate in Hong Kong for decades.
As early as 1994, three years before the handover, the Hong Kong government issued an edict for schools and parents to decide what official language - English or Chinese - should be used to teach children in class. It was a policy that aimed "to force schools to define their policies, do away with 'Chinglish', and raise language standards".
The scheme was "designed to prevent the practice in many schools of using English textbooks but teaching in Cantonese, which experts say confuses pupils and teachers", the Post reported at the time.
The government decided that schools should teach in pupils' mother tongue (Cantonese) and use English only for English lessons. Parents in the 1990s feared this would lead to a decline in English standards.
True enough, 21 years later, the city is grappling with that decline. Numerous government officials and diplomats have lamented the poor standard of English in the territory.
READ MORE: 'English has been forgotten': Hong Kong must improve English standards to stay competitive, says lawmaker Michael Tien
However, mainland Chinese officials argued that the patois could be a symbol of national pride. In 2013, the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily declared that Chinglish had "become a symbol of national pride now that more foreigners have adopted Chinese expressions".
The article titled "Chinglish sweeps the world" cited foreigners who used Chinese words and expressions such as "no money, no talk" and hybrid words such as "geilivable" (meaning "awesome").
A German multimedia producer, Oliver Radtke, even wrote books about Chinglish and pushed to preserve the lingo. Radtke, then residing in Beijing, told Agence France-Presse in 2009 that her favourite sign was: "You can enjoy the fresh air after finishing a civilised urinating."
The Post reported at the time that the People's Daily article - though relying on anecdotal evidence - signalled a turnaround from the embarrassment that communist authorities expressed in 2007 and 2009, when Beijing and Shanghai officials launched campaigns to correct poorly translated English signs.
Hong Kong was no exception. Service company First Ferry was in 2009 forced to defend its awkwardly phrased signs ("Go Mui Wo" and "Go Cheung Chau", instead of "To Mui Wo") after members of the public complained that such grammatical missteps could hurt the city's international image.
Be it the object of national pride or embarrassment, here are some notable examples of English-language errors in Hong Kong, sourced from social media and submitted by readers.
1. Shops
2. Rubbish bins
3. Souvenirs
3. Postal system
5. Signs and warnings
6. Parks and public toilets
7. Food
8. Public transport
9. Clothing and toy labels
10. MTR stations
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