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Ge Yu Lu, or Ge Yu Road, may sound like just another street name to passers-by. But it means a lot to the student who named it after himself four years ago. 
Digital navigation apps have adopted his name for the road after Ge Yu Lu's homemade signs became a fixture.
The story has been widely circulated online with internet users debating whether the move has violated regulations. 

Who is Ge Yulu?
Born in 1990 in Wuhan, Hubei province, Ge is a postgraduate student of China Central Academy of Fine Arts since 2014. Part of his name, Lu, means road in Chinese.
Ge got his inspiration from a course called History of Fine Art which prompted him to create his own designs. 
"I wanted to explore the relationship between my name and myself and show the interesting phenomenon of a private symbol appearing in public places," Ge told the reporter of the Paper. 

How did the road get its name?
Ge's target was a short road between Baiziwan Road and Baiziwan South No 2 Road dividing a local community in Chaoyang district near the Fourth Ring Road of southeastern Beijing into northern and southern sections. 

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from one end to the other.
Ge's homemade Ge Yu Lu signs have gradually convinced people the name is real.

Ge Yu Lu first appeared as the road name in 2014 on Amap, China's leading provider of digital maps, navigation and location-based services. One year later, Baidu Maps also accepted the name.
A man who worked in the community for a long time said that the road existed when the community was established in 2007. In the beginning, the road had no road sign, but later, people called it Ge Yu Lu because of the newly-installed road signs. He did not know when the road signs were set up.

A neighborhood committee worker said the road is registered as Baiziwan South No 1 Road.
 Signs have been dismantled
According to relevant regulations, only a special government office can name roads and places, a worker at the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning said.

The worker said that while online maps have recorded the road name as Ge Yu Lu, it does not equal an official naming. Individuals are not allowed to make and set up road signs randomly.
Earlier this afternoon, city planners have dismantled the road signs.

Ge said he never expected the name to be recorded by mapping software. As Ge Yu Lu is now widely known, he is happy, but also a little worried that it does not comply with relevant regulations.

Mixed responses online
Ge's actions prompted plenty of discussions. Some were dismayed at the news that the road signs were pulled down, while others supported the government's decision. 
@麦米谷MMG
Haha, Ge has found himself a quick road to fame and success. 
@会咬人的mm
I personally believe Ge Yu Lu sounds great and can be easily remembered. Anyway, it has already been widely known by the public now. Why bother to change it?
@风中凌乱
There is nothing to blame here. If I can also put up signs like this, our roads would be in a mess with everyone busy naming their own roads.
Editor: Jiao Jie 
Source: Chinadaily.com.cn, The Paper
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