Social media users are divided on the issue - some on microblogging site Weibo don't see why English or pinyin should feature on the signs anyway. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do, why do people who cannot speak a word of Chinese come to China if not to learn?" asks one user. But another points out that many expats can understand pinyin - usually the first stage of learning Chinese for foreigners - but can't read the characters. Some voice concerns over the cost of any change and one person thinks it would be a step backwards, asking: "Is Shanghai no longer an international metropolis?"