The story that a town named Bolesławiec was supposedly established in China so that manufacturers could legally label their products as originating from the Lower Silesian City of Ceramics appeared in the public sphere in a “Forbes” article. One of the producers of our Bolesławiec gold mentioned this problem.
The story was addressed by Weronika Truszczyńska, a vlogger and sinologist (a specialist in China), who presented arguments undermining the credibility of this theory.
One of the main problems with this story is the naming of towns in China itself. As the expert explains, town names must be written using Chinese characters rather than the Latin alphabet. Moreover, their pronunciation must correspond to the phonetic possibilities of Mandarin.
Can “Bolesławiec” be written in Chinese?
The expert points out that the name of the Polish town exists in China exclusively as a phonetic transcription. In Chinese sources, Bolesławiec has an official character-based spelling and a corresponding form in the pinyin system.
When this name is entered into Chinese online maps, however, the search engine leads exclusively to the Polish town. No town in China bearing this name appears.
According to Weronika Truszczyńska, there is also no other evidence confirming the existence of such a town—photographs, official documents or reliable sources indicating that the name of any Chinese village or city was changed.
Urban legend or fact?
The author compares the story of “Chinese Bolesławiec” with other popular stories that have circulated online for years. Among others, she mentions a once-repeated story according to which the Chinese were supposedly going to rename one of their towns Parma in order to produce Parma ham.
She emphasizes that, as in that case, it is also difficult here to find any reliable material confirming the truth of the story.
Counterfeits exist, but they do not need a “Chinese Bolesławiec”
The expert also stresses that the problem of counterfeit products in China is real. In her view, however, this does not mean that manufacturers would have to rename a town in order to copy foreign products or exploit their reputation.
Fake products can be made regardless of the place of production, and similarity of the name itself is not necessary for them to be sold.
Trademark disputes are resolved differently
In her statement, Weronika Truszczyńska also addressed the issue of trademark protection. She referred to the story of a businesswoman whose logo was reportedly copied, while interventions at embassies and government offices produced no results.
According to the expert, a more effective solution is to work with law firms specializing in Chinese intellectual property law. She cited the example of a client who, with the support of local lawyers, reportedly successfully began the process of reclaiming his rights to a trademark.
There is no confirmation of the story
At this stage, no reliable material confirming the existence of a Chinese town named Bolesławiec has been publicly presented. Available Chinese maps and arguments concerning the principles governing the creation of town names indicate that the story remains an unconfirmed account that has circulated for years in debates about counterfeit Polish ceramics.
This does not change the fact that trademark infringements and product copying in China are a genuine challenge for many entrepreneurs. Experts nevertheless emphasize that, in such cases, using local legal procedures and specialist support is crucial, rather than repeating unverified stories.