The usual practice is to select one or two characters as the given name. These names, chosen elaborately by parents or other family members, carry a great deal of information: good wishes, ambitious plans, or aesthetic value. They provide insight into the society's changes over time.

Naming a newborn family member was once the special right of the patriarch. Families in feudal China kept records of the family tree, which listed all the names of family members past and present.

The purpose of the record was not only to trace the history of the family's ancestors, but also to prepare names for future offspring. A list of names was provided for each generation.

The classic novel "A Dream of Red Mansions" tells of the tradition of giving "serial" names. The names of the hero's father and uncles all have a common element, a tradition passed on to the hero and his brothers.

Female children of the family did not have to abide by the rule, evidence of the sexual prejudices of feudal society. Women were not considered real members of the family. Most women did not have formal names. They were only known by their surnames and their husbands' surnames.

With the disappearance of large patriarchal families, such practices gradually died out. The choice of names became more random. Parents chose characters to bestow their special wishes on their children. Characters that mean happiness, wealth, handsomeness, prosperity, and the like are often given to boys. Characters denoting beauty and virtue are common for girls.

Changing names

The latter half of the 20th century witnessed great changes in Chinese society: the founding of new China, the "cultural revolution", and various other social movements and reforms. All of these phenomena have been reflected in the names of Chinese people.

Many people born in 1949 were named "Jianguo" (founding of the country) and "Xinhua" (new China). During the Korean War names such as "Kangmei"(resisting America), "Yuanchao" (assisting the Koreans), and "Shengli" (victory) were popular.

The names "Yiku" (recalling bitter days) and "Sitian" (thinking of sweet times) tell about the movement of the 1950s, when people were called upon to compare the bitter days before 1949 with the sweetness of life after liberation.

After visiting Eastern Europe during the era of good of Sino-Soviet relations, actor Chen Qiang, known for his bad-guy roles, returned to name his two sons "Buda" and "Peisi" - combined the names become Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

The younger son, Chen Peisi, who is now a comedian, is appearing in an operetta staged at the Grand Theatre this week.

People worshiped Chairman Mao so much that many children were named "Weidong" (guarding Mao Zedong). In the late 1970s and early 1980s, several students bearing the name "Weidong" could be found in every primary school class.

Characters with connotations of revolutionary and heroic images were widely adopted in the names of people born in the 1960s and 1970s - high mountains, long rivers, evergreen pine trees, sea waves, thunder, and red plum blooms, to name a few.

Names made up of one character were considered simpler and more forceful than two-character names. Characters implying military grandeur were also very popular in names.

During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), women named after enchanting or tender images were cautious to change their names to ones with a more "revolutionary" theme for fear of being accused of harbouring counter-revolutionary thoughts.

However, as economic development started to gain a foothold in the 1980s, and political concerns diminished, many people who had changed their names in the 1970s tried to reclaim their original titles.

Beautiful names

Parents go to great lengths to choose unique and beautiful names for their offspring, and there is no shortage of resources to help them with this task. Books have been published, experts have emerged, and consulting firms have opened. Parents have many places to turn for advice on the best name for good luck and great fortune, as well as what names to avoid.

However with all this help, deciding on a name is still a difficult task for young couples expecting a baby these days.

Some 49 per cent of the Chinese population share 19 surnames, though there are over 3,000 surnames used in China. No matter how unique the name, there are bound to be many others with the same. For example, there are 13,000 people named "Wang Xiaomei" in Shanghai, according to statistics from a book on Chinese names compiled by Wang Daliang.

Wang relays the story of a chemist, who after giving out the wrong medicine to a boy called "Wang Yong", searched the entire area for him, only to find that 10 other Wang Yongs resided in the vicinity.

Many experts suggest that Chinese people use more characters in their names, because the longer the name is, the less the chance of running into someone with the same name.

Names composed up of three or more characters have also begun to show up. A girl surnamed Yang was named Yang Guang-Mingmei, which means beautiful and bright sunshine.

Longer names give parents a chance to be more creative.

(Shanghai Star May 16, 2002)