Chinese citizens urged not to call themselves Dumbledore

Citizens in China have been urged not to call themselves something like Dumbledore or Bunny Wang if choosing an Anglicised version of their name.

The state media website CCTV has offered seven pointers which people should follow if they choose to adopt a new name for conducting business with companies in the West.

They urged citizens to avoid "non-names" like Fish, "stripper names" like Candy or even a name with sexual connotations like Pussy or Beaver.

Meanwhile, Dong and Wang is used as slang for male genitalia. So avoid anything like "Bunny Wang" at all times.

Furthermore, the website stresses that Chinese people should avoid "famous people" surnames as a first name.

Pick any name like Obama, Einstein or Madonna and you’re going to get some stares. You have some pretty big shoes to fill there.

CCTV goes on to explain that religious or mythical characters should certainly be avoided too.

As with "famous people" names, these only work if the name is common anyway. Choosing Harry, from Harry Potter is ok. Hercules, Satan, Dumbledore or Jesus, is a different story.

Instead the website recommends a much safer English option like Elizabeth or Michael which tend to suggest a wealthy background.

Scott Konick, an American businessman who has lived and worked in Taiwan, wrote a lengthy article about the phenomenon of Anglicised names for the Beijinger Blog.

He recalls that he adopted a Chinese moniker - Ke Ing De - to represent him in the country and that many of his Chinese employees did the same to help break down cultural barriers when they dealt with Western companies.

Within his company, employees chose to either take literal translations of their own name, like Spring or Winter, while others chose more individualistic names like Chocolate or Billboard (who worked in the advertising department).

Meanwhile Huan Hsu, an American with Chinese ancestry, explains that in conversation with people he has had in China, many say the trend was influenced by Chinese people becoming tired of Western business partners butchering their given names and therefore adopted an Anglicised version, like Steve, instead.

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HT BBC