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My name in Chinese
by Peter
My name card with my name and where I am from in Chinese
No, I am not Chinese but I have spend about two years in China. Not in the big cities but mostly in rural areas. (see my stories on bicycle in China - http://www.bicycle-adventures.com/cycling-in-China.html). One of the things I learned is that Chinese love, no LOVE it when you have a Chinese name. The reason I wanted a Chinese name is that I figured out it would help me get in touch with local Chinese when I cycled. You see, when on the road and entering a village, usually people (children first) come around to see the lao wai (big noose). They always loved to see maps which I had with me in Chinese. I got a lot of advice where and how to travel, so a Chinese name made all sense. As it turned out it made even more sense when I arrived in small towns. What I usually did was entering a good looking hotel and asking for the price. Well, I don't want to spend Y1000 (US $120 or so)for a night but after showing my card and promising I might come back later if I couldn't find another hotel, the price usually dropped to Y100. That meant I usually could get a room for around Y50 (US$ 6-7). And because I gave them my name card they knew exactly what they had to write down on their forms (I have seen them holding passports upside down because staff couldn't read it). Over the years I have been on and off in China and I still have my name in Chinese on my cards and even in Malaysia, where many Chinese speak English, they still love to see my card and name in Chinese. It has opened many doors that might have been closed to me. If you are on the way to China, make sure you get a good Chinese name, it's worth to have it. Just before I forget... on my card, the first 3 characters are my name (Lan Pe Ter) followed by where I am from and what I do and as far as I understood, it says I am a traveler/cyclist from Helan, Holland). |
