Under a new draft regulation released by the ministry of public security, parents will be able to combine their surnames for their children, a move that could open up 1.28 million new possibilities, the China Daily reported.
For instance, a father named Zhou and mother named Zhu could choose to call their child either Zhou, Zhu, Zhouzhu or Zhuzhou, the report added.[/quote]
Not really political in nature, but an interesting report nonetheless.
In Taiwan, it is customary for Hans to have a 2 character name and a 1 character surname. On the mainland, 1 or 2 characters names and 1 character surnames are the norms for Hans.
So like the everything else on the planet, the Chinese are exhuasting names, a non-renewable resource I might add.
But a creative and unique solution, to Chinese culture, is being devised. By combining the maternal and paternal surname of the child’s parents to create more combinations of unique surnames. Ingenius, elegant, and utterly confusing for Manchurian Chinese.
God have mercy on the child of a of Hispanic and Chinese descent in the future.
I think that in Taiwan it’s also not uncommon for married women to add the surname of their husbands to their own… right? At least thats’ what I’ve observed amongst some.
I don’t know whether many young urban couples will really take advantage of this… I personally suspect the policy’s real intent is targeted at the peasant countryside, where 嫁出去的女儿 = 泼出去的水… this way, grandkids will have the family name of both sides, and hopefully daughters will be more valued.
Very few modern women will change their names. My mother-in-law added her husband’s (she only had two characters to begin with) but that wouldn’t be practical if you have a “paper trail” that you wish to be associated with you, like diplomas.
In the U.S., you can name your kids just about whatever you want, with some restrictions as to alphabet. I’ve heard of a black kid named S-H-I-T-H-E-A-D, which he apparently pronounced “shi-TADE,” but perhaps Snopes should be consulted…
yeap, my father in law was extremely happy when he discovered we would give his family name to our kids. We will put both family names in their Portuguese name.
The Chinese draft law would put China in line with the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This will allow single mothers to name their children. This can be a problem especially when the woman gets raped and must give their children the name of the father.
Taiwan allowed children to take the name of the mother, father, or some combination a few years ago. It’s nice to see China getting on the boat.
I’m reasonably sure there’s been no legal precedent set where “the parents disagree”. These issues aren’t decided by law 99% of the time, but by negotiation/compromise. A baby’s name becomes official when he/she is registered at a local police office (paichusuo) after birth. Either the mother or the father can do this… if the couple is married, both need to provide identification/documentation as you’d expect. If the couple gets in an argument at the paichusuo, I’m sure the police officer would tell’em to get out of line and come back later. If only one person is there to register the baby, then what he/she says goes.
Are the rights of a parent being violated if the baby is given a name without the others approval? I have no idea, and I doubt any Chinese lawyer could tell you without much, much more research.
Not to mention the Chinese tradition of changing one’s own name to reflect milestones, the practice is not as popular now. So I guess the child could change his own name upon reaching adulthood.
[quote=“wisher”]If the father’s surname is “Wang” and the mothers is “Ba”,would they want to combine their surname to their kids?
I am just curious and doubt. :p[/quote]
I’ve been told that in the countryside, it was believed naming your kid an ugly name would make him “easier” to raise (more likely to survive). So, supposedly there used to be kids out there named Tang Goushi (dog shit). And of course, numerous uncreative peasant families with kids named Tang Yi, Tang Er, Tang San. For similar reasons, boys are sometimes raised as girls (complete with ponytails and dresses) until they’re a decent age (5+).
But anyways, Chinese law forbids names that are insulting this way… this verification happens at the paichusuo when you’re being registered.
[quote=“cctang”][quote=“wisher”]If the father’s surname is “Wang” and the mothers is “Ba”,would they want to combine their surname to their kids?
I am just curious and doubt. :p[/quote]
I’ve been told that in the countryside, it was believed naming your kid an ugly name would make him “easier” to raise (more likely to survive). So, supposedly there used to be kids out there named Tang Goushi (dog shit). And of course, numerous uncreative peasant families with kids named Tang Yi, Tang Er, Tang San. For similar reasons, boys are sometimes raised as girls (complete with ponytails and dresses) until they’re a decent age (5+).
But anyways, Chinese law forbids names that are insulting this way… this verification happens at the paichusuo when you’re being registered.[/quote]
Yes,Chinese people always think so.
Like some Taiwanese people are named “Wang shi”…
