Form for adopting a Chinese name

[Charlie_Jack]

I think that after I’d gone to Yadong Hospital excessively in the old days (heck, I still spend a lot of time there), they must have got tired of pronouncing my English name and just slapped a three-character Chinese name on me. And then I guess during one of my ARC renewals, I must have given the ARC folks that name, maybe from my National Health Insurance card.

But I don’t know; for all I know, maybe there is some requirement these days, like the one you mentioned, so maybe you shouldn’t use my experience as a guide.

Edited to add:

Here’s a 2016 thread that seems to be about that subject (I don’t know whether things have changed since then):

Chinese name missing from ARC

Well, I only have one given name and no middle name, but I have TWO family names, as most people registered in Spain (you need to supply the father’s family name first, then the mother’s). I can see their neurons frying inside their brain when I have to explain that.

2011 thread, related subject:

Should I give myself a Chinese name?

Should I give myself a Chinese name? Here is a problem that I never imagined I would have in Taiwan, my plain old English name. I believe that my name is one of the most common names in the English speaking world (it’s biblical after all). However Taiwanese people have a real problem pronouncing it whether it’s written in English or Mandarin. (My name is the only thing I can write in Mandarin). The problem is that people are breaking up the 2 syllables that form my name, missing out the “r” …

Here’s a discussion from 2003:

Change of chinese name on ARC

My first employer here got me an ARC, and someone picked a chinese name for me without bothering to speak to me about it. The name has since been transferred to my new ARC, and I was wondering if I was stuck with it. Can I just go to the police station and ask for a change? Do I have to go through some special process? Or do I have to live and die with the name chosen for me? Thanks

A poll and discussion from 2020:

Do you have an "official" Chinese name? [poll and discussion]

poll This issue arises from another thread. I have a Chinese name on my ARC, which facilitates document/identity verification. I was required to have one to open a bank account, so my first boss just gave me the name. It is “supposedly” a lucky name, but is obviously a foreigner’s name. Other posters report not needing a Chinese name and not having one on their ARC. I use my Chinese name and signature for practically every official purpose. Curious about others’ use (or not) of a Chinese name.

Another thread from 2003:

Foreigners registering their Chinese names

I read something in one of the English-language newspapers a few weeks ago (sorry to be vague, but segue went down then and a lot of time passed) that said foreigners would be allowed / required (not sure which) to register their Chinese names with the government somewhere. It also said that names would be required to conform to “Chinese custom,” without saying whether that meant Han Chinese custom (one surname chosen from a shortish list, followed by one or two more characters) or non-Han Chine…

In a 2002 thread, one poster seems to express surprise that foreigners are allowed to have Chinese names on their ARCs:

@littleiron

Brian,

You got your Chinese name on your ARC? How’d you do that? I’d like my Chinese name to be somewhere… official. Can you just ask them to do that when you apply?

A 2020 thread on chops (name stamps), and whether one needs to have a chop:

Do I need a chop?

I lost one. You get a new one but banks charge a fee for registering the new one, usually $50NT. Post office for letters and other places generally don’t check nor is it registered anywhere To the op you can get a cheap one for $100 nt for those rare times it’s needed.