What happens when your name becomes the bane of your life?

"Ping-Pong" "Wing Wong" "Ching Chong" these are all variations of my name that have been inflicted on me over the years.

Starting in the early years of primary school when sassy kids realised by changing one letter in my name I could become a funny sport that Chinese people played. I dreaded the beginning of every school year when after being introduced to our new teacher the time would come for the register to be read out. My young heart would beat in anticipation as the teacher read each name out in alphabetic order, "Jody Waters, Sam Watts, Jamie White, Sally Winters, ..........Ping-Pong Wong....whoops sorry I mean Ping-Ping Wong." By then sorry would be too late. The entire class would crescendo into laughter with finger pointing leaving the young impressionable Ping-Ping to grow up with insecurities that only therapy and alcohol would solve.

My parents have lived in London for over forty years, they insisted on calling my brothers and I Chinese names so that we would be proud of our Chinese roots. They believed no matter how Westernised their children would become our names would instil a small sense of "Chineseness" in our lives. My mum pointed out two interesting points. First, when English people move to Asian countries they don't usually change their names to Chinese ones so the local people can pronounce them. Also, when working as a teacher she realised that if a three year old English child can pronounce her name then it shouldn't be a problem for her parents.

I often wonder how I would have turned out if I didn't have a name like mine or if I grew up in a place where having a Ping-Ping in a class was as common as John Smith. I would live my life without having to correct every job interviewer, doctor, dentist or telemarketer that I came across. Voting, paying council tax and banking would be a breeze without writing hundreds of letters to correct the spelling of my name. I wouldn't have to answer five year old kid retorts such as "Why are you called Ping-Ping?" or "Cool, I want to call my dog Ping-Ping."  Most importantly, I could get away a lot more with behaving badly. In their drunken stupor people may forget which Sarah committed the act but when it comes to which Ping-Ping there is no getting away.

Nevertheless, if my name was Mary, Jane or Sara there would be so much of life I would be missing. I wouldn't have been bullied mercilessly. Therefore, my strong resilience in life, fighter attitude and acute empathy of underdogs would not exist. My name wouldn't have an interesting story to tell - people love the idea that I was named Ping-Ping because I was born in winter (means ice when pronounced in a Chinese way). Saying my name is Mary because my parents were unimaginative and boring as muck doesn't quite have the same magic. Also, whether good or bad, my name makes an impression on everyone I meet and, in my opinion, making an impression is better than no impression at all.

So if you are reading this article and you think your unpronounceable Chinese name is the bane of your life. I encourage you to embrace your name and be proud of it. Shout out your name from the rooftops with pride and if this doesn't work just be thankful that you aren't named "Jump-Shitte" like my Peruvian friend (I kid you not).

 Ping Ping Wong

 

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Wing Posted 13:31 on 14 October 2009 In my view, as all chinese names translate to a funny english spelling, all of us can sympathise on some level, even those with english names. People often ask me (as I go by my english name) whether my name is my real name. I retort 'no, its make believe, so is my passport'. lol. I think people need to realise that there is a difference between an english and chinese name and not real or fake name. anyway I digress. I just wanted to say that there is no such thing as boring as muck. Or were you insinuating that people who name their kid Mary are 'common as muck'? I feel sorry for people called Mary and their parents! Im sure there is nothing wrong with having a simple traditional name as much as having a simple chinese name like Ping ping. jump shitte is awesome! there is a facebook group for chinese people's awesome names. I highly recommend everyone to visit the page for a laugh :) Reply | Quote

Yinnie Posted 1:58 on 15 October 2009 agreed. My name is Wai yin, as in way-in and way out. the other kids always used to use that joke, not only that, the I've always hated the christmas hymn 'away in a manger' because being small, asian and a name that allows kids to try to stuff you in a manger is NOT FUN. But then again, i like my name all the same, i like how i can face the world with the feeling that i stand up for myself. So yes. Ping ping, I wholeheartedly agree with you. =D Reply | Quote

Kevin - Asians unite! Posted 15:01 on 16 October 2009 Whilst I am comfortable with how my Chinese name sounds, I have an issue with the label "East Asian" or worse... "Orientals"!! Why can't the British use the standard understanding that the term "Asian" includes all Asian nationalities and not just of the Indian Subcontinent only!! Just as the African-Americans have reclaimed their names, so must we all. Reply | Quote

Cynthia - Western AND Chinese names Posted 22:12 on 18 October 2009 I don't know about the UK, but in Canada and the United States (as well as certain circles in Hong Kong), it's pretty much custom to have both western and Chinese names. Most people I know have names like Katherine Ka Weng Chan or Andrew Jing Long Lee (both names made up in this case, but you know what I mean). And is Ping Ping truly a real name? I don't know too many people with double names as official names. Usually something like Ping Ping is a nick name. Reply | Quote

Chinaman Posted 12:39 on 19 October 2009 Firstly, right on Kevin! Go Asians! Woooo! Secondly, is this article written by someone who grew up in a predominatly white or caribbean area? I know of cases where Chinese kids with english names get bullied by those who don't (one facet of the identity quagmire most young Asians struggle with). In school with very high migrant populations when everyone is called kamal, abdullah, sisay or thuong - john or sally is going to stand out. I am ambivalent on the English name issue. When I was younger I was given an English name when I moved to this country by my parents because they thought it was cool, part of the migrant package - there was no concern with integration or pronounciation etc. I am a mainlander, English names for us were truly a fad back in the 90s. HK is more christianised and i know many people get baptised with their English names, so whilst it's a colonial practice, it IS a part of Hong Kong and Hong Konger's fundamental identity. I reverted to my Chinese name when I was about 16, after awakening my intellect with a heavy dose of Fanon and Malcolm X, I was uncomfortable being called all those years by a name that I don't validate and that I certainly wasn't going to have on my grave. The years have mellowed me out, but I still wince a bit when people step off the plane and start calling themselves Sky, Elrich or Arioch, but at the end of the day, we should love our each other without these preconceptions and value judgements if we are to ever achieve unity as a community. Reply | Quote

Jade - Indeed! Posted 16:50 on 19 October 2009 I quite agree with Cynthia having both an English name and a Chinese one. I too, gave myself an English name even though my parents did not do the honours when I was born in HK. It was fashionable to give yourself an English name wether you were in HK or UK years ago so why not now?? Reply | Quote

GladtobeinUK - Oriental Names Posted 14:17 on 4 November 2009 I was born in HK and came here when I was 14. I have always used my English name, and never my Chinese name. It isn't even in my passport or any official documents. Living in the UK,and have no plan to move back East, it's easier for me to use my Ebnglish name. It's a personal choice. Mispornonucing names work both way, too. We had a few "foreign" pupils in our school and we also mis-pronunced thier names for fun. I remember on chap who was from Portugal and his name was João, with a nasalised "ow". We used to call him, "Jung an" (middle jar), or "ju an" (pig jar). In the beginning he used to protest but after a while, he got used to it and treated it as his nick name which we all had at school. Having said all that. If people who have "ethnic names", be it Indian, Japanese, Nigerian, etyc and introduce themselves in that name, i will make an effort to pronounce it correctly with the right intonation. It's a sign of respect, afterall. To Kevin - Personally, I hate being referred to as Asian ! Asian denotes anyone from the continient of Asia, all the way from Turkey, through, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Burma to Japan. All very different people. In an academic context, it is fine to say East Asian painting, or South Asian sculpture but I prefer to say Oriental Art, Asian shops, South-East Asian dance to give a more regionally specific description. The same way you would say Mediterranean food, Scandinavian Christmas traditions, rather lumping them all together as "European". So, I am definitely and proudly Oriental and was born in the Far East, not East Asia!! Reply | Quote

Chinaman Posted 15:17 on 4 November 2009 I think you're missing the issue with Asia. Scandinavia, Mediterrean and such regional names are based on actual geographical regions, whereas the word Orient (from the French s'orienter - to take one's bearing) denoted simply the East and that has been a cocnept stuck in a historical flux - after all the Oriental express went from Vienna to Instanbul, old French and British referred to Oriental art and rugs meaning the Arabic lands. I don't think it offensive to refer to Europe as Europe when it's a land which includes diversity from the Buddhist Kingdom of Kalymia to Portugal. Nor do I think it's wrong that Black people wish to identify themselves as African. Do you? I think most people in the UK are not sensitive to the legacy of Oriental being a word which "others" us, but for me in the context of this country I do find it offensive that Asian and Asia means the big chunk down south the British conquered. I live in East London and we're one of the few places in the whole country where Chinese and Vietnamese are referred to as Asian/British Asian in official documents and the Bengali community refer to us as fellow Asians - I think it's a very positive thing. Reply | Quote

Londoner - Asian, Oriental, Asiatic....? Posted 22:07 on 13 November 2009 Reading the above postings on the usage of terms like Asian/Oriental got me thinking what Asians, ie people from the Indian Sub-Continent background, think about this. So I posed the questions to a couple of Indian colleagues; both born in the UK, one from a Gujarati and the other from a Bengali background. To them the Asian community generally means people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and people of that descend. In a geographic context, then "Asian" can mean people from the large piece of land. Then I asked them whether the term "Asian" should be used for ALL people from Asia. They said that it should be but only if you are talking economics (!) - I presume as in "the Asian economy". Finally, I asked them what they would call me, or the colleague from Tokyo. Without pausing for breath, they said, "Orientals, of course!". So darlings, I am none the wiser !! Reply | Quote

Kyu - Interesting Posted 2:08 on 9 December 2009 Interesting! Hiya Ping Ping, I am in a process in writing a book at the moment and would be great If you can share your story, If you are interested please e mail me: kfandc@live.co.uk Thank You Reply | Quote

Jabberwocky - The Name Game Posted 13:15 on 31 December 2009 I have also experienced a great deal of teasing during my school years due to my family name - Harper. To my peers this sounded very close to Harpic, a well known brand of toilet cleaner and used to generate much hilarity! Some would use it as a taunt to attempt to upset me, sad children with, it seemed to me, limited intellect. Fortunately on leaving school I also left the Harpic behind. Ping Ping is a lovely name, only the ignorant and stupid would corrupt it for their pathetic amusement. On the subject of "Asian" this has become extremely irritating that in the UK it is used to describe Indian and Pakistani people and their foodstuff totally ignoring China, Japan, the Koreas, Tibet, Mongolia, etc, etc. Never mind it is not a perfect world and never will be, but we can keep trying!! Reply | Quote

TheCoolTedTurner - Names Posted 3:30 on 2 January 2010 I am sorry to hear that people made crude remarks about your name. I can see how the ching chong bit would be very painful, however I would have much rather preferred the name ping pong, as my name is Nick and it rhymes with a slang term for male genitalia. Reply | Quote

Poo Poo Posted 23:04 on 3 January 2010 The problem is one of linguistics. English names in the Chinese language sound "sophisticated", and the Chinese fail to capitalise on mocking them as out of place with their own language. Instead, the reverse is true and the English name is "right". Conversely, you reverse the situation and have a Chinese name in English - unlike Japanese, most chinese names sound simple and of the noise/rude word variant - chances are if you have a chinese surname, it's already been made fun of in history, such is the culture of the English speaking world mocking anything not English. If only the Chinese had this culture could we similarly make fun of boring, ordinary English names. Reply | Quote

Charlie - Chinese names Posted 2:27 on 5 January 2010 I am learning Mandarin and would like to have a Chinese name for when I visit. Contrary to the above, I think I would feel out of place without a Chinese name in China. I have been told that having a name that directly translates phonetically is not always a good thing because of the possible double meanings. Is 查力王 Cha Li Wang a good Chinese name? Reply | Quote

Funny names Posted 22:18 on 26 January 2010 I have friend whose surname is Rice working in HK so there few "yau mo fan" any rice jokes. I have another friend whose surname is Hayes, I am not even going to go there. :) Reply | Quote

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