Topic: news What’s in a Name? Foreigners in China with a Chinese Name

I am ethnic American but I made up a Chinese name for myself. It's seems Chinese often have English names so I figured I would follow. It's actually my second Chinese name. In order to register for the site renren.com a Chinese name was necessary. So, while in the US, two Chinese girls named me Sun Jia-Yi meaning "good translation grandson". It was similar, very distantly, to my real name, which is ethnic American. Then in China I find out it's a "name for girls"... and I'm a boy. Also, good translation grandson didn't really seem to fit me. I think I'm nice, and try to be kind to my grandparents. But this whole "good translation" concept... whatever it is.. is not a concept in the English-speaking world. For some reason I kept thinking about the Chinese word fu as fortune. It might seem a little crazy but if I was in a bad situation I would blame myself, and think to myself .. im in a bad fu. And, if I changed my fu, I would be in a good fu. Also, for some reason I was thinking about dragons, and myself as a dragon. In Chinese long is the word for dragon. Plus, in more than one way long could describe me. So, after visiting the Temple of Heaven in Beijing I decided on a new name: fu long. Actually I can't decide whether it should be long fu or fu long. I've been going with fu long. Apparently the way I was pronouncing the name means fortune wolf, not fortune dragon. I can't actually pronounce my Chinese name. I'm not sure all Chinese were that impressed with my Chinese name. It's like the feeling I get when I try speaking some Chinese. If I'm speaking Mandarin, and have a Chinese name, it's seems they would prefer I'm a foreigner. They don't want me taking on Chinese characteristics. Only once has a person actually called me by my new Chinese name, and I didn't at first respond.