When to use Chinese name?

[Friday]

I was assigned a Chinese name some time ago by my Chinese Language professor at an American university. It does not sound anything like my real “English” name and I am not ethnically Chinese. I have observed that some Chinese students studying in the U.S. use English names, rather than their own name. I will be studying in the PRC soon.

While abroad, under what situations is it most appropriate for me to use my real English name and when it is more appropriate to use my assigned Chinese name?

Should this name be used for official purposes, for example, should I write it on my visa application? Or is this going to cause problems with the application process, because it isn't written on my U.S. passport and it is not a name I have ever used outside of the classroom?

[Pravit]

Just use your real name for all official purposes and your Chinese name for fun.

[Shadowdh]

Depends on the situation I am in as to which name (or both) I use.. for example, on most of the forms I had to fill in for University I had a space for my English name and one for my Chinese name... if the teacher asked me what my name was I replied with my Chinese name and if asked then my English... when meeting people on the street in China I would introduce myself with my Chinese name and if surprised was expressed and I was asked about it then would give my English name... in the UK when meeting Chinese students I use my Chinese name but also supply my English name when/if asked... so feel free to use it as part of everyday life, in fact with alot of my classmates in China I didnt ever get to know their "English" (Italian, Spanish etc) name just their Chinese ones... so really you can use it as much or as little as you like...

[roddy]

I'd be wary about using it for anything official - you might be able to, but if it then becomes necessary to prove your identity at a later date, you're going to have trouble. Unless you can get it onto your passport . . .

Question: Do the new in-passport residence permits have a section for a Chinese name? The old green booklet ones did, although I think it was always a transliteration rather than a 'proper' name.

[liuzhou]

Do the new in-passport residence permits have a section for a Chinese name?

No.

Should this name be used for official purposes, for example, should I write it on my visa application?

Definitely not! Can you imagine what would happen to anyone applying for a US visa if the name on the passport was different from the name on the visa application? China is no different.

What pravit said!

[adrianlondon]

I've recently applied for a (tourist) visa and there is space for both your "real" name and your Chinese one. I put them both, as I think it's cool to have a Chinese name. Sad, I know, but I quite like mine and I used it throughout my whole time while studying at BNU.

[imron]

I agree with adrianlondon, for the visa application, there are separate spaces for both an English and a Chinese name, and I've always filled in both and never had troubles. It's not like I'm misrepresenting myself either, as the supporting documentation (either invitation letter or JWXXX form) has always included both.

Also of interest is that when I opened a bank account where I used to live in Hebei, the bank (China construction bank) would only allow me to use my Chinese name.

As for other situations, there are no fixed rules so go with whatever you're comfortable with. Usually, for people who can speak English I use my English name, and for people who can't speak English I use my Chinese name.

[liuzhou]

Also of interest is that when I opened a bank account where I used to live in Hebei, the bank (China construction bank) would only allow me to use my Chinese name.

I seem to have collected bank accounts with almost every bank in China. Construction, Agricultural, Bank of China etc. etc. I have never used a Chinese name.

Whoever told you that you need a Chinese name to open a bank account was talking nonsense.

There is space for both your "real" name and your Chinese one. I put them both, as I think it's cool to have a Chinese name.

You can put any Chinese name you like on the visa application form, but the only one they actually read, accept and print on your visa is the one in your passport.

[imron]

Whoever told you that you need a Chinese name to open a bank account was talking nonsense.

It was the bank teller. When asked why I couldn't use my English name, he said the system required a Chinese name, and while I'm sure that wasn't correct, it was far easier for me just to use my Chinese name than try to argue with the teller trying to get him to admit that actually it was possible to use a non-Chinese name.

You can put any Chinese name you like on the visa application form, but the only one they actually read, accept and print on your visa is the one in your passport.

I completely agree.

[yonglin]

It's quite different in Hong Kong. I had my Chinese name and my latin-lettered (not "English per se) name written on my HK identity card. I think as long as you've got it on there, it'd be fine to do anything with it within HK (naturally, your passport would be the only thing valid for international stuff). Obviously, I was not really dealing with official agencies a great deal, but when I went to renew my ID card, they did call me by my Chinese name, and talked to me in Cantonese.

[gougou]

Use your English name for anything that grants you a benefit. Use your Chinese name for anything you might want to wriggle yourself out of at a later point in time...

[FSO]

I had to supply a Chinese name for my government-issued identity card, PRC driver's license, and when importing and registering my car.

[banjo67xxx]

Sorry if this is off-topic, but where did you import the car from FSO and what's involved?

My wife is suggesting we either buy a QQ for around 50,000kuai or we import a German car. I prefer the idea of importing a German car, but I'd like to know more about how to drive/ship it to China and what sort of import beaurocracy and fees the Chinese charge?

[FSO]

Sorry if this is off-topic, but where did you import the car from FSO and what's involved?

I'm a diplomat, so my embassy handled the legwork for the auto importation. We brought our car from the US, but I know others who have imported cars from other foreign postings. It took a looooooooooooooooong time (like more than a month) for the paperwork to be processed and the "inspection" to be done. The biggest restriction of which I am aware is that cars with a production date of more than ten years ago may not be imported.

[Lu]

If there's a space for 'Chinese name' I put in mine, I like using my Chinese name. My Taiwan bank account is in my Chinese name, but I don't remember why, might have been required, but I don't remember. I usually use my English name here, actually many Taiwanese do the same, and then call each other by their English names, so I fit right in.

When asked for my surname, I always give my Chinese surname, as my Dutch surname is long & very difficult to pronounce, and would require spelling it, and then getting mispronounced, etc.