In my blogs, I have addressed some preliminary information about people of non-Asian heritages meeting people with Chinese and East Asian heritage. The subject of names easily lends itself to a longer discussion.
Take for example, the name Mulan. Due to copyright issues, I’m not allowed to post an image of this internationally famous Disney heroine. Her name was based on a historical person, Hua Mulan [花木兰(simplified)/花木蘭(traditional)], meaning Magnolia or Mulan flower [木兰花(simplified)/木蘭花(traditional)] in the Chinese language. The flower imagery communicates with us without the need of a label or words. The flower represents to Chinese and Asian people the beginning of the spring and the end of the winter.
Photo by Сhristina Chapran on Unsplash
Every Chinese name has a meaning that is well known to the person who bears the name and its link to the social environment where it is used. In comparison, most English names bear a Christian origin that is sometimes unknown to the person bearing the name. More often than not, the meaning of English names is treated more like a trifle or an entertaining fact rather than as a significant part of a person’s identity intertwined with the social environment where the name is used.
This difference seems slight and trivial to non-Asians. Yet, in a cross-cultural meeting, it may end an attempt at small talk and may even disrupt or prevent a potential point of mutual respect and understanding.
We often say American small talk can encompass a massive range of topics from airplane trips to ex’es, i.e., digs and jabs about ex-husbands and ex-wives. If a Chinese/ East Asian person starts a conversation with a “Bob” and asks why he is named Bob, the discussion usually leads nowhere. That is a cultural point that is bears significance to a Chinese/Asian person but is often minimized or misunderstood by non-Asians no matter how well educated either side might be.
The point I offer to you is that upon the first few seconds of meeting and greeting, at the moment of name exchange, people of Western and East Asian heritages are quite likely to be miscommunicating already. Recent news events point out how little we know about each others’ cultures.
I sincerely believe my professional purpose and value is in helping to bring people together by building relationships.
Imagine what else you might learn about starting off a relationship between Asians and non-Asians with maximum positive results.
Contact Yvonne for a business consultation to build and cement better relationships.
