What is your Chinese name?

王画 Wang Hua

What does your name mean?

画 (hua) means paint/draw/painting.
My dad thinks that a newborn is like a white canvas waiting for time to paint on it.

What is your English name? (Please write in pinyin if you don’t have one)

Hua

Have you ever abandoned your English name? What was the reason?

I used to have a name called Violet, I abandoned Violet because I thought it was too much like an old European lady.

Does your name ever give you any funny, embarrassing, or uncomfortable experiences?

I’ve had teachers misspell my name, some people can’t pronounce it. I abandoned Violet as my english name but I still use it in Starbucks so I don’t have to explain.

Do you prefer your Chinese name or your English name? Which name better represents your own identity?

I prefer my Chinese nickname 小蹦 (Xiao Beng), my Cat was named 小跳 (Xiao Tiao), together we form a phrase 蹦蹦跳跳 (Beng Beng Tiao Tiao), meanning jumping or hopping. I feel the name of Hua has a lot of expectations from my family and it slightly stresses me out, while 蹦 (Beng) sounds happier.