Thursday, September 12, 2024

My Name - Yanfang Huang


A Vexing Name

          There are many women named Yanfang艳芳in Guangdong, China, and I am one of them. In Chinese, there are two characters in this name. They are Yan and Fang. Yan means colorful and beautiful, and Fang means fragrant. Most parents hoped their daughters look pretty, so they named them Yanfang. I dislike my name because it is too popular in my hometown. When I was in junior high school, my classmates called me Yanfang Mei who was a famous singer in Hong Kong. I didn’t like it when they called me that because I thought she and I were two different individuals. When I was in high school, there was a girl who had the same name as me, so the guard who was in school always sent the wrong packages to us. He always confused us. In the company I worked for in China before I came to the U.S., one of my colleagues was also named Yanfang. Other colleagues were also confused about us. One day, a colleague in HR asked me to attend a meeting that she was supposed to attend. Sometimes, I feel that my name annoys me. I prefer something special and different. Although I don’t like my name, I have never thought about changing it. It was the first gift my parents gave me after I was born. 




6 comments:

  1. Hi Yanfang. I find it very nice that even if you don't like your name, you feel that it is a gift from your parents. I never thought that my name was a gift. Thanks

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  2. Hi, Yanfang! Your name gives me a sense of retro nostalgia, my mother's friend also has this name. It is truly a terrible thing that many people have the same name as you, but it also can represent the unique love from your parent.

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  3. Hi Yanfang, I could understand what you felt when you were younger. My name is also little common name in Korea not as much as yours, but I enjoyed reaction of people actually when there are someone who has the same name as mine. You are just you. I like your name !

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  4. Hi, Yanfang! In your generation, your name is popular. One of the characters in my mother’s name is Yan. Your name is common, I think it is unique to your family.😉

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  5. Hi Yanfang, thank you for your sharing. You have a same name with Hongkong singer that is amazing. Sometimes, the same name is kinds of fate, never mind, you are the special one.

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  6. Hi Yanfang! Even though you said your name is very common in China, I think you’re the unique and special Yanfang. Thank you for sharing

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