Ugh, I hate it when small-minded jingoism ruins an otherwise happy moment with nary a thing to nitpick. C-actress Gao Yuan Yuan welcomed a baby girl at the end of May 2019 with her husband TW-actor Mark Chao and this weekend she updated her SNS to share a sweet update. It’s their baby girl’s man yue (full moon or 1 month birth anniversary) which is a big deal in Chinese culture. Gao Yuan Yuan revealed the name of their little girl in the post, the lovely name Rhea, and is getting lambasted by C-netizens for giving her baby an English name. Comments range from why doesn’t she have a Chinese name/use a Chinese name. Let’s all send only happy vibes to the parents of sweet Rhea, wishing the baby a happy first month with her family and growing up beautifully.
Ugh, when will people learn that celebrities are people too…?!
Wow..There might Be a Chinese name, but they don’t want to share it. Probably kids typing nonsense comments.
I wouldn’t be surprised if these two are tryhard enough to emphasize only the English name… one thing I love about Korean culture is that they are proud of their own Korean names instead of choosing bizarre English words to call themselves and impress God knows whom.
Ultimately, it’s up to the parents to decide isn’t it? I understand that people should be proud of their heritage and what not, but it’s a parent’s right to decide what they should call their child; and said child can decide for himself/herself when they are older if they want to stick with their given name or change it. BTW – Mark Chao is also Canadian, so there’s nothing odd with him giving his child an “English” name.
Yes, it’s up to the parents. I don’t see the netizens forcing them to register a Chinese name at gunpoint. That does not make them immune from criticism particularly as celebrities who depend upon public goodwill for income. I have no problem with their personal choice for their own child but this is yet another example of the cultural cringe so prevalent in the Sinosphere. I find it pathetic. Luckily, GYY and MC don’t have to give a flying flip what I think so we’re even.
It is actually very common for the Chinese to have a Chinese name and an English name, especially when the parents were born/raised overseas. At least the nae is not Blue Ivy or Prince or Apple. There might be a CHinese official name and they are smart enough to not publicize it for privacy reasons. Most Chinese are proud of their heritage. Them not choosing to publicise the child’s name does not mean they are not proud of their roots.
This. Having an additional English name is also convenient when you start working, especially in the corporate world. God knows how many people had pronounced my name wrongly.
Sometimes fans are too much. Baby Rhea’s dad name Mark….hello…nobody say anything about his name. He is a handsome actor, play well on the movies and dramas and what else. Is he forget that he is Chinese bloodline because he got English name? I don’t think so…it is up to the parents to name their kids and…fans…just be happy about it instead lambasted about name 🙁
Mark Chao has a Chinese name too, which is used in China/Hong Kong, they don’t call him Mark in China..This blog is in English, therefore one cannot really glean the actual culture of a country from an English Blog on entertainment.
I see your point. That make sense to me.
These netizens really need to settle down. Hasn’t it crossed their minds that the baby likely has a chinese name but they choose not to use it in this instance and they don’t want to share it with the public yet. Using that name, which is a beautiful name, doesn’t make them less chinese please. There are a lot of people with both – practically everyone I know including my cousins. My cousin’s wife lived from 6th grade to age 24 in the US and has an English name and named her daughter Happy. But she has a proper chinese name too. I’d say Rhea is much better!
Actually English name is easier to pronounced and remembered by mostly people especially for non Chinese speaking people. I had a Chinese name but I need an English name for working reason. That doesn’t mean that I don’t value my tradition.
Also, stop forcing others to “value tradition” and not “forget your culture”. My mother constantly said this to me while growing up while trying to force me to do things I was not comfortable with. It’s like religion, don’t force it on people. It’s a shame if it’s forgotten, but it is none of your business. I’m so glad I wasn’t raised in Asia, the amount of judgement for every little thing would’ve caused me to do violence
Sigh! Whether we like it or not, we don’t have the right to criticize. As fans, we should respect the baby’s parents.
As fans or netizens or whatever, we have no right to control other’s actions etc. it’s ridiculous to yell so much as if we own their lives!!! Even if we own their lives, we still shouldn’t force our value upon them!
I prefer my favorite idols to be happy. Idols don’t have freedom of space, etc because they’re famous! So, as a form of comfort, I wish the celebrity couples to love and support each other forever and be happy! Don’t be hampered by public opinions!
Mark and Gao Yuan Yuan. Cheers!
I didnt know it was important for them to celebrate 1st month :O
I dont even care for netizens anymore whats the matter with others trying to decide any person’s children tsk tsk…
First month is important in the Chinese culture. Especially if Mark is originally from the Southern China parts. I think it was because most babies back in the old times do not survive over one month, so after one month the baby cam come and see all their relatives.
@yarnie ditto tsk tsk