Chinese Couple Welcome Baby "@," to Government’s Annoyance

By Anastacia Mott Austin

First it was 4Real; now this is where it’s "@."

In a country where many names use similar symbols and only 129 surnames make up the majority of last names, it doesn’t come as a surprise that new parents are trying to find unique names for their children.

However, the Chinese government is balking at one couple’s choice. The unidentified couple decided to use the symbol "@" to name their baby boy.

When pronounced out loud, the symbol sounds like "ai ta," which translates to "love him" in Chinese. The parents thought that would be a perfect tribute to their son.

Said the child’s father to reporters, "The whole world uses it to write emails."

Deputy chief of the State Language Commission Li Yuming said at a news conference that the couple is only one example of how Chinese parents are trying to get more creative with the language of names.

Many Chinese people have characters in their names which are so old that computer software doesn’t even recognize them.

In addition, the Chinese language has no alphabet, and uses "multi-stroke" characters to attempt to symbolize words.

Because the issue of creative names has been gaining ground, and the government fears the loss of the native language, rules have been put into place limiting the choices of names. This year the government announced that no Arabic numbers could be used, or any foreign languages, or symbols that aren’t part of the Chinese language.

Li did not reveal to the press whether Chinese police (who are in charge of issuing identity name cards) had rejected the name, but with these restrictions in mind, it seems unlikely that the couple will be able to keep the name they’ve chosen for their son.

According the Chinese government, "@" is not where it’s at.