The Economist, of all publications, has a fascinating story on names in Chinese orphanages, what they're likely to mean and where some of them come from.

And, incidentally, just how very strange some of them are.

Common choices are Dang meaning “party” (the Communist one, naturally), or Guo meaning “country” or “state”. Those saddled with these names face a lifetime of funny looks, or a bureaucratic quagmire trying to change them.

In February last year, the north-eastern city of Dalian caused a nationwide stir when it announced that it would no longer give all girl orphans the surname Dang and boys Guo. This had been the city's practice for 30 years, the legacy of an era when being called Comrade Party or Comrade State blended in more with the Orwellian spirit of the time.

Too bad "party" doesn't seem to have the double meaning in Mandarin it does in English. Being both a political group and, you know, a party.

The Economist is, of course, something of a polar opposite to Salon -- meaning a vaguely right-leaning, pro-free market capitalism publication. I guess that means not polar at all, but mostly in the middle with some wiggle room on either side (witness Amazon reviews from disgruntled conservatives). But coverage of China is more oriented toward counterfeit cars and bank investments with a few cultural sidebars. The travel notes do seem sort of interesting.

So, there's a resource on China. If you're more curious about looking up things on names and adoption, you can find more here, at the adoption.com webpage on the Importance of Names for Adoptees.

Reading that last article, which is all about original names are tied in with thoughts about identity, I'm struck with the thought that it must be strange to grow up with one's identity so entwined with a political body. It'd be like being named John Republican, or Sally Democrat....