This article has me reflecting on the many times that I have allowed my Chinese name to be truncated or misspelt to fit in the narrative. I distinctly remember being told by a customs and immigrations officer years ago that Hui should be my first name, and that if I wanted Hui Shing to be my first name, then I need to spell it "HuiShing" or "Hui-Shing". I was even given a brief lecture while being held in secondary on first names and middle names, and how I filled out the forms incorrectly by putting "Hui Shing Andy" as first name.
Most recently, at a local DMV, the agent simply refused to correct an error she made on the submission form despite the various types of identifying documents presented with the correct spelling of my name. In her words, "it's fine." As a result my current license reads "Hui, Shing Andy, LAU".
I supposed I have just grown accustomed to it, after all I do have numerous IDs that just reads Hui S. Lau - insurance cards, office IDs, assigned login names. The hassle of explaining my full name just didn't seem worth it. I just go by Andy, which raises other problems as there is an Andy Lau who is a famous actor/singer in Hong Kong and I find myself living the Michael Bolton rant from Office Space.
All that being said, I am beginning to wonder if I should be more insistent on how my name should be spelt/assigned correctly.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/interactive/2022/assimilation-chinese-names-asian-racism/?itid=hp_magazine
