Editor,

The column "The name of the rose" by Ravi S. Narasimhan on September 22 was right on. Even when I taught here in 1994 in English, I refused to use the English names my Chinese students had adopted.

Now that I am back and teaching at Tsinghua University, I continue that policy. I told my students the other day to use their Chinese names, not their English names. I told them I expected to be known by my English name and expected to know them by their Chinese names.

CoalCracker, Beijing

Editor,

Sometimes it is very hard for some native names to be remembered by other people. I stay in a motel when I go to Seattle. I have been there many times.

The motel owner is an Indian native. I like her very much and have met her many times but I just can't remember her name well.

In China when people have no problems remembering Chinese names, Chinese names should be used. But in the United States and other foreign countries, it is just easier to communicate to have a name similar to the natives'.

Maybe, via e-mail

(China Daily 09/29/2005 page4)