Unveiling the Phonetics of Chinese Family Names. "My Name is A Painting and A Melody" by Dexin Chen and Zixuan Zhang

As a part of Asian cultures, Dexin Chen and Zixuan Zhang shows an individual's name carries a deep symbolic significance, reflecting their heritage and identity. In Western societies, however, Chinese individuals are often faced with challenges in maintaining their cultural naming traditions. Cultural tensions can create conflicts regarding identity, requiring attention and understanding.

In the context of cross-cultural interactions, having an Asian name usually means one must experience a sense of cultural tension, alienation, and sometimes discrimination in the western society, as foreign names are frequently mispronounced due to limited exposure to the language, culture, or simply a lack of awareness and sensitivity. Anglicizing an Asian name can be brutal as the rhythms, forms, and meanings are severed in the process.


Visual element "My Name is A Painting and A Melody", photograph courtesy by Dexin Chen and Zixuan Zhang.

To address this issue, "My Name Is A Painting And A Melody" has been developed with the objective of raising awareness about the mispronunciation of native Chinese names. The project aims to shed light on the three-dimensional nature of the Chinese language, encompassing two-dimensional characters and three-dimensional pitches and tones.

By providing a visual representation of Chinese family names' phonetics, viewers can gain a comprehensive understanding of their correct pronunciation. The project, which recently received the bronze prize in the Design Educates Awards, is a campaign to resist the violence of treating Chinese names carelessly, and to embrace the uniqueness of characters of Chinese family names, which are metaphorically considered as a combination of a painting and a melody.


Visual element "My Name is A Painting and A Melody", photograph courtesy by Dexin Chen and Zixuan Zhang.

The digital platform allows people to learn the pronunciations and to generate motion posters that they can use to celebrate their identities. The project utilizes a captivating poster that presents Chinese characters from two perspectives. A top-down view—the “painting”— reveals the shape of the characters, while a front view demonstrates the “melody”—the movement of their radicals, which is based on a visualization system created according to the types of initials, vowels, and pitches of the character.

When read incorrectly, the character loses its shape and becomes unrecognizable. Through animation and morphing of the extruded radicals, the poster effectively showcases the correct and incorrect pronunciations of the characters. This interactive approach highlights the significance of maintaining cultural and linguistic accuracy.


Poster "My Name is A Painting and A Melody", photograph courtesy by Dexin Chen and Zixuan Zhang.

The initiative aims to foster an understanding and appreciation for cultural heritage and linguistic nuances embedded within Chinese family names. By encouraging correct pronunciation, the project strives to bridge the gap between cultures and promote mutual understanding. It invites individuals to embark on a journey of celebration of diversity, preservation of cultural identity, and ensuring that each individual's name is appropriately recognized.

Chinese-named individuals are faced with a number of challenges in Western societies. In this project, It recognizes the importance of cultural sensitivity in fostering inclusive environments. Ultimately, the project endeavors to ensure that each individual's name is appropriately recognized, celebrated, and valued within diverse societies.