A Chinese name is not only different from Western names because of the pronunciation but also how the Chinese address other Chinese people is also different then when Western people address people. In China a Chinese name is written with the surname first and the Chinese name given to them second. For instance if you were address the basketball player Yao Ming the name would read on the envelope Mr. Yao not Mr. Ming. This is the custom when in China it is their culture and is accepted by other members of other countries.
However many Chinese people who have emigrated to do business in Western countries have adopted a western name, which can then be written in the normal western way of writing a letter. Other Chinese people will keep their Chinese name but will adjust it slightly. They will take a western name then have their surname and the Chinese given name all in that order. This can be slightly confusing to many people but many more people are actually used to this way of life and it is widely accepted as being entirely normal.
A Chinese name also has an impact when there is a marriage taking place. The Chinese women will usually retain her maiden name as their family name instead of the traditional Western way of adopting their husband's name. The Chinese children will usually inherit the father's family name. Every Chinese person in history was not allowed to marry a person if they had the same family name, even if there was no direct relationship between the two people. Although this is no longer frowned upon in China because of the fact that many people do have the same family name but do not share any direct connection with the other people.
In Chinese name there is only a limited supply of family names and in Chinese name the parents will give names to introduce variety in the naming of their child. It is not considered appropriate to name a child after a famous figure and it is also considered highly offensive to name your child after an older member of the family or even a distant relative this then forces the family to change the name and use variety when naming their child.
A Chinese name translation is usually translated into a word of power or even success. But even more compelling is the way that a Chinese name translation can make your own name into a small section of three simple characters, which the Chinese use for people names and other everyday items.
The Chinese way of addressing people has always surprised the Western world due to the fact that people will not call others by their first name or sometimes not even their surname. This is a typical custom in China and will not be viewed as strange. In China it is highly inappropriate and even extremely offensive if a person from a younger generation calls someone from an older generation be his or her given name. Instead they will be called things such as the wife of Zhu or even Mother Li.
This is a typical thing to occur in China and has been going on for centuries. China has never seen a reason why they should change their naming and addressing policy and when it is working and not confusing anyone in their country, changing it would seem rather inappropriate to the citizens.