A lot. It might be better to ask what isn’t. But that list will be even longer, so let’s start with what is. There’s meaning in a name; cultural, historical, and personal meaning. There’s a message in a name; what is this thing called so-and-so about. There are emotional values and social implications to a name. Names and naming practices vary around the world, something that can be fascinating, confusing, or problematic (I’ll save the topic of international naming conventions for a separate post).

While have little choice over our own names (that honor is bestowed upon our parents, who we like to think have our best interests in mind (except for celebrities, who can give their babies the most outrageous names and seemingly get away with it)), we do have a say in what we name our companies, businesses, and services. The name ChinaConnectU aims to express our desire to create a community that focuses on China-related education of all kinds. To connect people to others, and to teach us all something about the other and ourselves. We added a little word play: U pronounced as “you” (connecting you to China, and China to you), and U to indicate “University.”

We liked the name, the idea behind it, and even how it looked. Funnily enough, we weren’t the only ones who went in this direction. Here are some  other companies and websites with similar names (not be confused with us in the future!):

  • Connected China. A website from Reuters that shows (using nice infographics and illustrations) the political and social networks that define China’s political, social, and institutional power system.
  • China-connect.org. A German webpage about small and medium German companies looking for advice/opportunities to do business in China.
  • Chinaconnectonline. A (Christian) organization that aims to support less-fortunate people in China.

The idea to to connect to China, and to connect China to the world, is one that is very much alive and kicking out there. At ChinaConnectU we are proud to be doing our share of educating and connecting!