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Here in China our English students choose an English name. This is to make it easy for the English teacher, and help us to ensure that the right student gets the right marks. We cannot easily write or recognise Chinese characters (writing) and even writing in Pinyin is difficult.

So we have a range of names - some quite strange. Students call themselves numbers, fruit, famous people, normal English names, and famous characters. So to have a student named Apple, Eleven, Rain, Heaven, etc is not uncommon.

Of course Charlie Chan is popular. As a name it is very popular. There are several young men here who proudly announce their English name as Charlie Chan.

Last Friday night I was coming back to the college with a student and we were chatting in English. The young Chinese man in the seat in front was talking in English on his cellphone. Partway along the journey he turned to me and asked if he could speak with me and practice his English. This is of course a common happening here, and as usual I said OK.

Then he said his name was "Charlie". "Oh" I said. "You wouldn't happen to be Charlie Chan would you."

He looked at me with great surprise.

"How did you know?" he asked.

Duh!!!

Just wait until I tell my grandson that I have met Charlie Chan!

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