(Ecns.cn)--Willing to spend ten thousand yuan ($1,546) on a name for your baby? As most of the "post-80s" generation youth are entering into a baby-boom period, picking a unique name for their babies is turning out to be a big thing.
Companies for creating names
In Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, many companies have been set up specifically to provide services for creating names for newborn babies. In order to meet the different requirements of these parents, companies have listed various naming services.
The price for these services ranges from 198 yuan ($30.6) to 2,888 yuan ($446.7) in one company in Hunan, and some parents even spend ten thousand yuan to ask for a name.
Generally, creating a name for a baby is based on the baby's information, such as the birthday, said an industry insider who has eight years of working experience in this business in Changsha.
In recent years, businesses of creating a name for babies have grown, and at least over 10 new companies focusing on this were opened in Changsha.
"Most customers are of the 'post-80s' generation. In order to make a special name for their child, some parents have asked to join both of their family names into their child's name or are choosing a four-character name (generally in China, two- or three- character names are most often seen)," said the insider.
Willing to spend the money for a good name
Many parents think highly of a name for their child, for they think that a special name will make the child stand out.
"My family thought of over 10 names for my baby daughter, but none of these names sounded special," said a man surnamed Yang, who finally paid 1,288 yuan ($199.2) to a company to create a four-character name for his child.
"A name is the part of my child that will follow her for a lifetime and we think it parents should be careful when picking out a name," said the man."I think a good name deserves the money."
The four-character name picked out for the man's daughter carries the meaning that the child will be smart and healthy, which satisfied the family.
Name is just a symbol
Paying attention to baby names, on the one hand, represents that more and more "post-80s" generation are valuing traditional culture. But on the other hand, the phenomenon (paying for a name) shows that the generation lacks confidence.
They underestimate their ability or knowledge of Chinese culture and overly depend on an outside power, said Chen Rui, a psychotherapist from the Central South University.
"A name is just a symbol of a person. A good name can be easy to memorize, but it will not bring the child anything else," said Chen.
"It is acceptable that parents want to find a good name for their child, but over-spending energy on this will bring no more good. Instead, these parents need to pay more attention to their child's education, which is what will change the baby's life," added Chen.
