Not My Name by Liuhuaying Yang

This project visualizes the challenges of transliterating Chinese names into the Hanyu Pinyin system, a standardized method for converting Chinese characters into the Latin alphabet for global communication. The system simplifies thousands of distinct Chinese characters into just 375 syllables, often resulting in the loss of cultural integrity, personal identity, and linguistic diversity. Chinese names, typically consisting of one or two characters, are compressed in this way, making it harder to distinguish individuals, even for native speakers. This simplification reinforces inequality in global representation, where many individuals lose their cultural identity and uniqueness.
To convey this, the project uses a leaf-and-tree metaphor: just as no two leaves are alike, each Chinese character is unique. Yet, when transliterated, these unique characters are grouped into trees—clusters of characters sharing the same syllable—blurring their individuality. The project also illustrates the frequency of each syllable's use, showing how many people would be affected by the transliteration process.
By presenting these issues visually, the project raises awareness of the barriers individuals face when their names lose meaning in cross-cultural communication and encourages a deeper global understanding.