How Wang Shukun became a big bee

She was therefore confident of bonding easily with the locals once she arrived in Kenya. Six months into her two-year stay, she is happy with her name as she easily maneuvers in the field. "They embrace me as part of them," she says.

The youthful reporter believes that having a new name does not erode one's cultural links. "The most important thing is where you live. Where you come from does not change. A new name means you have new knowledge."

She thinks that this rationale could be adopted by Chinese companies that are striving to enter the African market. She agrees that it would make them competitive and that a new, local brand name would be easy for consumers to remember.

Sales expert and business strategist Sam Kariuki says it is hard to remember Mandarin names since Africans are not used to letters such as X and Q. "It is easy to remember something that can be easily written and pronounced."

His interactions with a Chinese client with a local name are still engraved in his mind. "It was astonishing as well as refreshing. I was happy to do return business with him as his name complemented his diligence in business."

As for the view that a new name diminishes one's cultural bearings, Kariuki says that changing one's name to make others comfortable portrays great self-sacrifice and humility by the Chinese. "It shows that they can go to great lengths to make things possible, hence their success in their undertakings."

Kariuki, the author of The Guy Who Fired His Boss, which encourages entrepreneurship, says the same sacrifice may have to be made by Chinese companies who want to go global. "With great sacrifice comes great rewards," he says, referencing local companies that have recorded success by using vernacular media stations.

One counterpoint, Kariuki says, is the issue of credibility, especially when signing official documents.

But Wang says that for him there has been no downside. The name helps, but it is not everything. "People do not trust a name but the person," he says.