Chinese first names

Chinese manes generally consist of three or two characters. The first character is the surname. The following two characters, taken together, constitute the given mane. It is often claimed that there are 500 surnames in china. This belief seems to derive from a well-known book titled ONE HUNDRED FAMILY SURNAMES，written by a n unknown author during the song dynasty(960-1297)
In china ,one’s surname is revered because the individual bearing it was but a small link in the long history of an illustration clan. One never changed a name, especially a surname. If a person did so, he or she had probably committed a grave and heinous crime and want to sever ties with the past through a name change. People with the same share a commonalty and considered themselves relatives regardless of the number of generation removed, the geographical distance or lack of consanguinity.