What's in a name?

There's a tradition in China, whereby children are often named after major events. For example, many women in their 50s who were born just after the Korean War (1950-53) have the name Kangmei, which means "Anti-United States", while many men bear the name Yuanchao, which means "Aiding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea".

The tradition survives in many parts of China, especially in Sichuan province where a newborn girl brought a new dimension to the practice in 2006. She was named after the New Rural Cooperative Medical Care System, called Xin Nong He in pinyin - the system by which Chinese characters are rendered in the Roman alphabet.

The girl's mother Wang Haifang attended Jiange county health center for a pre-natal examination on Jan 1, 2006. She had planned to give birth at home to save on medical bills, but the doctor told her she would be eligible to reimbursement of 100 yuan ($16) if she participated in the NCMS. Wang registered at once and her daughter was born the following morning. Because she was the first child born after the county joined the NCMS, her grandfather suggested calling her Wei Xinhe, or "New Cooperation".