Mulan Mu Lan Mulazzi?

How many names does a person need? Well, if you are a westerner living in China, your name is not enough. To have a business card printed up, one English name does not fly. You must have a Chinese name on the back, with all details translated into Chinese.
So then begins the lovely task of choosing a name. Chinese names are a bit like Native American names- they have meaning. Possible translations are Golden Bird or Crystal Jade and other combinations of words. The trick is to find a name that suits you. I do not think Graceful Flower is exactly up my alley, and I was stumped. So I requested the help of a Chinese colleague, Frances. I said, "Hey, my name is kind of like yours (the whole Francesca situation can be an email for another day). Will you help me with my Chinese name? How do you say Francesca in Chinese?"
Frances asked me to give her my first and last name and she would think about it. Now, understand, Frances is on my team and we meet almost daily. She "knows me" just about as well as anyone else here.
She strolls into my classroom the next day, and declares me, "Mu Lan." WHAT!? Like the Disney movie? I thought. She explained it sounded like my last name and also it fit my character- Mu (wood) and Lan (orchid). Frances said it was perfect and from the second I heard it, I agreed.
So, this is the basic about Mu Lan. She was a real character in Chinese history who first appeared in a Chinese poem about 1500 years ago. Her father is asked to go to war but he is too old and sick. Having no brother, Mu Lan goes in his place. She fights bravely for twelve years in the clothes of a warrior. She is triumphant in many battles and returns home. The Emperor wants to reward her and offers a Minister's post. Her fellow soldiers come out to the village to beg her to join them in noble positions of government. She sees them coming and dolls herself up with a dress and make-up. They then discover that Mu Lan was a woman! (Not unlike The Kink's discovery that Lola was a man!)

Last night at dinner with some friends the conversation came up and I declared how thrilled I am to have such a perfect name. Jason replied, "But she was a transvestite!" I prefer to think of her as the Orchid Warrior.

So, my business card reads Mu Lan on one side and Francesca Mulazzi on the other. How many identities can a girl have???