What Should Fresno’s Official Chinese Name Be?

I visited the “From China to Fresno: A 150-Year Cultural Journey” exhibition at Kearney Mansion last Friday, curious about Fresno’s Chinese name. The truth is, there isn’t one official version.

In the historical records, you can find more than one Chinese name (different transliterations of Fresno). Today, some shorthand versions are still used by local Chinese churches and associations. On the iPhone, depending on whether it is set to Traditional or Simplified Chinese, two other names show up. One of them I have never even heard used here at all—yet millions of people overseas who set their iPhones to that version of Chinese will see that version of Fresno.

So here is the question: if Fresno were to have one standard Chinese name, who should decide, and what should it be?

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Yesterday afternoon I shipped out another set of stamps. With Monday being a holiday, the mail might take a little longer than usual.

I tried something new and made a short video from a few photos. It begins with a park nearby, a place I often walk to. In between are the stamps I sent out. The video ends across from the post office, where they set up a temporary swing ride.

A small glimpse of everyday scenes while sending work out into the world.