The Chinese name is the legal name
Companies in mainland China are registered only under a Chinese name. English names on websites, Alibaba stores and invoices are informal. A company can use several, and they are not legally binding. Contracts, payments and disputes all depend on the exact Chinese name.
How a Chinese name is built
浙江 + 聚丰 + 箱包科技 + 股份有限公司
| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Place | 浙江 (Zhejiang) | Province or city of registration |
| Trade name (字号) | 聚丰 (Jufeng) | The distinctive brand part |
| Industry | 箱包科技 (luggage & bags technology) | What it does |
| Legal form | 股份有限公司 (joint-stock company) | See "Chinese company types" |
Pinyin vs translation
- Pinyin spells out how characters sound: 聚丰 → Jufeng. Many different characters share the same pinyin, so Jufeng could be 聚丰, 巨丰, 巨峰 and so on. Pinyin alone can't identify a company.
- Translation converts meaning: 箱包科技 → "Luggage & Bags Technology". Two translators can produce different English names for the same company.
- Registered English names: some companies have an English name on file with the registry, for example from customs or annual-report filings. It's useful, but often missing for small companies.
- Traditional vs simplified characters: Hong Kong uses traditional characters (集團, 製品); the mainland uses simplified (集团, 制品). Canton Check treats them as equal when matching.
How Canton Check matches an English name to a company
- Exact name: the English name on file matches your search.
- Name match: every distinctive word in your search appears in the registered name.
- Pinyin match: your search words match the pinyin of the Chinese name, and the place matches.
- Matched via Chinese name: an AI suggests likely Chinese names, and we accept one only if the registry confirms it. Always confirm these.
Results whose location differs from your search (for example a Hong Kong company when you searched "Shenzhen…") are labelled and never selected automatically.
In reports
Chinese text is shown with an English translation underneath, and person names are shown in pinyin, surname first (周燕飞 → Zhou Yanfei). Translations are machine-generated; the Chinese original is always the reference.
Tip: when you're unsure, search the exact Chinese name from the supplier's business licence, or its 18-character USCC.