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If a piece of media (literature, movie, etc.) is from East Asia, or simply about East Asian characters (especially Chinese), and they want to reach a Western audience... the main female character is called Mei.

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I have encountered this in books (particularly YA books), and most recently in the movie Turning Red (as a nickname for Meilin). Heck, even in House of Flying Daggers, Zhang Ziyi's character was called Zhao Mei (or just Mei in the English dub). It's like outside of Mulan, people don't think Westerners (particularly English-speakers) will identify with a female Asian character unless her name sounds like a common English one (Mae / May).

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