<i>seriously flawed</i> is an overstatement; there have been two studies done so far and while the researchers acknowledge the limitations of the method, in aggregate it is considered mostly sound by their peers.<p>But I agree - we should have something a bit more conclusive than &#x27;Chinese names&#x27;. But the whole point is that the current provincial government is actively hostile to requiring real estate agents to collect this information. So last names are all we have.