Notes on Chinese Romanization
In a historical work such as this, expressing Chinese personal and place-names in English is an endeavor fraught with dilemmas. Pronunciation variations among Chinese dialects and regions have historically contributed to inconsistent English spellings. Imperfect knowledge of Chinese, English, and/or of the various Romanization systems developed over the past century or so has led to a multiplicity of spellings, some sensible, some whimsical, and others perplexing.
As a rule, I have spelled personal names of key figures who were widely known in the West as they were spelled at the time, or as they themselves spelled them (if known). I have generally followed the Chinese custom of putting the surname first (as in Chiang Kai-shek), but not always (i.e., Mayling Soong, K. C. Wu). Similarly, I have spelled place-names that were well known to English-speaking readers in the manner they were spelled (apart from Peking/Peiping, which, so as not to overly tax the nonspecialist reader with historical explanations tangential to the main story, appears as "Beijing" throughout). The Nationalist Party (variously spelled Kuomintang or Guomindang) appears as "Kuomintang." Apart from these, for which a brief key is provided below, I have generally used the P.R.C.'s Pinyin Romanization system.
Former name spelling
Modern name Pinyin spelling
PLACES
Burma
Myanmar
Canton
Guangzhou
Canton Province
Guangdong
Chungking
Chongqing
Formosa
Taiwan
Hangchow
Hangzhou
Hankow
Hankou (Wuhan)
Hongkew
Hongkou
Hsuchow
Xuzhou
Kuling
Guling (Lushan)
Mukden
Shenyang
Manchuria
Dongbei
Nanking
Nanjing
Peking (Peiping)
Beijing
Quemoy
Xiamen
Sian
Xi'an
Soochow (Suchow)
Suzhou
Taipei
Taibei
Tientsin
Tianjin
Tsingtao
Qingdao
Yangtze River
Yangzi River
Yenan
Yan'an
PEOPLE
Chiang Kai-shek
Jiang Jieshi
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Zhongshan
Mayling Soong
Song Meiling
Ching Ling Soong
Song Qingling
Eling Soong
Song Ailing
Chang Hsueh-liang
Zhang Xueliang
Chou En-lai
Zhou Enlai
K. C. Wu
Wu Guozhen
Chiang Ching-kuo
Jiang Jingguo
Wego Chiang
Jiang Weiguo
Wellington Koo
Gu Weijun
Lee Teng-hui
Li Denghui
Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi
Cixi Taihou
H. H. Kung
Kong Xiangxi
MADAME CHIANG KAI-SHEK
