The Chinese in Mexico, 1882-1940

Note on Transliteration of Chinese Names

Note on Transliteration of Chinese Names Most names in this book have been transliterated into pinyin, the system of romanization endorsed by the People’s Republic of China and most commonly used by historians of China. Some notable exceptions/ complications occur. Organizational names: While the name of the Nationalist Party (Guo Min Dang) has been changed to pinyin, the Chee Kung Tong (Zhi Gong Tang) has been kept in its original Spanish-language spelling. The main reason for this is that the Guo Min Dang is a widely recognized party whose name can be found in many Chinese language contexts as well as in English writings, whereas the Chee Kung Tong appears to have been an organization dedicated primarily to the interests of Chinese from the southern provinces. To reflect the southern identities of its members and retain the regional feel of the name, as well as to keep the name of the group consistent with the way that it appears in most Mexican historical materials, the non-pinyin spelling Chee Kung Tong has been used in this book. Canton/Guangdong/Guangzhou: Canton is the name used for both the entire Guangdong province and its capital city of Guangzhou. Canton has been changed in most cases for the appropriate city/province name. The adjective Cantonese, common today, has been retained. In proper names (such as Canton Bank of Hong Kong in chapter 2), the original spelling has been retained. The spelling of Hong Kong has also been retained, due to its wide recognition. The spelling of tong wars and tong has also been retained, because of its use in contemporary scholarship. Names of businesses have also been retained, since the absence of Chinese characters leads to an insufficient amount of evidence for conversion to pinyin. Because of the difficulty of tracing their exact historical and linguistic origins, village names are presented consistent with the way they appear in primary source documents. Cities and provinces have been updated into pinyin whenever possible, given the constraints of the sources. THE CHINESE IN MEXICO 1882–1940 ...