Current romanization of Chinese names generally follows the pinyin format introduced by the Chinese government in the 1950s. This easily causes confusion when dealing with historical subjects such as the Opium War and quoting original Western sources about the war and China’s 19th-century relations with the West more generally. Using pinyin romanization, for example, the famous “Canton trade system” would become the “Guangzhou trade system,” turning a familiar phrase into a confusing one. For optimal clarity, therefore, the more familiar romanization of place names has been followed in this unit, with the current pinyin romanization in parenthesis at first appearance. For the sake of consistency, place names generally appear in the old style while personal names and proper nouns appear in pinyin.

Amoy (Xiamen)
Bocca Tigris (Humen)
Canton (Guangzhou)
Chinkiang (Jinjiang)
Chusan (Zhousan)
Foochow (Fuzhou)
Hangchow (Hangzhou)
Hong Kong (Xianggang)
Kowloon (Jiulong)
Macao; Macau (Aomen)
Nanking (Nanjing)
Ningpo (Ningbo)
Pei-ho (Haihe)
Peking (Beijing)
Shapoo; Chapoo (Zhapu)
Tientsin (Tianjin)
Tinghai (Dinghai)
Woosung (Wusong)
Yangtze river (Yangzi)

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