# ROMANIZATION OF CHINESE GEOGRAPHIC NAMES IN DESCRIPTIVE AND SUBJECT HEADINGS 

# March 29, 2002

Geonet (GNS), the website of the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN), is
the reference source used by the Library of Congress to establish
headings for place names. Headings for Chinese jurisdictions should be
established in conformance with approved GNS forms, or romanized in a
manner analogous to similar forms recommended by GNS (exception noted
below in section 2A).

[1. Distinguish systematic romanization from GNS form]{.underline}

While Chinese is always systematically romanized in descriptive strings,
headings for Chinese place names may vary from systematic pinyin
romanization. One should try to romanize systematically when
establishing headings for Chinese place names. However, when the GNS
form differs from the systematically romanized form of the name of a
place, follow the GNS form in establishing the heading for the
jurisdiction (except when the name includes a generic term for town or
village, see 2A below).

EXAMPLE 1:

place name appears in title as: 陕西省

romanize place name in title as: Shanxi Sheng

GNS form: Shaanxi Sheng

heading established as: Shaanxi Sheng (China)

EXAMPLE 2:

place name appears in title as: 刚边寨

romanize place name in title as: Gangbian Zhai

GNS form: Gangbian

heading established as: Gangbian Zhai (China)

> provide reference: Gangbian (Guizhou Sheng, China)

EXAMPLE 3:

place name appears in title as: 哈尔滨

romanize place name in title as: Ha\'erbin

GNS form: Harbin

heading established as: Harbin (China)

reference given from: Ha'erbin (China)

EXAMPLE 4:

> place name appears in corporate name: 镇宁布依族苗族自治县民族
>
> 事务委员会
>
> romanize corporate name systematically as: Zhenning Buyizu Miaozu
> Zizhixian min zu shi wu wei yuan hui
>
> GNS form for the related place: Zhenning Bouyeizu Miaozu Zizhixian
>
> heading for place name established as: Zhenning Bouyeizu Miaozu
>
> Zizhixian (China)

EXAMPLE 5:

place name appears in corporate name as: 陈巴尔虎旗文化局

romanize corporate name systematically as: Chen Ba\'erhu Qi wen hua
ju...

GNS form for the related place: Chen Baraq Qi

heading for place name established as: Chen Baraq Qi (China)

EXAMPLE 6:

place name appears as: 大港区

romanize place name as: Dagang Qu

GNS form: Dagang Qu

heading established as: Dagang Qu (Tianjin, China)

EXAMPLE 7.

place name appears as: 九龙

romanize place name as: Jiulong

GNS form: Kowloon

heading established as: Kowloon (China)

reference given from: Jiulong (Hong Kong, China)

[2. Establishing headings for Chinese place names]{.underline}

### A. When romanizing generic terms for jurisdictions in descriptive text, separate the term for the jurisdiction from the name of the place. 

### 

### GNS typically connects the generic terms for populated and incorporated places below the 3^rd^ level of administrative district. To promote consistency of romanization in bibliographic and authority files, the Library of Congress will, as an exceptional practice, separate the term for county (Xian 县), as well as the following generic terms for towns and villages (村 Cun, 乡 Xiang, 镇 Zhen, 庄 Zhuang), in romanized strings and in headings.

In all other cases, establish headings following the GNS form.

EXAMPLE 1:

place name appears in title as: 大邱庄

romanize place name in title as: Daqiu Zhuang

GNS form: Daqiuzhuang

heading established as: Daqiu Zhuang (China)

give reference from: Daqiuzhuang (China)

EXAMPLE 2:

place name appears in title as: 金胜村

romanize place name in title as: Jinsheng Cun

GNS form: \[not given\]

heading established as: Jinsheng Cun (China)

EXAMPLE 3:

place name appears in title as: 大河村

romanize place name in title as: Dahe Cun

GNS form: \[not given\]

heading established as: Dahe Cun (Zhengzhou Shi, China)

EXAMPLE 4:

place name appears in title as: 棠浦鎮

romanize place name in title as: Tangpu Zhen

GNS form: Tangpu

heading established as: Tangpu Zhen (Jiangxi Sheng, China)

give reference from: Tangpu (Jiangxi Sheng, China)

EXMAPLE 5:

place name appears in title as: 祁县

romanize place name in title as: Qi Xian

GNS forms: Qixian (populated place), Qi Xian (3^rd^ level administrative
district)

heading established as: Qi Xian (Shanxi Sheng, China)

give reference from: Qixian (Shanxi Sheng, China)

EXAMPLE 6:

place name appears in title as: 樟树亭仔

romanize place name in title as: Zhangshutingzi

GNS form: \[not given\]

establish heading as: Zhangshutingzi (China)

EXAMPLE 7:

place name appears in title as: 金溪大塘

romanize place name in title as: Jinxidatang

GNS form: \[not given\]

heading established as: Jinxidatang (China)

B. Recently, citations on GNS have reflected new practices for naming
places in China. Jurisdictions throughout China are being reorganized;
many place names are changing. Some generic terms for jurisdictions are
changing their traditional meanings. For example, Shi 市 traditionally
meant "city", but now may refer to different kinds of 2^nd^ or 3^rd^
level administrative areas -- localities we might call urban areas
regions. Few cities are now called Shi, while regions throughout China
(consisting of several counties and urban areas) are frequently called
Shi. Sometimes these regions include smaller units that are also called
Shi.

EXAMPLE:

> In Hunan Sheng, Wugang Shi 武冈市 is an urban area, population
> 720,000; it falls under the larger region, Shaoyang Shi 邵阳市, which
> has a population of 7,210,000.

Follow this procedure when establishing a heading for a place that
includes Shi in its name: when Shi has any meaning other than city or
populated place, AND is in conflict with a former place name,
distinguish it by qualifying the name with "Prefecture" or another
appropriate term.

EXAMPLE:

Authority record 1: 151 Meixian Diqu (China) 梅县地区 \[2^nd^ level ADM,
district\]

551 Meixian Zhuanqu (China)

Authority record 2: 151 Meizhou Shi (China) 梅州市 \[town; capital of
Meixian Diqu; Meizhou Shi merged with Mei Xian to become Meixian Shi in
1983\]

551 Meixian Shi (China)

Authority record 3: 151 Mei Xian (Guangdong Sheng, China) 梅县 \[3^rd^
level ADM, county; (earlier and now) later name of Meixian Shi\]

551 Meixian Shi (China)

Authority record 4: 151 Meixian Shi (China) 梅县市 \[(later and now)
earlier name of Mei Xian\]

551 Mei Xian (Guangdong Sheng, China)

GNS, 2002: - entry for Meizhou Shi, ADM2, 24°18' N 116°06' E; variant:
Meixian Diqu

\- entry for Meizhou, PPL, 24°18' N 116°07' E

> \- entry for Mei Xian, ADM3, 24°16' N 116°06' E

Chinese gazetteer, 2001: identifies Mei Xian, populaton 600,000, which
is included within Meizhou Shi, population 4,760,000; there is no entry
for the urban area Meizhou

Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo xian ji yi shang xing zheng qu hua yen ge,
1987: Mei Xian and Meizhou Shi merged to become Meixian Shi in 1983

Take the following steps:

Authority record 1: - because there is evidence on GNS that Meixian Diqu
changed its name to Meizhou Shi, add 551 Meizhou Shi (China :
Prefecture)

Authority record 2: - add 551 Meixian Shi (China)

###  Authority record 3: - no change

Authority record 4: - add 551 Meizhou Shi (China)

Create authority record 5:

> \- 151 Meizhou Shi (China : Prefecture) -- qualify the heading because
> it conflicts with authority record 2
>
> \- provide 551 Meizhou Shi (China)
>
> \- provide 551 Meixian Diqu (China)

C. GNS citations for populated places having roughly the same
coordinates as 2^nd^ and 3^rd^ level administrative districts with same
name can no longer be assumed to refer to same basic geographic area.
Therefore, the following portion of LCRI 23.2 will be deleted:

> For populated places within China, if GNS shows both a form as a
> populated place (PPL) and as an administrative area (ADM) with the
> generic term, use a single heading for both the populated place and
> any administrative unit.cite RI 23.2 use PPL when coordinates same as
> those of ADM3

Continue to refer to GNS form when establishing a place name. Establish
the name as it is given, with or without generic term for jurisdiction.
When there is a choice between names, prefer to use the longer form of
name, following this provision of LCRI 23.2:

> If the name is based on the form found in a recently published
> gazetteer, generally use in the heading to form found on the item
> being cataloged rather than a shortened form or unabbreviated form
> found in a gazetteer, unless 23.5A is applicable.

EXAMPLE 1:

GNS cites: Anyang 安阳 PPL 36° 05'N 114° 19'E

Anyang Xian 安阳县 ADM3 36 °05'N 114° 21'E

Anyang Shi 安阳市 ADM2 36°05' N 114°21'E

> Anyang, the entry for the populated place, no longer represents either
> of the other two places cited on GNS with virtually the same
> coordinates. In 1982, Anyang Shi \[ADM3\] absorbed 5 counties of
> Anyang Diqu and was upgraded to ADM2. The next year, the remaining 5
> counties in Anyang Diqu were transferred to Puyang Shi, and Anyang
> Diqu was abolished. Anyang Shi is now a prefecture with a population
> of 5,130,000: it includes 9 subordinate jurisdictions: 4 Qu 区
> (population 150,000 to 210,000); 1 Shi 市 (population 970,000), and 4
> Xian 县 (population 440,000 to 1,180,000).
>
> The 2001 Chinese gazetteer no longer identifies the city of Anyang as
> a distinct jurisdiction. That urban area now appears to consist of
> several municipal distrcits (Qu 区) within the prefecture Anyang Shi.
> Anyang Xian is a county of 1,120,000 people adjacent to the former
> Anyang (City).

EXAMPLE 2:

place name appears in title as: 浦棠乡

romanize place name in title as: Putang Xiang

GNS form: Putang

heading established as: Putang Xiang (China)

give reference from: Putang (Jiangsu Sheng, China : North)

D. Follow the provisions of LCRI 23.4F1 to resolve conflicts in the
headings for place names:

> ... if there is no existing conflict in the catalog, search
> gazetteers, etc., to determine if two or more places within the same
> jurisdiction have the same name or if two or more places with the same
> name would bear the same qualifier for the larger place.

Thoroughly search headings in the bibliographic and authority files, and
refer to GNS and a recent Chinese gazetteer (one published within the
past year, if possible). Take the date of the GNS entry into account
when identifying the most recent name of a place.

If no conflict is found, qualify the heading with China or Taiwan. If a
conflict is identified, generally qualify with name of province. If a
conflict is identified within a province, provide further qualification,
as appropriate.

EXAMPLE 1:

> Longtian 龙田 conflicts with 5 other place names which are romanized
> in the same way on GNS; therefore, qualify with the name of the
> province:
>
> 151 Longtian (Anhui Sheng, China)

EXAMPLE 2:

> 151 Pinglu Xian (Shanxi Sheng, China : North) 平陆县 conflicted with
> another county in Shanxi Sheng

EXAMPLE 3:

> 451 Yanping (Guangdong Sheng, China : West) a variant form which
> conflicted with another Yanping listed in Eastern Guangdong Sheng.

E. Recent Chinese gazetteers cite the names of administrative units that
are "undistinguished" in nature: for example, Jiao Qu 郊区 (Suburban
District), Shi Qu 市区 and Cheng Qu 城区 (Urban District). There are
also variations, such as Beijiao Qu 北郊区 and Nanjiao Qu 南郊区. GNS
has not provided citations for most of these areas. Establish
administrative units such as these in the same manner as any other place
name, resolving conflicts by adding the heading of an appropriate higher
body.

EXAMPLE 1:

place name appears in title as: 郊区 (part of 新乡市)

romanize place name in title as: Jiao Qu

GNS form: \[not given\]

establish heading as: Jiao Qu (Xinxiang, China)

EXAMPLE 2:

place name appears in title as: 郊区 (part of 开封县)

romanize place name in title as: Jiao Qu

GNS form: \[not given\]

establish heading as: Jiao Qu (Kaifeng Xian, China)

EXAMPLE 3:

place name appears in title as: 郊区 (part of 鹤壁市)

romanize place name in title as: Jiao Qu

GNS form: \[not given\]

establish heading as: Jiao Qu (Hebi Shi, China)

EXAMPLE 4:

place name appears in title as: 城区 (part of 阳泉市)

romanize place name in title as: Cheng Qu

GNS form: \[not given\]

establish heading as: Cheng Qu (Yangquan Shi, China)

EXAMPLE 5:

place name appears in title as: 城区 (part of 盐城市)

romanize place name in title as: Cheng Qu

GNS form: \[not given\]

establish heading as: Cheng Qu (Yancheng, Jiangsu Sheng, China)

EXAMPLE 6:

place name appears in title as: 城区 (part of 晋城市)

romanize place name in title as: Cheng Qu

GNS form: \[not given\]

establish heading as: Cheng Qu (Jincheng Shi, Shanxi Sheng, China)

F. Because the names of Chinese places and their relationships to each
other are undergoing such fundamental changes, it is especially
important to re-evaluate established headings for Chinese place names
when they are encountered in the course of cataloging. Thoroughly search
headings in the bibliographic and authority files, and refer to GNS and
a recent Chinese gazetteer (one published within the past year, if
possible). Take the date of the GNS entry into account when identifying
the most recent name of a place. A current detailed atlas of China is
also helpful. Update headings and perform bibliographic file maintenance
when necessary.

EXAMPLE 1:

Authority record 1: 151 Yangzhou Diqu (China) 扬州地区 \[2^nd^ level
ADM, district\]

Authority record 2: 151 Yangzhou (Jiangsu Sheng, China) 扬州 \[3^rd^
level ADM, city\]

451 Yangzhou Shi (China)

> \[the last 670, added in 1999, identifies Yangzhou Shi as a 2^nd^
> level administrative district\]

GNS, 2002: - entry for Yangzhou Shi, ADM2, 32°24' 00" E 119°26'00" N

\- entry for Yangzhou, PPL, 32°23'50" E 119°26'09" N

> 2002 Chinese gazetteer: identifies Yangzhou Shi as a 2^nd^ level
> administrative district; there is no longer any entry for a 3^rd^
> level ADM called Yangzhou
>
> Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo xian ji yi shang xing zheng qu hua yan ge,
> 1987, v. 2: states that Yangzhou Diqu was abolished in 1983, and all
> of its counties were transferred to Yangzhou Shi

Take the following steps:

Authority record 1: - add 551 \$b Yangzhou Shi (China)

Authority record 2: - change heading to Yangzhou Shi (China)

\- delete 451 Yangzhou Shi (China)

> \- add 551 Yangzhou Diqu (China)

EXAMPLE 2:

Authority record 1: 151 Kaifeng Xian (China) 开封县 \[3^rd^ level ADM,
county\]

451 Kaifeng (China)

Authority record 2: 151 Kaifeng (Henan Sheng, China) 开封 \[identified
only as ADM\]

451 Kaifeng Shi (China) \[reference added in 1984\]

Authority record 3: 151 Kaifeng Diqu (China) 开封地区 \[2^nd^ level ADM,
district\]

GNS, 2002: - entry for Kaifeng Xian, ADM3, 34°46' N 114°24' E

\- entry for Kaifeng, PPL, 34°47' N 114°20' E

> \- entry for Kaifeng Shi, ADM2, 34°51' N 114°20' E, which includes
> both of the above jurisdictions
>
> Chinese gazetteer, 2001: identifies Kaifeng Xian, which is included
> within Kaifeng Shi; there is no entry for the urban area, which
> appears to have been divided into five Qu 区

Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo xian ji yi shang xing zheng qu hua yan ge,
1987, p. 464: states that, in 1983, Kaifeng Diqu was abolished, with
five counties going to Kaifeng Shi and five to Zhengzhou Shi

Take the following steps:

Authority record 1: - no change

Authority record 2: - change heading to Kaifeng Shi (China)

\- delete 451 Kaifeng Shi (China)

\- add 551 Kaifeng Diqu (China)

Authority record 3: - add 551 Kaifeng Shi (China)

\- add 551 Zhengzhou Shi (China)

Also link the record for Zhengzhou Shi (China) to record 3 with 551
Kaifeng Diqu (China)

G. When establishing or changing the authority record for a Chinese
place name, always include name of province in the 670 field to help
distinguish the places from others with identical or similar names.

EXAMPLE 1:

> 670 Wangmo Xian zong he nong ye qu hua, 1989: \$b t.p. (Wangmo Xian,
> located in Guizhou Sheng)

EXAMPLE 2:

> 670 GEOnet, 2/19/02 \$b (Meizhou Shi---ADM2 24°18'34"N 116°06'34"E
> CH30 \[Guangdong\]....)

[3. Place names within other place names]{.underline}

Generic terms for geographic features are separated in name of place
itself; however, those terms are often joined by GNS when the name of
the place is used within the names of other places or geographic
features. Distinguish whether the term refers to the geographic feature
itself, or to another geographic feature or jurisdiction:

Chang Jiang (the river itself)

Changjiang Kou (the name of the mouth of the river)

Changjiang (name of a populated place)

Fen He (the river itself)

Fenhe Shuiku (the name of the reservoir)

Fanjing Shan (the mountain itself)

> Fanjingshan Ziran Baohuqu (the name of the mountain used in the name
> of a nature preserve)

[4. Establishing headings in other than romanized form]{.underline}

A.  Place names in China which are based on a language other than
    Chinese.

Follow the form of heading cited by GNS when it is available. Make a
x-ref. from all relevant romanized forms of the name of the place.

EXAMPLE 1:

place name appears in title as: 湾仔区

romanize place name in title as: Wanzi Qu

GNS form 2002: \[not given\]

heading established as: Wan Chai (Hong Kong, China)

give reference from: Wanzi Qu (Hong Kong, China)

EXAMPLE 2:

place name appears in title as: 克拉玛依市 (in Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu)

romanize place name in title as: Kelamayi Shi

BGN citation on NAR: Karamay \[brief\] Shi, ADMD...

citation in 2001 Chinese gazetteer: Kelamayi Shi

heading established as: 151 Karamay (China)

give reference from: 551 \$wb Kelamayi Shi (China)

establish later form as: 151 Kelamayi Shi (China)

give reference from: 551 \$a Karamay (China)

EXAMPLE 3:

place name appears in title as: 壤塘县

romanize place name in title as: Rangtang Xian

GNS form 2002: Zamtang Xian

Citation in 2001 Chinese gazetteer: Rangtang Xian

heading established as: Zamtang Xian (China)

give reference from: Rangtang Xian (China)

### B. Taiwan place names 

Taiwan place names will be romanized in systematic pinyin form in
descriptive strings and corporate names. At this time, GNS continues to
prescribe Wade-Giles forms for Taiwan place names. Therefore, headings
for Taiwan place names themselves will be given in GNS-approved form.

EXAMPLE 1:

place name appears in title as: 高雄市

romanize the place name in title as: Gaoxiong Shi

Geonet form: Kao-hsiung shih

heading established as: Kao-hsiung shih (Taiwan)

EXAMPLE 2:

place name that is subject of book: 基隆市

romanize place name as: Jilong Shi

Geonet form for the populated place: Chi-lung

heading established as: Chi-lung (Taiwan)

BUT:

EXAMPLE 3:

corporate name: 臺南市文獻委員會

romanize corporate name as: Tainan Shi wen xian wei yuan hui

heading established as: Tainan Shi wen xian wei yuan hui

[5. Subject headings for geographical features, buildings,
etc.]{.underline}

Subject headings for geographical features (151: Shan, Hu, Hai, Dao,
etc.), for archaeological sites, bridges, and other constructions of
geographic extent (151), and for buildings (110), are generally
established as a combination of the Chinese place name and an English
term for the geographical feature, or entirely in English. Chinese terms
in these headings follow the form recommended by GNS.

EXAMPLE 1:

place name: 景頗湖

romanize the place name as: Jingpo Hu

GNS form: Jingpo Hu

subject heading: Jingpo Lake (China)

EXAMPLE 2:

place name: 珠江口

romanize the place name as: Zhujiang Kou

GNS form: Zhujiang Kou

subject heading: Pearl River Estuary (China)

EXAMPLE 3:

place name: 甘肃河西走廊

romanize the place name as: Gansu Hexi Zoulang

GNS form: \[not given\]

subject heading: Gansu Corridor (China)

EXAMPLE 4:

place name: 塔克拉玛干沙漠

romanize the place name as: Takelamagan Shamo

GNS form (conventional): Takla Makan Desert (China)

GNS form (native): Taklimakan Shamo

subject heading: Takla Makan Desert (China)

EXAMPLE 5:

place name: 青藏高原

romanize the place name as: Qing Zang Gaoyuan

GNS form: Qing Zang Gaoyuan

subject heading: Tibet, Plateau of (China)

EXAMPLE 6:

place name: 牛街

romanize the place name as: Niu Jie

GNS form: \[not given\]

subject heading: Niu Jie (Beijing, China)

EXAMPLE 7:

place name: 福陵

romanize the place name as: Fu Ling

subject heading: Fu Ling Site (Shenyang, Liaoning Sheng, China)

EXAMPLE 8:

place name: 人民胜利渠

romanize the place name as: Renmin Shengli Qu

GNS form: Renmin Shengli Qu

subject heading: Renmin Shengli Canal (China)

EXAMPLE 9:

place name: 鯉魚潭水庫

romanize the place name as: Liyutan Shuiku

GNS form: Liyutan Shuiku

subject heading: Li-yü-t'an Dam (Taiwan)

EXAMPLE 10:

place name: 莫力庙水库

romanize the place name as: Molimiao Shuiku

GNS form: Muruin Sum Shuiku

subject heading: Muruin Sum Reservoir (China)

EXAMPLE 11:

place name: 黃鶴樓

romanize the building name as: Huang he lou

subject heading: Huang he lou (China)

EXAMPLE 12:

place name: 蓬莱阁

romanize the building name as: Penglai ge

subject heading: Penglai ge (China)