The Hanyu Pinyin romanization system is used throughout the text to transcribe Chinese names and terms. The exception to this rule is Chiang Kai-shek, whose name is not transliterated into pinyin. See the glossary for Chinese character equivalents of major terms and names used in the text.
Chinese units of measurement are used in most cases, in particular the dan (a unit of weight equivalent to about 110 lbs. or 50 kg) and jin (1.1 lbs. or 500 g), as well as the mu (a measure of land area for farming, equivalent to about 0.1647 acre). Where the original statistics are given in other units, such as tons, the original units are used. Several currencies were in use in China in the mid-twentieth century, including the Nationalist government’s fabi yuan, the Gold Yuan note issued in October 1948, and both the old and the new Renminbi (RMB) yuan of the People’s Republic of China. (The Old RMB were converted to New RMB in 1955 at the rate of 10,000 to 1.) World market prices reported in newspapers are given in US dollars, and some Chinese export statistics are measured in US dollars or Russian rubles.
Map of the Yangzi River Delta. Map created with Natural Earth by Ryan Aufdermarsh.
