Talk:Zhang Xueliang

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Contents 1 NPOV edits 2 Pinyin or W-G 3 Chang or Zhang 4 Age 5 Zhang Xueliang vs Yang Hucheng

[edit] NPOV edits

removed controversial - I don't know of any current Chinese group that thinks badly of Zhang Xueliang.

Also this article needs a lot of NPOV work. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Roadrunner (talk • contribs).

I did some NPOV work. I removed a lot of material on Chiang Kaishek's actions during WWII since these weren't that relevant to Zhang Xueliang, and also gets into the highly controversial question of who was more "patriotic" against the Japanese. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Roadrunner (talk • contribs).

[edit] Pinyin or W-G

Noting his English name and the fact that he spent a good part of his life in Taiwan, I think Mr. Zhang personally went by "Chang Hsueh-liang" instead of Zhang Xueliang. The pinyin is more popular on google though. Which one should we use? --Jiang 08:48, 8 Nov 2003 (UTC)

I did and no one answered. Why pinyin? The People's Daily used W-G [1] and we use pinyin. How ironic! And Columbia [2], Britannica [3], Encarta [4] all use his WG name. --Jiang | Talk 06:13, 10 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Let's think of remaing to Wade-Giles. Pinyin is from Communist China and I do not consider it proper for his name.--Jusjih 00:57, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

Pingyin for sure and Pingyin Only. Wade-Giles is an English simplification of Chinese pronounciation and it shall not be used as a standard.

Neither system gives the casual English-speaking reader an accurate idea of the Chinese pronunciation. But Wade-Giles is widely said to be the better in that respect. Pinyin has become the standard for many purposes because it has the endorsement of the Chinese government. It may give a more accurate idea of pronunciation to the student who has learned its rules, but these are elaborate and counterintuitive. For major historical figures, in historical books and articles, is it not best to use the spellings in use at that time? All the books I have seen use the spelling Chang Hsueh-liang and none use Zhang Xueliang. All the writings - memoirs and autobiographies and journalism and government documents - of people of that time use Wade-Giles. It seems bizarre to use a spelling not even devised at that time. Alrees

It was the contemporary spelling (since pinyin did not yet exist) and is normal in English. Independently of later politics, this article really should be moved. Both should be used in the article. (Pinyin is as simplistic as WG; both require explanation for people who only speak English.) Septentrionalis 17:43, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Chang or Zhang

This article uses both spellings. We should probably stick to one to avoid confusion

Right, but we better confirm whether to use Wade-Giles or Pinyin. I do not consider Pinyin appropriate for his name here.--Jusjih 00:55, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

Chang resides in the United States after released by Chiang Kai Shek. What was his name written like when he was in the US? — Instantnood 20:16, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

It is a bit crazy to pinyinise every Chinese subjects. This article ought not be pinyinised. 1) Chang is not an ancient figure like Han's emperors. He do have his romanised name with him and he know about it. 2) At Chang's time, it is exclusively using Wade-Giles. If a researcher looks for articles about him from English newspaper at that time, it must be in Chang, not Zhang. The act rewriting others' names is somehow like rewriting the history. — HenryLi (Talk) 21:46, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Age

According to the article's birth and death dates, Zhang was 100 when he died yet the article says 101. Which part is incorrect?

TJSwoboda 07:34, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

that latter is probably his Chinese age. According to Chinese ages, people are born at age one and add a new age at the passing of the new year.--Jiang 11:48, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Zhang Xueliang vs Yang Hucheng

Any idea why Chiang Kai-shek spared Zhang Xueliang, but had Yang Hucheng killed? I couldn't figure why Chiang had different reactions to the both of them. Constrainer 20:18, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Zhang was a good friend of CHiang, and a much more influential figure in the ranks of the Nationalist army.