All newly catalogued materials are romanized according to the rules outlined in the document ALA-LC Romanization Tables. In general, this romanization table follows the principles of the Pinyin system. An important difference to note is that romanization of each Chinese character is separated with a space with the major exception of multi-character proper nouns.

Catalog records for some older materials, however, still contain text romanized according to the Wade-Giles system. For information on romanization for Chinese and Correspondence of Wade-Giles to Pinyin, please see the ALA-LC Romanization Tables (Chinese) [PDF, 224KB].

Library of Congress Subject Headings are an effective tool for locating materials pertaining to a specific topic, regardless of format or language of publication. Follow the link below to browse subject headings related to the Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945.

You can also use the Advanced Search feature on the Library's Online Catalog to search for authors, titles, general keywords, and more. You can also limit your search to items published in a certain language, place, or time frame. In addition to the subject headings discussed here, you may wish to try searching for related terms like "Anti-Japanese War" or "War of Resistance against Japan".

When conducting an initial search for materials in Chinese or Japanese, it is best to do so in romanized form to ensure the broadest search possible. Some catalog records for materials published prior to 1980 contain only romanized text in their catalog records. In addition, many older items were published using traditional Chinese characters. The online catalog treats traditional and simplified forms as entirely separate characters, which can inadvertently narrow your search.