5 ms·

I don't think I had seen "Sichuan" before. Turns out Szechwan and Szechuan are antiquated romanizations of Sichuan.

• oftenwrong 11y ago
  Looks like that spelling took over around 1980 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Sichuan%2CSzechwan%2CSzechuan&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CSichuan%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CSzechwan%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CSzechuan%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Sichuan%2CSzec...
  • mikeash 11y ago
    "Sichuan" is how the name is romanized using Pinyin, which is now more or less the standard romanization for Mandarin. "Szechuan" is from the older Wade-Giles system, and I think "Szechwan" is just a variation. The rise of the "Sichuan" spelling on your graph roughly corresponds to the rise of Pinyin.
    • zhemao 11y ago
      Which corresponds with the PRC's recognition as the legitimate government of China by the UN in 1971 and the US in 1979. In Taiwan, the old Wade-Giles system is still used.