Chinese names in English [closed]

I have noticed certain Chinese names follow the English order, i.e., given name before family name, when occurring in English text, whereas others retain the Chinese order, i.e., family name before given name. The former is illustrated by Chenjun Pan (see this link) and other researchers of Chinese descent who have published in academic journals. The latter is exemplified by Xi Jinping and Tasi Ing-Wen.

Could anyone explain why the difference arises and offer a generalization of when one type of name ordering is preferred over the other?

Solution 1:

(Edit: Added CMoS reference).

Surnames (also called family names) precede.

7.12 Chinese names. In Chinese practice, the family name comes before the given name, which is usually of two elements.... Chinese may be referred to by family name alone: Chaing, Pai. Ancient Chinese names are often of only two elements, which may not be separated: Li Po, Tu Fu, Lao Tzu. The pinyin romanization system, generally used since the late 1970s for Chinese names in the English language, employs no hyphens or apostrophes and spells given names as one word. (Chicago Manual of Style, 13th edition).

(end of edit).

Please see Quick Guide on Citation Style for Chinese, Japanese and Korean Sources from the Yale University Library.

The first entry in the Chicago Manual of Style is a Chinese name.

Bibliography Hao, Chunwen 郝春文. Tang houqi wudai Songchu Dunhuang sengni de shehui shenghuo 唐后期五代宋初敦煌僧尼的社会生活 [The social existence of monks and nuns in Dunhuang during the late Tang, Five Dynasties and early Song]. Beijing: Zhongguo shehui kexue chubanshe, 1998.

Note the comma between surname and given name in CMoS usage.

Here is a generalization: the order is surname first in Pinyin (and then in Chinese, if possible).

Here is a well known name in an English sentence, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China:

On the morning of July 22, 2019, Premier Li Keqiang met at the Great Hall of the People with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who was in China for a state visit. MFA news article

Again, the surname precedes the given name. But note: no comma after the surname.