China proper
China proper, also called Inner China[note 1] are terms used primarily in the West in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China centered in the southeast. The term was first used by Westerners during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty to describe the distinction between the historical "Han lands" (漢地)—i.e. regions long dominated by the majority Han population—and the "frontier" regions of China where more non-Han ethnic groups and new foreign immigrants (e.g. Russians) reside, sometimes known as "Outer China".[1] There is no fixed extent for China proper, as many administrative, cultural, and linguistic shifts have occurred in Chinese history. One definition refers to the original area of Chinese civilization, the Central Plain (in the North China Plain); another to the Eighteen Provinces of the Qing dynasty. There was no direct translation for "China proper" in the Chinese language at the time due to differences in terminology used by the Qing to refer to the regions. Even to today, the expression is controversial among scholars, particularly in mainland China, due to issues pertaining to contemporary territorial claim and ethnic politics.
China proper
中國本土
中国本土
zhōngguó běntǔ
China proper
zhōngguó běntǔ
zhōngguó běntǔ
Chung1 Kuo2 Pen3 T'u3
中國本部
中国本部
zhōngguó běnbù
China core
zhōngguó běnbù
zhōngguó běnbù
Chung1 Kuo2 Pen3 Pu4
十八行省
shíbā xíngshěng
Eighteen Provinces
shíbā xíngshěng
shíbā xíngshěng
關內十八省
关内十八省
guānnèi shíbā shěng
Eighteen Provinces inside Shanhaiguan
guānnèi shíbā shěng
guānnèi shíbā shěng
內地十八省
内地十八省
nèidì shíbā shěng
Eighteen Provinces in mainland
nèidì shíbā shěng
nèidì shíbā shěng
中原漢地
中原汉地
zhōngyuán hàndì
Han territory in Central Plain
zhōngyuán hàndì
zhōngyuán hàndì
Outer China usually includes the geographical regions of Dzungaria, Tarim Basin, Gobi Desert,[note 2] Tibetan Plateau, Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and Manchuria.[2]
Political use[edit]
In the early 20th century, a series of Sino-Japanese conflicts had raised Chinese people's concern for national unity, and the concept of a unified, undivided Chinese nation became more popular among Chinese scholars. On Jan 1, 1939, Gu Jiegang published his article "The term 'China proper' should be abolished immediately",[19] which argued that the widely accepted area covered by "China proper" is not the actual territory of any of the Chinese dynasties. Gu further theorized that "中国本部",[20] the Chinese and Japanese term equal to "China proper" at the time, actually originated from Japan and was translated into "China proper", hence the concept of "China proper" was developed by Japanese people, and it had become a tool to divide Chinese people, making way for the Japanese invasion of Mongolia, Manchuria, and other parts of China. Gu's article sparked a heated debate on the definition and origin of "Zhonghua minzu" (Chinese nation),[21][22] which contributed to unifying the Chinese people in the Second Sino-Japanese War, and to an extent shaped the later established concept of Zhonghua minzu.
Modern[edit]
Today, China proper is a controversial concept in China itself, since the current official paradigm does not contrast the core and the periphery of China. There is no single widely used term corresponding to it in the Chinese language.
The separation of China into a "China proper" dominated by Han people and other states for ethnic minorities such as East Turkestan (Chinese Turkestan) for the Uyghurs impugns on the legitimacy of China's current territorial borders, which is based on the succession of states principle. According to sinologist Colin Mackerras, foreign governments have generally accepted Chinese claims over its ethnic minority areas, because to redefine a country's territory every time it underwent a change of regime would cause endless instability and warfare. Also, he asks, "if the boundaries of the Qing were considered illegitimate, why should it go back to the much smaller Ming in preference to the quite extensive Tang dynasty boundaries?"[23]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.