Mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addition to the geographical mainland, the geopolitical sense of the term includes islands such as Hainan, Chongming, and Zhoushan.[1] By convention, territories outside of mainland China include:
Mainland China
9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi)
1,400,050,000
147/km2 (380.7/sq mi)
- Renminbi (RMB)
right
Continental China
Zhōnggúo Dàlù
Zhōnggúo Dàlù
ㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄌㄨˋ
Jonggwo Dahluh
Chung¹-Kuo² Ta⁴-lu⁴
Jhonggúo Dàlù
Jūng-gúo Dà-lù
tson平 koh入 du去 loh入
Jūnggwok Daaihluhk
zung1 gwok3 daai6 luk6
Tiong-kok Tāi-lio̍k
Dṳ̆ng-guók Dâi-lṳ̆k
Inland China
Zhōnggúo Nèidì
Zhōnggúo Nèidì
tson平 koh入 ne去 di去
Jūnggwok Noihdeih
zung1 gwok3 noi6 dei6
Tiong-kok lōe-tē / lōe-tōe
中华民国大陆地区
中華民國大陸地區
Zhōnghuá Mínguó Dàlù Dìqū
Zhōnghuá Mínguó Dàlù Dìqū
Chung-hua min-kuo ta-lu ti-ch'ü
The term is widely used in all of the above territories as well as internationally, including by many Overseas Chinese communities.
Background[edit]
In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army had largely defeated the Kuomintang (KMT)'s National Revolutionary Army in the Chinese Civil War. This forced the Kuomintang to relocate the government and institution of the Republic of China to the relative safety of Taiwan, an island which was placed under its control after the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II in 1945. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, the CCP-controlled government saw itself as the sole legitimate government of China,[5] competing with the claims of the Republic of China, whose authority is now limited to Taiwan and other islands. This resulted in a situation in which two co-existing governments competed for international legitimacy and recognition as the "government of China". With the democratisation of Taiwan in the 1990s and the rise of the Taiwanese independence movement, some people began simply using the term "China" instead.[6]
Due to their status as colonies of foreign states during the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the phrase "mainland China" excludes Hong Kong and Macau.[7] Since the return of Hong Kong and Macau to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and 1999, respectively, the two territories have retained their legal, political, and economic systems. The territories also have their distinct identities. Therefore, "mainland China" generally continues to exclude these territories, because of the "one country, two systems" policy adopted by the Chinese government towards the regions.[8] The term is also used in economic indicators, such as the IMD Competitiveness Report. International news media often use "China" to refer only to mainland China or the People's Republic of China.