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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
中国大陆 / 中國大陸[I]

9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi)

1,400,050,000

147/km2 (380.7/sq mi)

right

Continental China

Zhōnggúo Dàlù

Zhōnggúo Dàlù

ㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄌㄨˋ

Jonggwo Dahluh

Chung¹-Kuo² Ta⁴-lu⁴

Jhonggúo Dàlù

Jūng-gúo Dà-lù

tson koh du loh

Jūnggwok Daaihluhk

zung1 gwok3 daai6 luk6

Tiong-kok Tāi-lio̍k

Dṳ̆ng-guók Dâi-lṳ̆k

Inland China

Zhōnggúo Nèidì

Zhōnggúo Nèidì

tson koh ne di

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.

Political use[edit]

People's Republic of China[edit]

The Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China (Chinese: 中华人民共和国出境入境管理法) defines two terms in Chinese that are translated to "mainland":[9]

Mainlander

Greater China

Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China

China proper

Constitution of the People's Republic of China

Free area of the Republic of China

Free China

Politics of China