Mainland China Totally Explained

Everything about Chinese Mainland totally explained

Mainland China, or Continental China, or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term usually synonymous with the area currently governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC), including off-shore islands.
However, it does not include the following 2 Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the PRC:-

Hong Kong; and
Macau.

Introduction

Ever since the Kuomintang (KMT) led Republic of China lost the Chinese Civil War to the Communist Party of China in 1949 leading to the establishment of the PRC, there has been a struggle between the two Chinese entities. The PRC has since been based on "Mainland China". It excludes the area controlled by the retreating Kuomintang, as well as the then colonies of Hong Kong and Macau. Since the return of Hong Kong and Macau to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and 1999 respectively, the term continues to regularly exclude these territories in respect of the policy as adopted by the PRC central government towards the SARs.
The term is also used in economic indicators, such as IMD Competitiveness Report.

View of the term by group

In Taiwan, the term "Mainlander" can also refer to waishengren, or the people who emigrated to Taiwan from Mainland China near and after the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949; and their children, who were born in Taiwan. The status of waishengren in Taiwan is a divisive political issue, with pro-Taiwan independence politicians calling into question their loyalty and devotion to Taiwan and pro-Chinese reunification politicians accusing the pro-independence politicians of playing identity politics. The term "Mainland" can also refer to daluren, meaning a people who live on the mainland. An example is the Mainland Affairs Council of ROC.

Supporters of Taiwanese independence also frequently disfavour the use of the term as it implied a geographical extension or relation to the rest of China. In the mainland itself, the term, literally the inland. The term has gained popularity in use in place of the term "mainland", particularly after the return of the SARs.

In Hong Kong and Macau, the term "mainland China" and "mainlander" is frequently used for people from the PRC. For political correctness, the term (內地) has become the most common in the region. Official government groups such as "Constitutional and Mainland Affairs" (政制及內地事務局) is an examples that use the inland term.

In the PRC, the inland term (內地) is often separated by the external term (國外) or (外國) for things outside of the mainland region. Examples include "Administration of Foreign-funded Banks" (中華人民共和國外資銀行管理條例) or the "Measures on Administration of Representative Offices of Foreign Insurance Institutions" (外國保險機構駐華代表機構管理辦法).

Others

Other use of geography-related terms are also often used where neutrality is required.

Simplified Chinese	Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Jyutping	Description
两岸关系	兩岸關係	liǎng'àn guānxì	loeng5 ngon6 gwaan1 hai6	Reference to the Taiwan Strait (Cross-Strait relations, literally "relations between the two sides/shores of the Strait of Taiwan)
海峡两岸	海峽兩岸	Hǎixiá liǎng'àn	hoi2 haap6 loeng5 ngon6	The physical shores on both sides of the straits, "two shores" may be used.
两岸三地	兩岸三地	liǎng'àn sāndì	loeng5 ngon6 saam1 dei6	An extension of this is the term "two shores, three places"
两岸四地	兩岸四地	liǎng'àn sìdì	loeng5 ngon6 sei3 dei6	When referring to either Hong Kong or Macau, or "two shores, four places" when referring to both Hong Kong and Macau

Further Information

Get more info on 'Chinese Mainland'.

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