Mainland China

"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the Chinese Communist government of the People's Republic of China in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. The geopolitical sense of the term includes islands such as Hainan, Chongming, and Zhoushan, even though those islands are offshore of the Chinese mainland.[1] By convention, the territories that fall outside of mainland China include:

Mainland China
中国大陆 / 中國大陸[upper-roman 1]
The geopolitical term "mainland China" (the highlighted area as shown above) defined as territories under direct administration of the People's Republic of China, including islands of Hainan and Zhoushan etc.
The geopolitical term "mainland China" (the highlighted area as shown above) defined as territories under direct administration of the People's Republic of China, including islands of Hainan and Zhoushan etc.
Largest cities
Official languageStandard Chinese
Ethnic groups
see Ethnic groups in China
Demonym(s)
Area
• Total
9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi)
Population
• 2019 census
1,400,050,000
• Density
147/km2 (380.7/sq mi)
Currency
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard Time)
Driving sideright
Calling code+86
ISO 3166 codeCN
Internet TLD
Today part ofPeople's Republic of China
Mainland China
Simplified Chinese中国大陆
Traditional Chinese中國大陸
Literal meaningContinental China
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese中国内地
Traditional Chinese中國內地
Literal meaningInland China
Mainland Area of the Republic of China
Simplified Chinese中华民国大陆地区
Traditional Chinese中華民國大陸地區

The term is widely used in all of the above territories as well as internationally, including by many Chinese diasporic communities.

Background

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 institutions 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 PRC central 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

People's Republic of China

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]

  • Dàlù (大陆; 大陸), which means 'the continent'.
  • Nèidì (内地; 內地), literally 'inland' or 'inner land'. It excludes Hong Kong and Macau.[10]

In the People's Republic of China, the usage of the two terms is strictly speaking not interchangeable. To emphasise the One-China principle and not give the Republic of China (ROC) "equal footing" in Cross-Strait relations, the term must be used in PRC's official contexts with reference to Taiwan (with the PRC referring to itself as the "mainland side" dealing with the "Taiwan side"). But in terms of Hong Kong and Macau, the PRC government refers to itself as "the Central People's Government".

In the People's Republic of China, the term 内地 ('inland') is often contrasted with the term 境外 ('outside the border') for things outside the mainland region. Examples include "Administration of Foreign-funded Banks" (中华人民共和国外资银行管理条例; 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" (外国保险机构驻华代表机构管理办法; 外國保險機構駐華代表機構管理辦法).[8]

Hainan is an offshore island, therefore geographically not part of the continental mainland. Nevertheless, politically it is common practice to consider it part of the mainland because its government, legal and political systems do not differ from the rest of the People's Republic within the geographical mainland. Nonetheless, Hainanese people still refer to the geographic mainland as "the mainland" and call its residents "mainlanders".[11]

Before 1949, Fujian Province (ROC), consisting of the islands of Kinmen and Matsu, was jointly governed alongside Fujian Province (PRC) as a unified Fujian Province under successive Chinese governments. The two territories are generally considered to belong to the same historical region, Fujian Province, which has been divided since 1949 as a result of the Chinese Civil War. However, because they are not controlled by the PRC, they are not included as part of "mainland China."

Hong Kong and Macau

Hong Kong and Macau are both sovereign territories of the People's Republic of China. However, due to the One Country, Two Systems policy, the two regions maintain a high degree of autonomy, hence they are not governed as part of mainland China.

Geologically speaking, Hong Kong and Macau are both connected to mainland China in certain areas (e.g. the north of the New Territories). Additionally, the islands contained within Hong Kong (e.g. Hong Kong Island) and Macau are much closer to mainland China than Taiwan and Hainan, and are much smaller.

In Hong Kong and Macau, the terms "mainland China" and "mainlander" are frequently used for people from PRC-governed areas (i.e. not Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau). The Chinese term Neidi (內地), meaning the inland but still translated mainland in English, is commonly applied by SAR governments to represent non-SAR areas of PRC, including Hainan province and coastal regions of mainland China, such as "Constitutional and Mainland Affairs" (政制及內地事務局)[12] and Immigration Departments.[13] In the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (as well as the Mainland and Macau Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) the CPG also uses the Chinese characters 内地 "inner land", with the note that they refer to the "customs territory of China".[14]

Taiwan (Republic of China)
The ROC map shown as of May 1979 in the Sixth Session of the First National Assembly

References to the PRC and other lost continental territories as the mainland began appearing in Taiwan state documents as early as 1954.[15][16][17]

Legal definitions followed in the 1990s. The 1991 Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China stated that "the handling of people's rights and obligations and other affairs between the free area and the mainland can be specially stipulated by law", and used the legal term "mainland area" without defining its geographical boundaries.[18] The 1992 Regulations on the Relations between the People in Taiwan and the Mainland defined "Taiwan" as areas controlled by the ROC and "mainland" as "the territory of the Republic of China."[19] The related Cross-Strait Act called those under PRC jurisdiction - excluding those in Hong Kong and Macau - as "people of the mainland area", and used "free area of the Republic of China" to describe areas under ROC control.[20] The issue on the mainland's territory also stated in the Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 328 in 1993.[2][21] In 2012, the Supreme Court of the Republic of China's judgment #900 labeled the Macao Special Administrative Region as the "Mainland Macau Area".[22][3] 2002 amendments to the Implementation Rules of the Regulations on People Relations between Taiwan and Mainland China defined the mainland as areas claimed but not controlled by the ROC, corresponding to "areas under control of the Chinese Communists" (within the de facto borders of the People's Republic of China).[1][23][24]

Views of the term "mainland China" (中國大陸) vary on Taiwan. The KMT had previously referred to the territories under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by several different names, e.g. "(territory controlled by the) Communist bandits", "occupied/unfree area (of China)", "Communist China" (as opposed to either "Nationalist China" or "Democratic China"), "Red China" (as opposed to "Blue China"), and "mainland China (area)". In modern times, many of these terms have fallen out of use. The terms "mainland China" (中國大陸) or "the mainland" (大陸) still remain in popular use, but some also simply use the term "China" (中國). The former term is generally preferred by the Pan-Blue Coalition led by the KMT, while the latter term is preferred by the Pan-Green Coalition led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which opposes the term "mainland" and its suggestion that Taiwan is part of China. This has caused many political debates.[25][26]

Other terms

Other geography-related terms which are used to avoid mentioning the political status of the PRC and ROC.

Simplified
Chinese		 Traditional
Chinese		 Pinyin Jyutping Hokkien POJ Description
海峡两岸海峽兩岸Hǎixiá liǎng'ànHoi2 haap6 loeng5 ngon6Hái-kiap lióng-gānThe physical shores on both sides of the straits, may be translated as "two shores".
两岸关系兩岸關係liǎng'àn guānxìloeng5 ngon6 gwaan1 hai6lióng-gān koan-hēReference to the Taiwan Strait (cross-Strait relations, literally "relations between the two sides/shores [of the Strait of Taiwan]").
两岸三地兩岸三地liǎng'àn sāndìloeng5 ngon6 saam1 dei6lióng-gān sam-tèAn extension of this is the phrase "two shores, three places", with "three places" meaning mainland China, Taiwan, and either Hong Kong or Macau.
两岸四地兩岸四地liǎng'àn sìdìloeng5 ngon6 sei3 dei6lióng-gān sù-tèWhen referring to either Hong Kong or Macau, or "two shores, four places" when referring to both Hong Kong and Macau.

See also

Notes

References

Citations
  1. "Laws and Regulations Regarding Mainland Affairs". Mainland Affairs Council. Retrieved 30 May 2018. Article 3: The enforcement areas of Subparagraph 2 of Article 2 of the Act shall refer to areas under control of the Chinese Communists.
  2. "No.328". cons.judicial.gov.tw. Archived from the original on 2022-07-23. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  3. "中央流行疫情指揮中心1月28日宣布提升中國大陸(不含港澳)之旅遊疫情建議至第三級『警告』(Warning)，大陸委員會調升湖北省（包含武漢市）的旅遊警示燈號為「紅色」，中國大陸其他地區旅遊警示燈號為「橙色」". 10 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-06-09. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  4. "2月6日起全中國大陸(含港澳)列二級以上流行地區，居住中國大陸各省市陸人暫緩入境". Ministry of Health and Welfare (Taiwan) (in Traditional Chinese). 疾病管制署. Archived from the original on 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  5. Jeshurun, Chandran, ed. (1993). China, India, Japan and the Security of Southeast Asia. Singapore: ISEAS. p. 146. ISBN 9813016612.
  6. "為何陸生希望自己被稱內地？使ЯРЫЖ 用中國、內地、大陸等詞彙前，你懂背後的意識形態？". The Storm Media. 17 May 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2022. 綠軍所用的正式名稱，尊重獨立國體的一種正式稱呼，這種稱呼本身也不帶有任何敵意，敵意存在與否其實代表著內戰是否結束，在稱呼上特別要小心
  7. So, Alvin Y.; Lin, Nan; Poston, Dudley L., eds. (2001). The Chinese Triangle of mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong : comparative institutional analyses. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313308697.
  8. LegCo. "Legislative council HK Archived 2021-11-10 at the Wayback Machine." Mainland Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Bill. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  9. "《中华人民共和国出境入境管理法》（中英文）Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China". Archived from the original on 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  10. "Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao Emergency Service Information". Mainland Affairs Council (Taiwan). 22 March 2009. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  11. 海南人为什么喜欢叫外省人叫大陆人？. wenwen.sogou.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  12. Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. "Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China Archived 2021-10-21 at the Wayback Machine." Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  13. Chinese version Archived 2009-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, English version Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Statistics on Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (輸入內地人才計劃數據資料), Immigration Department (Hong Kong).
  14. English Text Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine Chinese text Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
  15. 司法院. "解释字號：释字第31号". 司法院法學資料檢索系統判解函釋 (in Traditional Chinese). 台北. Archived from the original on 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  16. Bi-Yu Chang (2015), "Place, Identity and National Imagination in Postwar Taiwan" (PDF), Building castles in the sand, Routledge, archived (PDF) from the original on 2 July 2022, retrieved 2 July 2022
  17. Frank Jacobs (23 July 2010). "A Map of Greater China, Made in Taiwan". Big Think. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  18. 立法院. "中华民国宪法增修条文". 立法院法律系統 (in Traditional Chinese). 台北. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  19. 立法院. "台湾地区与大陆地区人民关系条例". 立法院法律系統 (in Traditional Chinese). 台北. Archived from the original on 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  20. Additional Articles to the Republic of China Constitution Archived 2017-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, 6th Revision, 2000
  21. "香港澳門關係條例施行細則". 法源法律网. Archived from the original on 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  22. 司法院. "裁判字號：101年台上字第900號". 司法院法學資料檢索系統判解函釋 (in Traditional Chinese). 台北. Archived from the original on 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  23. "臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例施行細則". 法務部全國法規資料庫. Archived from the original on 2022-04-03. Retrieved 2021-01-11. 中共控制之地區
  24. 邱政宗 (March 1991). "中華民國立法院法制局研究成果《外蒙古定位後續問題評析》". Archived from the original on 2018-02-03.
  25. Wachman, Alan (1994). Taiwan: National Identity and Democratization. M.E. Sharpe. p. 81.
  26. DPP is firm on China name issue Archived 2021-05-08 at the Wayback Machine. Taipei Times (2013-07-14). Retrieved on 2013-07-21.

Sources
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