Mainland China

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The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as "mainland China".

Mainland China (simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù), or "Continental China", or simply "the mainland", is a geopolitical term usually synonymous with the area currently administered by the People's Republic of China (PRC).

It does not include:

• Taiwan, Pescadores, Kinmen and Matsu, which are administered by the Republic of China (ROC)
• special administrative regions (SARs) administered by the PRC

1. Hong Kong
2. Macau

[edit] Introduction

The term came in popular use as a result of ^{[citation needed]} the Chinese Civil War which concluded in 1950, in reference to the area then administered by the Communist Party of China (CPC), including all offshore islands such as Hainan. It excluded the area controlled by the retreating Kuomintang (KMT, Chinese Nationalist Party), as well as the then colonies of Hong Kong and Macau, and is thus not entirely synonymous with the geographical interpretation of the term mainland. Despite the return of Hong Kong and Macau to China 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^{[citation needed]}.

The term is often used on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and in overseas Chinese communities, although the Beijing government rarely ^{[citation needed]} uses the term in place of the name "People's Republic of China", even if it is without reference to the SARs. It may be considered relatively neutral towards the political status of Taiwan^{[citation needed]}, although its greater reference to the area directly controlled by the Beijing government may be considered less neutral to some due to its political inclinations. 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 (simplified Chinese: 内地; traditional Chinese: 內地; pinyin: nèidì), literally the interior, has gained popularity in use in place of the term "mainland", particularly after the return of the SARs. ^{[citation needed]}

In Taiwan, the term "Mainlander" can also refer to waishengren (Chinese: 外省人; pinyin: wàishěngrén), or the people who emigrated to Taiwan from Mainland China near 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. [1] The term "Mainlander" can also refer to daluren (simplified Chinese: 大陆人; traditional Chinese: 大陸人; pinyin: dàlùrén; literally "mainland person(s)"), meaning the people who live on the Mainland now and the very small number of people who have emigrated to Taiwan recently. The term "Mainlander" is used in Hong Kong and Macau for people from the rest of the PRC.

Other use of geography-related terms are also often used where neutrality is required. References to the Taiwan Strait (cross-straits relations (simplified Chinese: 两岸关系; traditional Chinese: 兩岸關係; pinyin: liǎng'àn guānxì; literally "relations between the two sides/shores (of the Strait of Taiwan)")), or the physical shores on both sides of the straits ("two shores" (simplified Chinese: 海峡两岸; traditional Chinese: 海峽兩岸; pinyin: Hǎixiá liǎng'àn)) may be used. An extension of this is the term "two shores, three places" (simplified Chinese: 两岸三地; traditional Chinese: 兩岸三地; pinyin: liǎng'àn sāndì) when referring to either Hong Kong or Macau, or "two shores, four places" (simplified Chinese: 两岸四地; traditional Chinese: 兩岸四地; pinyin: liǎng'àn sìdì) when referring to both Hong Kong and Macau, although these terms are not as popular.

[edit] Capitalization

The uncapitalized form, 'the mainland', is preferred by some authorities, such as the South China Morning Post. [2]

[edit] See also

• Greater China

v • d • e Territorial disputes in East, South, and Southeast Asia
Type	Territory	Currently Administered by	Claimants
Land:	Aksai Chin		2
	Arunachal Pradesh		2
	Assam
	East Turkestan		1 2
	Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriyskiy (Eastern part)2
	Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriyskiy (Western part)2
	Indo-Bangladesh enclaves3
	Kashmir3		2
	Kachin State		1 2
	Kayin State		1
	Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands3
	Mainland China2
	Mongolia2
	Pamir Mountains (Northern and central parts)2
	Pamir Mountains (Southern part)2
	Pattani		1
	Sabah		2
	Shan State		1
	Sixty-Four Villages East of the Heilongjiang River2
	Tannu Uriankhai (now Tuva Republic of Russia)2
	Tibet		1 2
	Trans-Karakoram Tract		2
	Wa State		1
Islands and Waters:	Kinmen
	Liancourt Rocks		2
	Macclesfield Bank
	Matsu
	Paracel Islands
	Pedra Branca
	Pratas Islands
	Scarborough Shoal
	Senkaku Islands
	Sir Creek3
	Socotra Rock		2 2
	Southern Kuril Islands
	Spratly Islands3
	Taiwan and Pescadores
Notes:	1Government in exile/exiled group. 2Inactive dispute. 3Divided among multiple claimants.