China proper
China proper (中国本土; 中國本土), Inner China (中国内地; 中國內地) or Eighteen Provinces inside the Pass (关内十八省; 關內十八省) are terms used by some Western writers in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China.
| China proper | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 中國本土 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国本土 | ||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | zhōngguó běntǔ | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | China proper | ||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中國本部 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国本部 | ||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | zhōngguó běnbù | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | China core | ||||||||
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| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 十八行省 | ||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | shíbā xíngshěng | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Eighteen Provinces | ||||||||
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| Third alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 關內十八省 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 关内十八省 | ||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | guānnèi shíbā shěng | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Eighteen Provinces inside Shanhaiguan | ||||||||
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| Fourth alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 內地十八省 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 内地十八省 | ||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | nèidì shíbā shěng | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Eighteen Provinces in mainland | ||||||||
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| Fifth alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中原漢地 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中原汉地 | ||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | zhōngyuán hàndì | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Han territory in Central Plain | ||||||||
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This term was first used by Westerners during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty to describe the distinction between the historical "Han lands" (漢地)—i.e. regions long dominated by the majority Han population—and the "frontier" regions of China where more non-Han minorities and new foreign immigrants (e.g. Russians) reside, sometimes known as "Outer China". There is no fixed extent for China proper, as many administrative, cultural, and linguistic shifts have occurred in Chinese history. One definition refers to the original area of Chinese civilization, the Central Plain (in the North China Plain); another to the Eighteen Provinces of the Qing dynasty. There was no direct translation for "China proper" in the Chinese language at the time due to differences in terminology used by the Qing to refer to the regions. Even to today, the expression is controversial among scholars, particularly in mainland China, due to issues pertaining to contemporary territorial claim and ethnic politics.
Outer China usually includes the geographical regions of Dzungaria, Tarim Basin, Gobi Desert, Tibetan Plateau, Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and Manchuria.