In ancient times, what people called "China" was not "China" now.
In ancient times, "China" was synonymous with "central city" or "central country". In China literature, the word "China" has six meanings:
1, refers to the imperial city.
2, refers to the kingdom directly ruled by the son of heaven. Because the kingdom directly ruled by the son of heaven is generally in the middle of vassal states, it is called "China". Later, it was developed that all areas directly ruled by the emperor were called "China".
It refers to the Central Plains.
4, refers to the domestic and mainland. The Qing Dynasty called the mainland "China".
It refers to the place where Xia people live. There are not only Han people in Zhu Xia, but also many ethnic minorities. People call this area "China".
6. It refers to the country established by Xia or Han nationality. Since the Han Dynasty, people have often referred to the Central Plains Dynasty established by the Han people as "China".
The scope of "China" in history, besides dynasties, should also include political power and tribes established by various ethnic groups. Since19th century, "China" refers to the whole territory of China, which is different from ancient times.
The origin of the word "China" can be traced back to a dynasty-Shang Dynasty. Because the capital of Shang Dynasty lies between its four princes in the east, south, west and north, people call this land "China", which is the middle kingdom and the political and economic center.
In ancient times, "China" did not appear as a formal country name, because the dynasty or regime at that time only had a country name, and there was no country name. What they call "China" refers to the concepts of region and culture.
The real use of "China" as the abbreviation of the official country name began with the founding of the Republic of China after the famous Revolution of 1911 in modern times. Since then, "China" has become an official name with national significance. Today, "China" is a country composed of Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and its full name is "People's Republic of China (PRC)".