Whenever we confidently say “Chinese passport” at the airport, and proudly call ourselves “Chinese” overseas, it is possible that few people will seriously think of a question: where did the name China come from? 14 May 2025The second cross-border railway between China and Mongolia officially started construction. This project should have started more than ten years ago, but it was put on hold due to the hesitation and repetition of Mongolia 18 years。
Why did Mongolia suddenly change its attitude?Back to our own footsteps, another seemingly simple but more easily overlooked problem is posed: We talk about China, write about China, and call ourselves China every day, but where does this "China" come from? Why this word and not something else?
Many people cannot explain this clearly and have never even thought about it seriously. But behind this name lies more than 3,000 years of history, culture and national identity. If you don't even understand the origin of your own country's name, is it a bit unreasonable?
1963, Baoji, ShaanxiA farmer dug up a bronze ware in his own field, which originally planned to be sold as scrap metal. No one expected that this utensil was engraved with a 122-character inscription, one of which "Yu Qizhai is in China", which became the earliest written record of our country's name.
Experts say it is one. The bronze ware of the Western Zhou Dynasty is called He ZunThe content of the inscription is The King of Loyola (Now Loyola)Governance of the people in the “centre of heaven”. “China” here is not the name of the country, but the description of the geographical orientation – the place of the center.
At that time, the Zhou Dynasty had just replaced the Commercial Dynasty and implemented Separation. All over the world, the Chiefs became one country, and the place where Heaven directly ruled was "the center", that is, "China". "Central" represents the geographical center, "country" means the state, combined with "central country".
This central consciousness permeates the development of the entire Warsaw civilization.Ancient people do not have the concept of a global map, they take the Yellow River downstream as the core, and believe that they are in the world "in the middle", and call other ethnicities "barbary".
By the Spring and Autumn and Warring States PeriodThose who occupied the Middle East, who claimed to be Chinese Orthodox, used the motto “Then the King, protect China” as the motto. At this time, “China” was not just a geographical location, but a symbol of civilization and political Orthodoxy.
In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, established the first centralized empire. At this time, the word "China" gradually changed from a geographical meaning to a national concept. The appearance of terms such as "uniting China" and "unifying China" in historical documents means that a complete national territory has begun to take shape.
after the establishment of the Han DynastyIn particular, after Han-Wu-Tai opened the western territory and opened the Silk Road, China's territory and influence were further expanded and China" also became the name of self-introduction in foreign exchanges. “Five stars out of China.”It is the blessing of the country’s destiny.
During the period of Wei Jin, the north and south divided the country, all over the country, but the word "China" did not disappear, but instead became an important symbol of the struggle for the status of orthodoxy. Ethnic regimes such as the Northern Wei, Southern Dynasties, and Former YanThey all live with "China" and emphasize that they have inherited the culture of the Middle East.
After the unification.The country is strong again. The name "China" has become more and more solid. During the Tang Dynasty,"China" was clearly used in many diplomatic documents to represent the entire country. Xi Jinping's Governance Concept and Cultural Inclusiveness, allowing neighboring countries to willingly pay tribute has further consolidated China's position as the center of civilization.
The Song Liaoning Period.In the Middle Ages, it is frequently dominated, even ruled by a minority of ethnic groups, but the word "China" has never disappeared. The Liaoning Dynasty, the Kim Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty all refer to themselves as "China", they imitate the Yuan Dynasty in their migration and formulation of the system, with the aim of obtaining the identity of China's Orthodox.
After Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty, clearly writing the word "China" in the letter of credentials to Japan, this is For the first time in history, China has referred to itself as a country in international instruments.。This detail is very critical, which means that the word has escaped the shackles of geography and culture and become synonymous with a sovereign country.
After building tomorrow morning.In a letter to the king of Japan, Zhu Yuanxi wrote: "China means the old house." "China" at this time was already the official name for the country. Zheng He, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, went to sea, and the word "China" appeared many times in his credentials.
In the Qing dynasty, although they were the rulers of the Mongols, they did not give up the name "China". In the Treaty of Nebuchu signed by Emperor Kangxi and Russia, "China" was written into an international treaty for the first timeAt the end of Qing, in the face of the invasion of the great powers, China's name instead became a bond to consolidate national emotions.
In 1912 the Republic of China was established.Dr. Sun Yat-sen used "China" as the abbreviation of the Republic of China, which is the first time that China has been used as the name of a modern country. Despite the political turmoil since then, the word "China" has been deeply rooted in people's hearts.
The People's Republic of China was founded in 1949New China officially inherited the title of "China". Chairman Mao originally wanted to use "People's Republic of *" at the preparatory meeting of the new CPPCC.Later, on the suggestion of Zhang Zhou and others, it was defined as the "People's Republic of China". It was officially established at the CPC Conference on September 30, 1949., has been used ever since.
Today's China is a country with 56 ethnic groups, 1.4 billion people, the world's second largest economyOf the modern state. And this name is no longer just a title, but also The heritage of history, the symbol of civilization, the sign of the country and the emotional identity of the nation.
Many people think that “China” is a geographical existence, but in fact it is gone whole. Three thousand years.From a word on the bronze instrument, it became the name of a great country today.
After all, the reason why China is called China is because we have always been the "center" of this world's civilization-whether it is culture, system, or spiritual core. Understanding the origin of this name is not only to increase knowledge, but also to identify with the motherland. The moment we say the word "China", we are not just saying the name of a country, but saying who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.