Editing China proper (section)

{{Short description|Geopolitical term}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| showflag = p
| t = {{lang|zh-hant|中國本土}}
| s = {{lang|zh-hans|中国本土}}
| l = China ''proper''
| p = zhōngguó běntǔ
| w = Chung<sup>1</sup> Kuo<sup>2</sup> Pen<sup>3</sup> T'u<sup>3</sup>
| bpmf =
| t2 = {{lang|zh-hant|中國本部}}
| s2 = {{lang|zh-hans|中国本部}}
| l2 = China core
| p2 = zhōngguó běnbù
| w2 = Chung<sup>1</sup> Kuo<sup>2</sup> Pen<sup>3</sup> Pu<sup>4</sup>
| bpmf2 =
| c3 = {{lang|zh|十八行省}}
| l3 = Eighteen Provinces
| p3 = shíbā xíngshěng
| bpmf3 =
| t4 = {{lang|zh-hant|關內十八省}}
| s4 = {{lang|zh-hans|关内十八省}}
| l4 = Eighteen Provinces inside [[Shanhai Pass|Shanhaiguan]]
| p4 = guānnèi shíbā shěng
| bpmf4 =
| t5 = {{lang|zh-hant|內地十八省}}
| s5 = {{lang|zh-hans|内地十八省}}
| l5 = Eighteen Provinces in mainland
| p5 = nèidì shíbā shěng
| bpmf5 =
| t6 = {{lang|zh-hant|中原漢地}}
| s6 = {{lang|zh-hans|中原汉地}}
| l6 = [[Han Chinese|Han]] territory in [[Zhongyuan|Central Plain]]
| p6 = zhōngyuán hàndì
| bpmf6 =
| c =
| j =
| mi =
| ci =
| altname =
}}

[[File:1912 China map from National Geographic.jpg|thumb|A 1912 map from an issue of ''[[National Geographic]]'' magazine showing the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]. China proper is shaded in pink, while other Chinese territories have pink borders.]]
[[File:China 1900.jpg|thumb|Map of China proper in 1900 from the [[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]]]]

'''China proper''', also called '''Inner China''',{{NoteTag|'''Eighteen Provinces inside [[Shanhai Pass|the Pass]]''' ({{zhi|s=关内十八省|t=關內十八省}}) used within China, in reference to the eighteen provinces within the Great Wall.<ref name="Definition">{{cite web |url = http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/china/cn_glos.html |title = Glossary&nbsp;– China |publisher = [[Library of Congress]] Country Studies |quote = Used broadly to mean China within the Great Wall, with its eighteen historic provinces.}}</ref>}} are terms used primarily in the West in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China centered in the southeast. The term was first used by Westerners during the [[Manchu people|Manchu]]-led [[Qing dynasty]] to describe the distinction between the historical "'''Han lands'''" ({{lang-zh|t=漢地}}, i.e. regions long dominated by the majority [[Han Chinese|Han]] population) and the "frontier" regions of China where more [[ethnic minorities in China|non-Han ethnic minorities]] and newer foreign immigrants (e.g. [[Russians]]) reside, sometimes known as "Outer China".<ref name="Definition"/> There is no fixed extent for China ''proper'', as many administrative, cultural, and linguistic shifts have occurred in [[History of China|Chinese history]]. One definition refers to the original area of Chinese civilization, the [[Zhongyuan|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.

'''Outer China''' usually includes the geographical regions of [[Dzungaria]], [[Tarim Basin]], [[Gobi Desert]],{{NoteTag|Sometimes including the [[Mongolian Plateau]] as a whole.}} [[Tibetan Plateau]], and [[Manchuria]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Outer China |url=http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/geo/outer.htm |website=depts.washington.edu}}</ref>