The official name of the People’s Republic of China is Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo (中华人民共和国), which literally translates to “the State of the Chinese People’s Republic”. This name has been in use since 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was established, replacing the Republic of China. The term can be broken down into its three parts: “Zhong” (中) meaning “middle”, “Hua” (华) meaning “Chinese” and “Renmin” (人民) meaning “people”. The term “Gonghe” (共和) means “republic”, while “Guo” (国 )means “state”. Together, these three terms represent the idea of a unified nation that is home to all Chinese people, while also retaining the nature of a republic.
Historically, the People’s Republic of China has had a variety of different names. During the Qing dynasty, it was known as the Great Qing (Da Qing 大清). This was replaced by the Republic of China when the Qing dynasty collapsed in 1912, although the exact name of the state changed from the Greater Chinese Republic (Daguo Chunghwa 大國中華) to the Republic of China (Zhonghua Minguo中華民國) four years later. Following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the name of the state was changed to the “ People’s Republic of China” (Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo中華人民共和國). This name has been used ever since and is considered the official name of the People’s Republic of China.
In addition to its state name, the People’s Republic of China is referred to by a number of other names. These include mainland China (daguo zhongguo 大陸中國), Middle Kingdom (zhongguo 中國) and Red Dragon (hong lung 紅龍). It is also known as the PRC (for People’s Republic of China) and the Chinese mainland (zhongguo dalu 中國大陸).
In short, the official name of the People’s Republic of China is Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo (中华人民共和国). This name symbolizes the unification of all Chinese peoples under a single state as well as the fact that it is a republic. In addition to this name, the People’s Republic of China is also known by a number of other terms, including mainland China, Middle Kingdom and Red Dragon.