Why do people use this word? Sure if you use it you think that Taiwan is part of China?
Previous threads âŚ
And basically, like with most language, people use it because other people use it. I try to avoid it but it slipped into my vocabulary long ago and still pops out once in a while.
You got it backwards.
Itâs a legacy term from when most people in the world considered this here to be China, and the big part belonged to it.
When I was a kid, nobody ever called this place Taiwan, it was China (often referred to as Free China), and the other bit was called, variously, Red China, Communist China, or Mainland China.
Nixon and then Carter put the kibosh on that.
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I prefer the more eloquent âChinese Beijingâ myself.
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Rumo(u)r has it that the US was trying to set up an independent republic of Taiwan or Formosa or whatever, but Grandpa Chiang and the like kept saying âä¸čŚ.â
AndâŚthere is an undercurrent of folks who claim that Chiangs âreunificationâ was illegal since Taiwan was still under the jurisdiction of the US at the time.
This whole mess is just one missed opportunity after the other.
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from a purely non political perspective, the mainland is the mainland, an island is an island, a peninsula is a peninsula etc
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Yes. Thatâs very smart. You know geography. Do New Zealand people call Australia âthe Mainlandâ? Do Madagascar people call Africa âthe Mainlandâ?
Even you want to be clinical, it is a political thing. Why do Taiwan people sometimes say âthe Mainlandâ. It is clearly if you say that thinking that Taiwan is part of China. Why not just say âChinaâ instead? Semantics is important.
New Zeeland is over 4000 kilometers from Australia and not part of the same continent. Thats about 1000 kilometers more that the distance from Taipei to India.
Irrelevant. âMainlandâ is a political loaded word.
And also Taiwan is not part of a continent.Just because it have closer proximity to China than New Zealand have to Australia, it doesnât make it part of it.
Fair enough, I guess so.
You could say China or PRC, but then are you including the SARâs? Mainland is used in a relatively consistent manner and therefore is less ambiguous, despite the paradoxical inclusion of Hainan.
You keep saying this make it look like innocuous and innocent. If you say âMainlandâ you assumption is that there is one China and Taiwan is a part of it. This is KMT logic. If you want to make an excuse that is ok. But donât pretend that itâs not political and nonimportant.
And why say âthe Mainlandâ when you can just say âChinaâ? Is it very complication? Words are important.
Not necessarily. Mainland China means exactly that. It doesnât necessarily imply that thereâs any current political connection to Taiwan. There are certainly historical connections.
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When Qing dynasty annexed it or when the Japanese invaded, or when Chaing Kai Shek ran here with stolen treasure?
Why is it so hard to understand that you can call China âChinaâ not âthe Mainlandâ?
ĺ¤§é¸ is the most politically neutral term. ä¸ĺďź ä¸ĺ大é¸ďźĺ §ĺ° all have political baggage . Taiwanese are bored of this and donât want anyone talking to them about politics.
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There are longstanding historical and cultural connections.
What youâre saying isnât hard to understand, you certainly keep repeating it enough 
I just donât see it as a problemâI donât think the term necessarily holds the political connotation youâre suggesting.
OK. Itâs bang your head against a floor.
If you say âthe Mainlandâ it assumes you are part of it. Does it take Einstein to see this?
Iâm going to leave this and Iâm sorry I started. Like everyone tramp on me for saying Taiwan is not part of China. 88
Thatâs funny. You make a point. I guess you just wanted people to say âWow, thatâs right Epicphony. I never thought of that before!â But I have a contrasting opinion, which I introduce into discussionâshocking on a discussion site I knowâand you make sarcastic comments, cry youâre going to leave and say people are tramping on you.
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