Another related example linked here:
And what’s the meaning of DaLu, and what’s the problem with it?
Also, I thought that this thread was about the English word.
“dalu” means “continent” or “continental” or “mainland”. Locally it’s very often used as a synonym for “China” in Chinese and Taiwanese. I wonder if it’s solely a post-1949 usage in that context or might have preceded it? The old KMT government typically referred to China as “mainland China” (hence preserving the notion of “one China”) and it has been common in newspapers and other contexts. This usage crept into English as well.