The term "China" (Zhongguo) first appeared in inscriptions on bronze vessels and *zun* wine jars dating back to the early Western Zhou dynasty—over 3,000 years ago. Why do the Chinese take such pride in this? Because their civilization has never suffered a rupture; indeed, modern Chinese people are still able to read texts written more than 2,000 years ago.
The vast majority of people living in China belong to the Han ethnic group, accounting for over 90% of the population. But why do they identify themselves as Han? After all, in the long span of Chinese history, the Han Dynasty was merely one dynasty among many; what story, then, lies hidden behind this name?
Now, let me tell you about the origins of the Han people. The term "Han"—as in the Han people—derives from the Han Dynasty. This is because the dynasty's founding emperor, Liu Bang, was once conferred the title of "King of Han." His fiefdom was located in Hanzhong, a region traversed by the Han River—a river whose course mirrors that of the celestial Milky Way. In ancient times, the Milky Way itself was referred to simply as "Han." This usage is attested in the *Book of Songs* (Shijing), which describes: "High in the heavens lies a resplendent Milky Way—shimmering brightly, it resembles a mirror reflecting the full radiance of the firmament." As China's earliest anthology of poetry—collecting works spanning from the early Western Zhou to the mid-Spring and Autumn period (roughly the 11th to 6th centuries BCE)—the term "Han" in this context refers specifically to the Milky Way. Just think about it: the very name of this people is intertwined with the vast expanse of the starry heavens. Isn't that incredibly romantic?
So why is it that the Chinese people prefer to speak the Chinese language, use Chinese characters, and refer to themselves as "Han"? It is because the Han Dynasty of that era was incredibly powerful—but just how powerful was it, exactly? They believed that every place touched by the light of the sun and the moon belonged to the realm of the Han. If anyone dared to antagonize the Han—no matter how far they fled—they would be hunted down and killed without fail! Throughout Chinese history, almost every dynasty met its demise due to internal corruption; the sole exception is the Han Dynasty, which fragmented into three separate kingdoms—Wei, Shu, and Wu—precisely because it had grown too powerful.