Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China (PRC), excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which are under the jurisdiction of the PRC but run on different economic and political systems. The term never includes Taiwan, which are claimed by the PRC, but is administered by the Republic of China (ROC). Within China, the use of "mainland China" to refer to China is more politically sensitive, mostly due to China claiming to have sovereignty over Taiwan; using the term "mainland China" would seem to imply that Taiwan is not a part of China and thus be inconsistent with this point of view.

There are two terms in Chinese for "Mainland". Namely, Dalu (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ), which means continent, and Neidi (Chinese: ), literally inner land. The usage of the two terms are generally interchangeable and there is no prescribed method of reference in any jurisdiction.

In Taiwan, the usage of the term Mainland China was used by the KMT-ROC authoritarian party-state to emphasize their claim over all of China, not just Taiwan. Today, it remains in use in Taiwan for both historical reasons and for political purposes - specifically among those in Taiwan that support unification with China and hold a one-China view of Mainland China - Taiwan relations. However, many in Taiwan, especially supporters of a continued independent Taiwan avoid the term precisely because it implies that Taiwan and mainland China are both a part of a currently politically divided China.

Accordingly, Neidi is found to be even more offensive than Mainland China. Instead, they use China to refer to the PRC and Taiwan to refer to the ROC. This distinction holds for both English and Chinese.

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