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So, #TIL that there is nothing called Han Chinese. Just like an Ottoman is a genetic hotchpotch who looks like a converted Greek, anyone who looks like a Chinese is a Han Chinese. In fact, China is formed by three different River Valleys - Yellow River, Yangtze and Pearl River.
As time went by, Yellow River tribes expanded in all directions - North they faced resistance from the nomadic tribes, South was a cleaner invasion - tribe after tribe was annexed into China and all of them became Han Chinese - even the rulers were not Han, all of them -
Han was a Chu, Tang was probably some nomad and Qing Manchu. We know more about Manchu because of recent history. Else, no one would have known they aren't Han Chinese.
It's simple. Anyone who lands up in the Yellow River Yangtze plains and stays there for a few centuries becomes a Han Chinese. And probably the only Han Chinese who spliced off are the Dai Viet. Every other area ruled by Chinese for a millenium is Han Chinese now.
To an extent, this is the case with every old civilizaton - it's a transformation of vertical grouping of tribes to horizontal grouping of social hierarchy. Take Andhras for example. Tribe 4000 years ago. Today, they still exist. How do you distinguish them from any other Indian?
A good read on creation of Han Chinese
quora.com/What-is-the-et…
Probably the oldest map of China(Neolithic Era). Look at it. They are district tribal communities - no Han, nothing. And then, you will note that the three river cultures don't overlap. Yellow river seems to be crowded with competing cultures, but the distinction is clear.
Next one - From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Era. Even here, the distinction is clear - almost. But even here, it's just a hotchpotch of tribal unions(not even kingdoms). So, we see all of them merged to form Han Chinese. By the way, notice the Viets. They are also Han.
OK..You see Hua Xia in the map, right? That confederacy is the seed of Han China. It expanded from there absorbing everything into it.
"Huaxia is a historical concept representing the Chinese nation and civilization, and came from the self-awareness of a common cultural ancestry by the various confederacy (pre-Qin) era Han Chinese people." Well, this is utter nonsense. It is just imperial subjugation.
Probably, this is nothing more than a longing for the territorial unity under Zhou(though not as big as during the Warring States Period) which preceded the Warring States Period - probably promoted by Zhao/Wei/Han which held the core Hua Xia lands.
The rest of them are just allied tribal unions. Going by the fact that Qin defeated everyone and created the empire, it is also possible they too claimed Hua Xia ethos as successors of the Zhou. Whatever. Everyone wanted to succeed the Hua Xia Zhao and everyone is Hua Xia 😀😀
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