Definition of "China"

The great China, whose kyng is thought... the greatest prince in the worlde.

1555, Peter Martyr, translated by Richard Eden, The Decades of the Newe Worlde..., folio 230 verso

If he tells them to build a palace forty miles long, out of di'monds, and fill it full of chewing gum, or whatever you want, and fetch an emperor's daughter from China for you to marry, they've got to do it—and they've got to do it before sun-up next morning, too.

1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […]

The Commissioner General asked for Foreign Office guidance in view of his information about earlier events relating to the British claim. In reply, the Foreign Office, in a telegram dated 12 June 1956, pointed out that as there was now a territorial dispute involving the two Chinas, the Philippines and possibly Vietnam over the Nansha Islands the British vessel should ‘stay well clear’ of Spratly Island.

1987, Geoffrey Marston, “Abandonment of Territorial Claims: The Cases of Bouvet and Spratly Islands”, in The British Year Book of International Law 1986‎, volume 57, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 356

After I was nominated to the vice-presidency, Ronald Reagan asked me to go to China to reassure Deng that, despite having mentioned it in a campaign speech, he did not believe in two Chinas, and that he would honor the Shanghai Communiqué—which declared, in effect, that there was but one China. Joined by his top foreign policy team, Deng listened carefully as I explained that Reagan’s statement had been taken out of context. Just as I was finishing, a door opened and a message was passed down the line of advisors until it reached Deng. On reading it, he looked puzzled and annoyed. “He did it again!” he announced. “Ronald Reagan has again referred to ‘two Chinas’ in a speech!” I talked fast and got out of there.

1998, George H. W. Bush et al., A World Transformed‎, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, page 93

'Only a Nixon' Could Go to China

1971 December 6, “A Size-up of President Nixon: Interview with Mike Mansfield, Senate Democratic Leader”, in US News & World Report, page 61

And I met with the President of China at great length in Florida, and we had long, long talks—hours and hours and hours.

2017, Donald J. Trump, speech at Make America Great Again Rally, Harrisburg, PA

My name is China Bayles. I'm the owner of Thyme and Seasons and the co-owner, with Ruby Wilcox, of a new tearoom called Thyme for Tea.

2001, Susan Wittig Albert, chapter 1, in Bloodroot, Berkley Publishing Group, page 3

'What's her name, this girl?' The fight had hoarsened Lynne's voice, and the words came out strangely staccato - a wooden doll that had just learned to speak.'China,' he mumbled, feeling an obscure desire to invent a pseudonym for her.'What an interesting name.'Angus struck the table edge hard. 'Aw, don't gies it.''I don't know what you mean. Or is it a nickname? Fragile, is she?'

2014, Neil D. A. Stewart, The Glasgow Coma Scale, Constable & Robinson, page 159