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Research draft

China

vr.tr.china · PHY.PLC

Let an agent explain China as a region and civilisation, relay geography, historical dynasties, cultural features and the different political meanings of the name from historical, geographic and political sources with contested sovereignty claims attributed, and distinguish China as a region from the People s Republic of China, the Republic of China, Greater China and Chinese culture as a diaspora phenomenon.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain China as a region and civilisation, relay geography, historical dynasties, cultural features and the different political meanings of the name from historical, geographic and political sources with contested sovereignty claims attributed, and distinguish China as a region from the People s Republic of China, the Republic of China, Greater China and Chinese culture as a diaspora phenomenon.

China as a geographic, historical and cultural region in East Asia, the area associated with Chinese civilisation, one of the world s oldest continuous civilisations, ruled by successive dynasties from the Shang onward and unified under the Qin in 221 BC, distinct from any single state; today the name most often refers to the People s Republic of China, founded in 1949, which governs the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, while the Republic of China, founded in 1912, has governed Taiwan and nearby islands since 1949, and the political status of Taiwan is contested, with the positions of the PRC, the ROC, other governments and the UN attributed. The model presents these claims neutrally and does not take sides.

What it is for: Naming the region of Chinese civilisation.

It can be explain geography and history; relay dynasties and culture; distinguish political meanings; present sovereignty claims with attribution.

Distinguishing features

Ancient continuous civilisation

Yellow and Yangtze river basins

Multiple political meanings

Contested cross-strait status

What it looks like

A vast region of plains, river valleys, mountains, deserts and plateaus in East Asia.

Physical character

Qin unification: 221 BC year

Republic of China founded: 1912 year

People s Republic of China founded: 1949 year

How it is recognised

Region of Chinese civilisation in East Asia

China

The PRC is a state founded in 1949; the ROC governs Taiwan; Greater China is an economic and cultural grouping; Chinese culture extends to diasporas

Related models

is a kind of - in registry terms

region

is related to -

People s Republic of China

is related to -

Republic of China

is contrasted with -

Greater China

In practice

Families and kinds

historical Chinese states and dynasties

mainland China

Hong Kong and Macau

Taiwan in cross-strait context

Standards and regulation

UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971, whose interpretation is debated

ISO 3166 country codes for CN, TW, HK and MO

Failure modes and hazards

Taking sides on sovereignty

Conflating region, state and culture

Anachronistic use of modern borders

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Also registered as vr.tr.china

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Understand What China refers to.

Attribution.

Definition

Definition.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What does China mean as a region and civilisation, and how does that differ from the People s Republic of China, the Republic of China, Greater China and Chinese diaspora culture? definition
  2. Is the question about current politics or sovereignty, where positions of all parties must be attributed? boundary

Meanings

Political meanings.

Meanings

Meanings.

  1. How did the names PRC and ROC arise after the civil war? definition
  2. Which entry fits the specific state? action
Geography Geography.

Sources.

Rivers

River basins.

Rivers

Rivers.

  1. How did the Yellow River and Yangtze shape Chinese civilisation? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Regions

Physical regions.

Regions

Regions.

  1. What are the major physical regions from the Tibetan Plateau to the coastal plains? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance
History History.

Attribution.

Dynasties

Dynasties.

Dynasties

Dynasties.

  1. How do historians outline the dynasties from the Shang to the Qing? provenance
  2. Which entry fits dynasties of China? action

Modern

Twentieth century.

Modern

Modern.

  1. How did the 1911 revolution, civil war and 1949 split shape the modern political situation, as historians describe? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral and attributed? boundary
Context Cross-strait issues.

Attribution.

Taiwan status

Taiwan status.

Taiwan status

Taiwan status.

  1. What are the positions of the PRC, the ROC, the United States and other governments on Taiwan s status, with each attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral and attributed? boundary

UN

Resolution 2758.

UN

UN.

  1. What did UN Resolution 2758 decide in 1971, and how is its scope debated, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the information current? boundary

What the second pass must settle

  • How should the region, PRC and ROC entries be linked without implying positions?
  • Should historical dynasties be linked as a series?
  • How should naming conventions for Taiwan in international bodies be documented?