China proper

A map of the extent of Chinese territory in the late Ming Dynasty (c. late 16th to early 17th centuries)

"China proper" is a term which refers to the core area of China controlled by the majority of China's historical dynasties. The precise borders of China proper are undefined, as the various Chinese states waxed and waned over the centuries, but most key is that "China proper" excludes areas such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, and Taiwan which were not historically controlled or dominantly inhabited by Han people until the 17th-19th centuries.