Celestial Empire

Celestial Empire (Chinese: 天朝; pinyin: Tiāncháo; lit. 'heavenly dynasty') is an old name used to refer to China or the Chinese Empire, from a literary and poetic translation of the Chinese term, one of many names for China.^[1] The name was used in reference to the status of the Emperor of China as the Son of Heaven in the Sinosphere.

Accordingly, in the 19th century, the name "Celestial" was used to refer to Chinese emigrants to the United States, Canada, and Australia.^[2] Both terms were widely used in the English-language popular mass media of the day,^[3][4] but fell into disuse later on. Its usage has become popular again in the present day (2015), particularly among Chinese Internet users. It is used to refer to the current Communist regime, to imply either disapproval for its political suppression and arrogance or national pride in the country's emergence as a superpower in the 21st century, depending on the context.^[5]

In modern times it has mostly fallen into disuse, but the name Celestial Empire still appears in various media such as articles, stories, movies and television. This is a literal translation of "Tian Chao" into English as mentioned above. The origin of the name goes up to traditional Chinese religions. In China with a long history, the sky is often considered the highest god. Thus, the emperors are considered Sons of Heaven (tianzi) and are born to govern the country. The emperors were also considered to be human beings of dragons. Therefore, the official name of the emperors should be the hand of the Heavenly Dragon of the Zhenlong Tienzi.^[6] The derivation of the name ‘Celestial Empire’ comes as an explicit Western translation of the Chinese term ‘Tianchao’; meaning ‘Empire of Heaven’. The foundation of the name is derived from Chinese folk religion; associating the term ‘Celestial’ with Heaven—the most prominent divinity of traditional Chinese religion. This was extremely significant in fostering Chinese nationalism and support for the emperor, as the Emperor of China was painted as the ‘Son of Heaven’; thus, making the nation governed through it an empire of imperial status.^[7]