Red China
1
7.6
- proper noun
- Offensive
:
China roja
- During the Cold War, many Western nations were cautious in their dealings with Red China.
Examples
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Example: I could see a necessity for the Nixon Administration to lie about negotiating with Red China before things were settled enough to go public.
Blog text (4) -
The documentary explored the historical impact of Red China on global politics.
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The one who had gotten here from Red China (as it was called at the time) was a bit odd as she was way political, but still easy to work with.
Blog text (4) -
Many intellectuals debated the cultural changes occurring in Red China after the revolution.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A large country in East Asia with more people than any other country
11
2.1
The official name of China, a communist country with the world's biggest population
9
4.7
A short form of the name People's Republic of China
5
3.6
A country ruled by the Communist Party since 1949
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines the adjective 'red' (here a political/color label) with the country name 'China', so its meaning 'communist China' is partly derivable from the constituents if the learner knows that 'red' commonly symbolizes communism. However, recognising this political symbolism and the historical/dialectal usage requires cultural knowledge beyond basic word meanings, so the link is not fully predictable for an average B1 learner.
Etymology
The term Red China comes from the colour red, which was used for the communist flag and to show communist ideas. Western writers used Red China during the Cold War to mean the People's Republic of China under communist rule, so the phrase came to mean 'the communist government in China'.