Prior to the Han dynasty, ancient Chinese scholars used the term Huaxia (, "the magnificent Xia") in texts to describe China proper, while the Chinese populus were referred to as either the "various Hua" () or the "various Xia" (). This gave rise to a term commonly used nowadays by overseas Chinese as an ethnic identity for the Chinese diaspora – "Huaren" (, "ethnic Chinese people"), "Huaqiao" (, "the Chinese immigrant" meaning overseas Chinese) as well as a literary name for China – "Zhonghua" (, "the Central Chinese"). "Zhonghua" refers more to the culture of Chinese people, although it may also be seen as equivalent to "Zhonghua minzu". The overseas Chinese use "Huaren" or "Huaqiao" instead of "Zhongguoren" (), which commonly refers to citizens of the People's Republic of China.