Sinocentric

Sinocentrism (simplified Chinese: 中国中心主义; traditional Chinese: 中國中心主義; pinyin: Zhōngguó zhōngxīn zhǔyì) refers to the historical ideology that China is the cultural center of the world.

Depending on the historical context, sinocentrism can refer to either the ethnocentrism of the Han society and culture, or the modern concept of zhonghua minzu. It was popular among the Chinese elites up to the Qing dynasty, but it is not so widely popular among Chinese in present day.

In pre-modern times, it often took the form of viewing China as the most advanced civilization in the world, and external ethnic groups or foreign nations as being uncivilized to various degrees, a distinction known in Chinese as the Hua-Yi distinction. In modern times, it sometimes can take the form of according China significance or supremacy compared to other nations.

The Sinocentric system was a hierarchical system of international relations that prevailed in East Asia before the adoption of the Westphalian system in modern times. Surrounding countries such as Japan (which cut off its vassal relationship with China during the Heian period, because it regarded itself as the superior culture), Korea, the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and Vietnam were regarded as vassals of China and relations between the Chinese Empire and these peoples were interpreted as tributary relationships under which these countries offered tribute (貢品) to the Emperor of China. Areas outside the Sinocentric influence were called Huawaizhidi (化外之地; “beyond the Pale”), meaning uncivilized lands.

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Wikipedia