Why was china known as the Celestial Empire?

Answer 1

One ancient name of China is Celestial Empire. China is not an empire anymore, but the name still exists in articles, stories, movies, and TV shows. The name is a direct translation of Chinese term Tian Chao (天朝), namely empire of heaven. The origin of it can be traced back to the traditional religion of China. In China, heaven is often considered the highest deity. The emperors are the sons of the heaven (Tian Zi or 天子) and are born to govern the country. Sometime, the emperors are also considered as the human form of Chinese dragon (Loong, or 龙）. So the full name should be Zhen Loong Tian Zi (真龙天子，Real Dragon the Heaven's Son）. There are several other names of China called by Chinese in history. The most widely known is Zhong Guo, or Middle Kingdom. That is when people thought the world is formed as China in center. It is a similar idea when European people called various Asia regions as Middle East and Far East. The difference is that this name has been used for almost three thousands years. Another name is less known outside China but very common in China. It's Cathay, or Huaxia (华夏). One theory claims that's because the first dynasty of China is called Xia and Hua means great and wonderful. So Cathy means Great Xia Dynasty. Later on, people sometime omit the second word Xia, and just call China Hua. Indeed, the name used in both People's Republic of China and Republic of China is Zhong Hua (中华）. One more name that is almost never heard outside China is Yan Huang Zi Sun (炎黄子孙), or the decedent of Yan and Huang. According to ancient Chinese history, all Chinese can be traced back to two major tribes. The leaders of these two tribes are called Yan and Huang, respectively. So all the Chinese are considered the decedent of Yan and Huang no matter where they are living now.

Answer 2

In ancient times, the Chinese believe that the sky presides over all living things' destiny. Some natural disasters are considered as sacred messages from the sky. And emperors are the persons who have the power to communicate those messages between the sky and ordinary people. In people's mind, emperors are heavenly borne and recognised as sons of the sky. Their orders are equal to those from the sky. Thus, the empires of their reign are called sky empires or celestial empires, which are translated literally.