River valley, inhabited by the Huaxia people, who were ethnically equivalent to Han Chinese in pre-imperial discourses and said to be the descendants of the Yellow Emperor.

According to the Confucian Kong Yingda, xià ( 'grand') signified the 'greatness' in the ceremonial etiquettes of the central states, while huá ( 'flower', 'blossom') was used in reference to the beauty in the