How much credence is there to the idea that the "Han" Chinese ethnic group today was an invention of modern Chinese nationalists and did not exist prior to the 19th century and if so what did Chinese people refer to themselves as prior to that? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

How much credence is there to the idea that the "Han" Chinese ethnic group today was an invention of modern Chinese nationalists and did not exist prior to the 19th century and if so what did Chinese people refer to themselves as prior to that?

by CK2Benchmarks

keyilan

See:

Is the concept of the Han Chinese race a modern one? and the related question Why is such a high proportion of China Han? How has ethnicity developed in China over its history?
How did China come to be 90% Han Chinese?, specifically limitz's comment.

Answers to the majority of questions you ask here in rapid succession are actually easily found with a quick search of the subreddit.