In ancient times, "China" did not appear as a formal country name, because the dynasty or regime at that time only had a country name, and there was no country name. What they call "China" refers to the concepts of region and culture.
The real use of "China" as the abbreviation of the official country name began with the founding of the Republic of China after the famous Revolution of 1911 in modern times. Since then, "China" has become an official name with national significance. Today, "China" is a country composed of Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and its full name is "People's Republic of China (PRC)".