The autonomous regions () are the highest-level
administrative divisions of China. Like
Chinese provinces, an autonomous region has its own local government, but under
Chinese law
Chinese law is one of the oldest legal traditions in the world. The core of modern Chinese law is based on Germanic-style civil law, socialist law, and traditional Chinese approaches.
For most of the history of China, its legal syste ...
, an autonomous region has more legislative rights, such as the right to "formulate self-government regulations and other separate regulations." An autonomous region is the highest level of
minority autonomous entity in China, which has a comparably higher population of a particular minority ethnic group.
The autonomous regions are the creations of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
(PRC), as they are not recognized by the
Republic of China (ROC) based in Taiwan, which previously
ruled Mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...
before the PRC's establishment in 1949.
History
Established in 1947, the
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region became the first autonomous region in the
Chinese liberated zone.
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
was made autonomous in 1955 after the PRC's founding, and
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...
and
Ningxia were made autonomous in 1958.
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
was placed under PRC control in 1951, with some Western observers calling this an
annexation, and was named a Chinese Autonomous Region in 1965. The designation of Guangxi and Ningxia as
Zhuang and
Hui autonomous areas, respectively, was bitterly protested by the local
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive v ...
, who made up two-thirds of the population of each region. Although
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
made up an even smaller percentage of Inner Mongolia than either of these, the ensuing
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on main ...
gave little opportunity for protest.
Legal rights
Autonomous regions in China have no legal right to secede, unlike in the Soviet Union – the ''Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional Ethnic Autonomy'', written in 1984, states that "each and every ethnic autonomous region is an inseparable part of the People's Republic of China," and that "any form of... separatism... is absolutely prohibited."
List of autonomous regions
Statistics
Population
Ethnic
Note: In the "Third Largest Ethnic Group" column is the ethnic group given in brackets, after the names of the autonomous regions and Han people.
See also
*
Administrative divisions of China
**
Direct-administered municipalities of China
**
Provinces of China
The provincial level administrative divisions () are the highest-level administrative divisions of China. There are 34 such divisions claimed by the People's Republic of China, classified as 23 provinces (), five autonomous regions, four mu ...
**
Special administrative regions of China
*
Autonomous administrative division
An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy ...
*
Language Atlas of China
*
Secession in China
Secession in China refers to several secessionist movements in the People's Republic of China. Many current separatist movements in China arise from the country's ethnic issues. Some of the factors that have created these ethnic issues include ...
*
Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern standa ...
*
Republics of Russia
References
External links
Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in China
{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of Asian countries
R
Province-level divisions of China