View source for Autonomous regions of China

{{Short description|none}}
{{Distinguish|Special administrative regions of China|Autonomous administrative divisions of China}}
{{About|text=For the five autonomous regions, see [[Guangxi]], [[Inner Mongolia|Inner Mongolia (Nei Menggu)]], [[Ningxia]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet (Xizang)]], and [[Xinjiang]].}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2018}}
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{{Infobox subdivision type
| name = Autonomous regions<br>{{nobold|{{lang|zh-hans|自治区}}}}<br/>{{nobold|{{Transliteration|zh|Zìzhìqū}}}}
| alt_name = 
| map = [[File:China autonomous regions.svg|250px]]
| category = [[Unitary state]]
| territory = [[China]]
| start_date = 
| current_number = 5 ([[Guangxi]], [[Inner Mongolia]], [[Ningxia]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]], and [[Xinjiang]])
| number_date = 
| population_range = 110,879,058{{efn|Guangxi – 50,126,804<br />Inner Mongolia – 24,049,155<br />Ningxia – 7,202,654<br />Xinjiang – 25,852,345<br />Tibet – 3,648,100}}
| area_range = {{Convert|4,380,000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}{{efn|Guangxi – {{Convert|237,600|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}<br />Inner Mongolia – {{Convert|1,183,000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}<br />Ningxia – {{Convert|66,400|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}<br />Xinjiang – {{Convert|1,665,000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}<br />Tibet – {{Convert|1,228,000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}}}
| government = Regional People's Government, [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|Central People's Government]]
| subdivision = [[Prefecture-level city]], [[prefectures of China|prefecture]], [[leagues of China|league]], [[Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial autonomous prefecture|sub-provincial autonomous prefecture]], [[autonomous prefecture]]
}}

{{Administrative levels and divisions of China sidebar}}

The '''autonomous regions''' ({{lang-zh|s=自治区|p=Zìzhìqū}}) are one of four types of [[province-level divisions of China|province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China]]. Like [[provinces of China|Chinese provinces]], an autonomous region has its own local government, but under the [[law of the People's Republic of China]], an autonomous region has more legislative rights, such as the right to "formulate self-government regulations and other separate regulations."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in China (2005)|url=http://english1.english.gov.cn/official/2005-07/28/content_18127.htm|access-date=2021-07-07|website=english1.english.gov.cn|archive-date=2021-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501042720/http://english1.english.gov.cn/official/2005-07/28/content_18127.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> An autonomous region is the highest level of [[Autonomous administrative divisions of China|minority autonomous entity in China]], which has a comparably higher population of a particular minority ethnic group.

There are five autonomous regions in China: [[Guangxi]], [[Inner Mongolia|Inner Mongolia (Nei Menggu)]], [[Ningxia]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet (Xizang)]], and [[Xinjiang]].

==History==
Established in 1947, the [[Inner Mongolia|Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]] became the first autonomous region in the [[Communist-controlled China (1927–1949)|Chinese liberated zone]]. [[Xinjiang]] was made autonomous in 1955 after the PRC's founding, and [[Guangxi]] and [[Ningxia]] were made autonomous in 1958. [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]] was [[Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China|annexed]] by the People's Republic of China in 1951, and was declared an autonomous region in 1965. The designation of Guangxi and Ningxia as [[Zhuang people|Zhuang]] and [[Hui people|Hui]] autonomous areas, respectively, was protested by the local [[Han Chinese]], who made up two-thirds of the population of each region.{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}} Although [[Mongols in China|Mongols]] made up an even smaller percentage of Inner Mongolia than either of these, the ensuing [[Chinese Civil War]] gave little opportunity for protest.<ref>{{cite book |title = Government Policies and Ethnic Relations in Asia and the Pacific |publisher = MIT Press |editor1-first = Michael Edward |editor1-last = Brown |editor2-first = Šumit |editor2-last = Ganguly |year=1997 |chapter = Assimilation and Accommodation in China |first = June Teufel |last = Dreyer |page = 365}}</ref>

==Legal rights==
Autonomous regions in China have no legal right to secede, [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|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{{nbsp}}... separatism{{nbsp}}... is absolutely prohibited."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-08-27|title=First Union Constitution|url=http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1924-2/union-treaty/union-treaty-texts/first-union-constitution/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-07|website=Seventeen Moments in Soviet History|language=en-US|quote=ARTICLE 4. Each one of the member Republics retains the right to freely withdraw from the union.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111063238/http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1924-2/union-treaty/union-treaty-texts/first-union-constitution/ |archive-date=2017-01-11 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=中华人民共和国民族区域自治法 – Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional Ethnic Autonomy|url=http://www.gov.cn/test/2005-07/29/content_18338.htm|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-07|website=www.gov.cn|quote=各民族自治地方都是中华人民共和国不可分离的部分 – Each and every ethnic autonomous region is an inseparable part of the People's Republic of China.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051210184637/http://www.gov.cn:80/test/2005-07/29/content_18338.htm |archive-date=2005-12-10 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Zhu|first1=Yuchao|last2=Blachford|first2=Dongyan|date=2006-08-31|title=China's Fate as a Multinational State: a preliminary assessment|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10670560500535043|journal=Journal of Contemporary China|language=en|volume=15|issue=47|pages=329–348|doi=10.1080/10670560500535043|s2cid=154008693|issn=1067-0564|quote=Based on China’s Constitution, any sub-national unit, either a province or an ethnic minority autonomous region, does not legally have the right to secede from China.|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

== Public goods and services ==
In general, China's minority regions have some of the highest per capita government spending on education, among other [[Public good (economics)|public goods]] and services.<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Lin |first=Shuanglin |title=China's Public Finance: Reforms, Challenges, and Options |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-009-09902-8 |edition= |location=New York, NY}}</ref>{{Rp|page=366}} Providing public goods and services in these areas is part of a government effort to reduce regional inequalities, reduce the risk of separatism, and stimulate economic development.<ref name=":022" />{{Rp|page=366}}

== List of autonomous regions ==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; font-size:90%; line-height:1.2em;"
! Name in English
! width="13%" | Simplified Chinese<br />Pinyin
! Abbreviation
! Local name<br />[[SASM/GNC romanization]] (Language)
! Capital
! [[List of ethnic groups in China|Designated<br />minority]]
!Language
! Pre-1949 ROC subdivision
|-
! style="background:#f2f2f2;" | [[Inner Mongolia|Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]]
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | {{lang|zh-cn|内蒙古自治区}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Nèi Měnggǔ Zìzhìqū}}
| {{lang|zh-hans|{{linktext|蒙}}}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Měng}}<br />(IMAR)
| {{lang|mn|{{MongolUnicode|ᠦᠪᠦᠷ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠤᠯ ᠤᠨ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠣ ᠣᠷᠣᠨ}}}} <br />{{Transliteration|mn|Öbür mongüol-un öbertegen zasaqu orun}} ([[Mongolian language|Mongolian]])
| [[Hohhot]]<br />({{lang|zh|呼和浩特}})
{{lang|mn|{{MongolUnicode|ᠬᠥᠬᠡᠬᠣᠲᠠ}}}}
| [[Mongols in China|Mongol]]
|[[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]
|[[Suiyuan]], [[Chahar Province|Chahar]], [[Rehe Province|Rehe]], [[Liaobei]], [[Xing'an Province|Xing'an]], [[Gansu]], and [[Ningxia]]
|-
! style="background:#f2f2f2;" | [[Guangxi|Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region]]
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | {{lang|zh-cn|广西壮族自治区}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Guǎngxī Zhuàngzú Zìzhìqū}}
| {{lang|zh|{{linktext|桂}}}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Guì}}<br />(GZAR)
| {{lang|za|Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih}} ([[Standard Zhuang]]/[[Zhuang language|Zhuang]])
| [[Nanning]]<br />({{lang|zh-hans|南宁}}; {{lang|za|Nanzningz}})
| [[Zhuang people|Zhuang]]
|[[Zhuang language|Zhuang]], [[Standard Zhuang language]] (Vahcuengh)
|[[Guangxi]] (province)
|-
! style="background:#f2f2f2;" | [[Tibet Autonomous Region]]
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | {{lang|zh-cn|西藏自治区}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Xīzàng Zìzhìqū}}
| {{lang|zh|{{linktext|藏}}}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Zàng}}<br />(TAR)
| {{bo-textonly|བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།}}<br />{{Transliteration|bo|Poi Ranggyong Jong}} ([[Standard Tibetan]])
| [[Lhasa (prefecture-level city)|Lhasa]]<br />({{lang|zh-hans|拉萨}}; {{bo-textonly|ལྷ་ས།}})
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]
|[[Standard Tibetan]]
|[[Tibet Area (administrative division)|Tibet Area]], [[Xikang]]
|-
! style="background:#f2f2f2;" | [[Ningxia|Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region]]
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | {{lang|zh-cn|宁夏回族自治区}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Níngxià Huízú Zìzhìqū}}
| {{lang|zh-hans|{{linktext|宁}}}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Níng}}<br />(NHAR)
| {{N/A|The Hui speak [[Chinese language|Chinese]]}}
| [[Yinchuan]]<br />({{lang|zh-hans|银川}})
| [[Hui people|Hui]]
|[[Dungan language|Dungan]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
|[[Ningxia]] (province)
|-
! style="background:#f2f2f2;" | [[Xinjiang|Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region]]
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | {{lang|zh-cn|新疆维吾尔自治区}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Xīnjiāng Wéiwú'ěr Zìzhìqū}}
| {{lang|zh|{{linktext|新}}}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Xīn}}<br />(XUAR)
| {{lang|ug-Arab|شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونى }}<br />{{Transliteration|ug|Shinjang Uyghur Aptonom Rayoni}} ([[Uyghur language|Uyghur]])
| [[Ürümqi]]<br />({{lang|zh-hans|乌鲁木齐}}; {{lang|ug-Arab|ئۈرۈمچی}})
| [[Uyghurs|Uyghur]]
|[[Uyghur language|Uyghur]]
|[[Xinjiang Province, Republic of China|Xinjiang]] (province)
|}

== Statistics ==

=== Population ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Administrative Division || National Share (%) 
![[2020 Chinese census|2020 Census]]<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web |title=Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 3) |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817188.html |access-date=10 August 2021 |website=stats.gov.cn}}</ref>|| [[2010 Chinese census|2010 Census]]<ref name="census2010">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/newsandcomingevents/t20110429_402722516.htm 
 |title=Communiqué of the National Bureau of Statistics of People's Republic of China on Major Figures of the 2010 Population Census 
 |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]] 
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727021210/http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/newsandcomingevents/t20110429_402722516.htm 
 |archive-date=2013-07-27 
}}</ref> || 2000 Census<ref name="census2000">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020331_15435.htm 
 |script-title=zh:现将2000年第五次全国人口普查快速汇总的人口地区分布数据公布如下 
 |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]] 
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829052024/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020331_15435.htm 
 |archive-date=2012-08-29 
}}</ref> || 1990 Census<ref name="census1990">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16772.htm 
 |script-title=zh:中华人民共和国国家统计局关于一九九〇年人口普查主要数据的公报 
 |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]] 
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619002216/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16772.htm 
 |archive-date=2012-06-19 
}}</ref> || 1982 Census<ref name="census1982">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16769.htm 
 |script-title=zh:中华人民共和国国家统计局关于一九八二年人口普查主要数字的公报 
 |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]] 
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510075429/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16769.htm 
 |archive-date=2012-05-10 
}}</ref> || 1964 Census<ref name="census1964">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16768.htm 
 |script-title=zh:第二次全国人口普查结果的几项主要统计数字 
 |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]] 
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914173158/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16768.htm 
 |archive-date=2012-09-14 
}}</ref> || 1954 Census<ref name="census1954">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16767.htm 
 |script-title=zh:中华人民共和国国家统计局关于第一次全国人口调查登记结果的公报 
 |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]] 
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805174810/http://www.stats.gov.cn/TJGB/RKPCGB/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16767.htm 
 |archive-date=2009-08-05 
}}</ref>
|-
|[[Guangxi]] || 3.55 
|50,126,804|| 46,026,629 || 43,854,538 || 42,245,765 || 36,420,960 || 20,845,017 || 19,560,822
|-
|[[Inner Mongolia]] || 1.70 
|24,049,155|| 24,706,321 || 23,323,347 || 21,456,798 || 19,274,279 || 12,348,638 || 6,100,104
|-
|[[Ningxia]] || 0.51 
|7,202,654|| 6,176,900 || 5,486,393 || 4,655,451 || 3,895,578 || * || *
|-
|[[Tibet Autonomous Region]] || 0.26 
|3,648,100|| 3,002,166 || 2,616,329 || 2,196,010 || 1,892,393 || 1,251,225 || 1,273,969
|-
|[[Xinjiang]] || 1.83 
|25,852,345|| 21,813,334 || 18,459,511 || 15,155,778 || 13,081,681 || 7,270,067 || 4,873,608
|-
!Total
!7.85
!110,879,058
!101,725,350
!93,740,118
!85,709,802
!74,561,891
!41,714,947
!31,808,503
|}

=== Ethnic ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"								
! Administrative Division || Titular Ethnic Group || Han Chinese || Other ethnic minorities
|-
| Xinjiang (Uyghur) ||45.0% ||42.2% ||12.8%
|-
| Tibet (Tibetan) ||86.0% ||12.2% ||1.8%
|-
| Inner Mongolia (Mongol) ||17.7% ||78.7% ||3.6%
|-
| Ningxia (Hui) ||35.0% ||64.1 % ||0.9%
|-
| Guangxi (Zhuang) ||31.4% ||62.5 % || 6.1%
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|China}}
* [[Administrative divisions of China]]
** [[Autonomous prefecture]]
** [[Direct-administered municipalities of China]]
** [[Provinces of China]]
** [[Special administrative regions of China]]
* [[Autonomous administrative division]]
* [[Language Atlas of China]]
* [[Secession in China]]
* [[Standard Chinese]]
* [[Republics of Russia]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.china-un.ch/eng/rqrd/jblc/t187368.htm Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in China]

{{Clear}}
{{Province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China}}
{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of Asian countries}}

[[Category:Autonomous regions of China| ]]
[[Category:Autonomous administrative divisions of China|R]]
[[Category:Province-level divisions of China]]