has spent most of his life advocating for Tibetan independence and autonomy from China.

The issue of China ruling over autonomous regions is controversial. Many wonder whether

they should belong to China at all. So, what are China’s autonomous regions, and are

they really all that autonomous?

Well, the autonomous regions were mostly established during the mid 20th century, as China would

capture nearby territory, populated by an ethnic minority. Others are former provinces

delegated to threatened ethnic groups. While Han Chinese make up most of China’s population,

there are 55 officially recognized ethnic groups in the country. Autonomous regions

are meant to provide a few of these marginalized groups with self-appointed local governments.

The most well known autonomous region is Tibet. Since China’s communist army annexed the

Tibetan region and established an autonomous zone in 1965, many have protested China’s

encroachment. Tibetans believe themselves to be culturally distinct from the Chinese,

and harbor resentment from China’s Cultural Revolution, which saw the destruction of many

Tibetan monasteries. Amnesty International and the UN have accused the Chinese government

of human rights violations against Tibetans and protesters, including wrongful imprisonment,

torture and even executions.

While Tibetan separatists get the most attention, the most violent and radical separatist movement

is in the far-western autonomous region of Xinjiang. The local Muslim Uyghur population

sees Chinese control as an illegal occupation of their long held territory. In addition,

the Chinese have implemented restrictions on Islamic practices and put tight controls

on religious schools. Unlike the peaceful Tibetans, Uyghur separatists have resorted

to terrorist violence in order to liberate the region. In 2014, the Uyghurs were held

responsible for a deadly train station attack which killed 29 civilians.

But not every autonomous region is marred by this kind of tension. Ningxia (NING-SHAW),

in central China, is home to most of the nation’s non-violent Muslim population, known as the

Hui (WHOAY) people. Inner Mongolia, in the north, is home to China’s Mongol population.

It also hosts most of the country’s coal industry, which makes up a quarter of the

world’s total coal reserves. Guangxi (GWANG-SHI), on the southern coast, is a peaceful and prosperous

agricultural hub.

While the Chinese government claims to offer more rights for ethnic minorities in these

regions, they are “autonomous” in name only. Chinese culture still dominates, and

top level political leaders are still usually of Han Chinese descent. Beyond segregating

minorities, there is little difference between an “autonomous region” and a normal Chinese

province.

Tensions among ethnic groups are a pretty big issue in China. So is income inequality

and corruption, which is evident if you look at their HUGE number of billionaires. To find

out more about China’s BURGEONING billionaire class, check out our video. Thanks for watching

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