Roughly the size of Europe but home to around twice as many people, China is diverse not only in geography, but also in language, culture and ethnicity. Addressing domestic ethnic affairs in contemporary China is the country’s system of regional ethnic autonomy. This system is administered through five autonomous regions, 30 autonomous prefectures and 120 autonomous counties or banners, which are collectively referred to as ethnic autonomous areas.
The origins of China’s system of regional ethnic autonomy lie in the long history of exchange between its ethnicities, which differs greatly from that of Europe.
The European experience
The concept of national autonomy arose in Europe as a result of the interplay between the quest for national independence and the dominance of imperial rule.
Beginning with the Roman Empire, different linguistic and cultural groups in Europe have been classified using the term
