Will China break up into separate countries?
Will local autonomy, warlordism re-occur?
Note long history, pattern of ebb and flow of central power over provinces:
classic phrase:  "What is united will divide, what is divided will unify." (First line of Romance of the Three Kingdoms)
    China has broken up many times, but always re-united.
    Check Historical Maps
        The "least, most recently integrated" regions are:
                Xinjiang, Tibet, Taiwan

    Historically, China has feared attacks from Asian Kingdoms
            Built the Great Wall, maintained armies for defense and punishment

            Chinese capital (ChangAn) was conquered by Tibetan kingdom in 700s
            Jurchens, Khitans ruled some regions in northwest of China, 916-1234
            Mongols conqured, ruled China as Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368
            Manchus conqured, ruled China as Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911
                    note: 356 of last 725 years were under foreign rule!
 
 

1. Structure

Administrative divisions:
 

• Constitutional provisions

• Note: These are historically based, often with mountain ranges separating them

            Often have regionally integrated economies, regional dialects
            food culture (very spicy = Sichuan, Hunan)
            political (rebellious = Hunan)
• 22 Provinces   Introduction to various provinces
• 5 Autonomous provinces (Guangxi Zhuang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui, Tibet, Xinjiang Uygur)
• constitutional status
• China has 56 listed minority groups, distinguished by language, religion, clothing, music, architecture, agricultural practices, medical practices, historical migration patterns, etc.

Minorities include 56 groups, 91 million people, 8% of population, inhabit 60% of land
see map

Minority Group	(millions)
Zhuang	15.4
Hui (Muslim)	8.6
Uygur	7.2
Yi	6.5
Tibetans	4.5
Miao	7.3
Manchu	9.8
Mongols	4.8
Bouyei	2.1
Koreans	1.9

• have minority figurehead leaders
• local laws, local language broadcasting and publication
• affirmative action on family planning, education, jobs
• interesting article on a Muslim enclave (Dongxiang in Gansu)
• Concerning Tibet:
• Marital Alliance with imperial court, 706
• Tibet was a powerful empire in 700s, conqured China's capital
• 9-13 century, weak divided
• 1207 - gave tribute to Mongols, Gengis Khan
• 1239 invaded by Mongols
• More or less independent for 300 years
• Absorbed into China by Qing
• Great Britain tried to make Tibet independent in early 1900s but China never agreed
• In modern times, Tibet has never been recognized as a de-jure country
• 4 Centrally administered municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chungqing)
• 2 Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong, Macao)
• high degree of autonomy for 50 years
• 1 Taiwan -- what might it become?
• Significant Provincial differences

economic differences
    rich: Shanghai, Guangdong
    access to foreign trade: Coastal provinces
    linkages to overseas Chinese: Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai
    private economy: Guangdong, Fujian
    old industry (rust belt), state owned industry:: NE (Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning
    very poor: semi-arid, saline areas, overpopulated: Gansu, Qinghai, Anhui, Henan
              differences lead to great pressures for migration
     minorities: Yunnan, all provinces on perimeter of China (autonomous provinces) and special political issues

Notes:

• The county (xian) has a long history,  the county seat is a small city.
• Towns are often important local marketing centers. Previously were administrative centers of Rural Communes
• There is sharp legal and cultural difference between urban (shi) and rural (xian, xiang)

Distribution of Power

central government powers

• appoint provincial gov't and party leaders
• audit, disciplinary inspections
• can conduct trials for corruption
• make rules and regulations for local administration
• can conduct policy experimentation and demonstration
• military power over provinces
• some budgetary control, but limited after 1994 revenue sharing policy
• signficant control over large foreign investments
• significant control over inter-regional infrastructre and transporation (railroads, highways, aviation)

Provincial Powers

• Economic protectionism

    protect local jobs, resources,
    interfere with inter-regional trade
    refuse to enforce court judgements made in other provinces
    encourage investment
    Police powe,  can conduct or block investigations of corruption

Local Administration

County administration responsibilities are substantial for county of 400,000 people (p. 162)

party: organization, propaganda, political-legal, discipine-inspection, party school, research
government:

industry-commerce, finance, agriculture, water management, flood control, economic development, construction and environment, land, economic management, plan-statistics, education, letters-visitors, family planning, personnel, labor-social security, public security, civil affairs, audit, justice, prices, culture-sports, TV-radio, technology, health, science-technology, environmental protection, supervision, archives, united front, asset management, economic reform, spiritual civilization, elderly, protection of secrets, publication, military draft, emergency services, general administrative services, research, supervision and guidance for education, mass organizations (youth, women, labor, industry-commerce, disabled, handicrafts)

New tax system gives local areas a lot of autonomy but limited governmental financial support
incentives for

productive investments (tourism, manufacturing), with little need to pay taxes
predatory behavior, collect fees, extra budget revenue
    eg: labor permit, labor contract, leave province, child health inspection, marriage, permit for family planning, enterprise management, bicycle, ag machine road use,
reduce services that do not generate revue: education, health services
cut staff, raise salaries

General perception is that all the fees are for restaurant bills, eating and drinking, corruption
No one wants to pay taxes for services

236wang7.htm Chapter on local politics, ethnicity
 

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