自治州

A 自治州 is a prefecture-level ethnic minority self-governed region, sitting between 自治区 (province-level autonomous region) and 自治县 (county-level). China has about 30 of them - mostly in Yunnan, Guizhou, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Sichuan, Jilin, and Hunan. Local ethnic languages and customs receive special legal protection.

Autonomous divisions form a three-tier hierarchy: 自治区 (qū) > 自治州 (zhōu) > 自治县 (xiàn). The name usually includes the dominant ethnicity: 延边朝鲜族自治州 (Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture).