The challenge is to have a Communist China that constitutionally treats some or all of OTL's "autonomous regions" as "Union Republics" formally sovereign and empowered to secede.
So, in other words, Mao made this promise and then changed his mind, correct?In OTL the 1931 Constitution of the Chinese Soviet Republic proclaimed: "The Soviet government of China recognizes the right of self-determination of the national minorities in China, their right to complete separation from China, and to the formation of an independent state for each national minority. All Mongolians, Tibetans, Miao, Yao, Koreans, and others living on the territory of China shall enjoy the full right to self-determination, i.e. they may either join the Union of Chinese Soviets or secede from it and form their own state as they may prefer." https://sites.google.com/site/legalmaterialsontibet/home/communist-constitution-1931
Out of curiosity--when exactly did these ethnic groups become fully assimilated Chinese?The very most that could happen could be Min, Sichuanese and Cantonese etc. being seen as ethnicities, but that's already fairly improbable.
They always considered themselves, and were considered Han Chinese, just having different dialects/languages and similar cultures. But IMHO they're different enough to start considering themselves an ethnicity with, say a century or 2 of independence (Independence as in considering itself a nation, not as a warlord state). When a country gets big enough (eg: China, US), things like these starts to appear. Think the difference between a Texan and a Californian.Out of curiosity--when exactly did these ethnic groups become fully assimilated Chinese?
So, in other words, Mao made this promise and then changed his mind, correct?
Touche.Big difference between minor warlord state and one that unified all under Heaven.