||Ethnic regional autonomy is the central institutional arrangement in ethnic policies implemented in PRC. This system, originally designed for ethnic accommodation, has evolved into "new" institutional functions during China's radical social transition since 1980s. It has been exploited by ethnic elites in pursuit of their own interests, and practically excludes ethnic grassroots. Simultaneously, due to de facto collapse of the Communist ideology in Chinese society, ethnicization has become a fast developing social movement within ethnic communities. Ethnic regional autonomy system provides rich resources for such a movement and faces critical challenge in contemporary China. This thesis attempts to use the Yitong Manchu Autonomous County as an example to analyze the practical impact of ethnic regional autonomy in Chinese society.