Shangea

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Auspicious Republic of Shangea
晓东吉祥共和国
Xiǎodōng Jíxiáng Gònghéguó
Flag of
Flag
Emblem of
Emblem
Motto: 吉祥我国多么光芒万丈！
How bright is our Auspicious Nation!
National ideology: National Principlism
Anthem:    胜利进行曲
Shènglì jìnxíngqǔ
MediaPlayer.png
National seal · National Flower
晓东吉祥共和之玺 · 洋紫荆 (Bauhinia orchid)
Xiaodong seal.png · Banhinia Orchid.png
Location of Shangea in Coius
Location of Shangea in Coius
Capital
and largest city
Rongzhuo
Official languagesShangean
Recognised regional languagesChanwan, Paisha
OtherBa, Shukin, Hohua, Dakatan
Ethnic groups
(2013)
Shangean (74.4%)
Chanwan (8.8%)
Ba (4.3%)
Shao (3.2%)
Pala (1.7%)
Ho Ne (1.5%)
Irfanics (1.2%)
Senrian (0.4%)
Other (4.5%)
Demonym(s)Shangean
GovernmentUnitary authoritarian republic
Yuan Xiannian
• Premier
Wen Kezhi
Wang Hongzhi
Tang Shanyuan
Yi Shaoqing
LegislatureLegislative Council
Establishment
1866
20 September 1936
Area
• 
6,898,573 km2 (2,663,554 sq mi)
Population
• 2023 estimate
745,173,574
GDP (PPP)estimate
• Total
€11,685,066 million
• Per capita
€15,681
GDP (nominal)estimate
• Total
€6,380,176 million
• Per capita
€8,562
Gini39.8
medium
HDI0.744
high
CurrencyKuai (SHK)
Date formatyyy-mm-dd
Driving sideright
Calling code+893
ISO 3166 codeXI
Internet TLD.sh

The Auspicious Republic of Shangea (晓东国吉祥共和; Xiǎodōng Jíxiáng Gònghéguó) more commonly known as Shangea (晓东国; Xiǎodōngguó) is a nation in Coius bordering Kuthina to the east, the unrecognised republic of Heijiang to the southeast, Zomia and Hacyinia to the northeast, Zorasan to the north, Duran and Ansan to the northwest and in the west having maritime borders with Senria. It has a population of 745,173,574 with a nominal GDP of €6,380,176 million, with its capital and largest city being Rongzhuo located in the northeastern interior.

The home of the Shangean people, Shangea was first united by the Jianzhao Emperor in 650 BCE under the Xiang dynasty which ruled Shangea from 200 BCE to its collapse in 100 CE - during the rule of the Xiang dynasty Ruism became prevalent. Following the Xiang were the Song dynasty who introduced Zohism but collapsed in 400 CE when the country became politically unstable the period known as the "War of Four Kingdoms" as rival warlords and nobles fought for control. In 691 Shangea was united again under the Tao dynasty that oversaw the high point of Shangean literature and art. However, in 1356 the Tao dynasty was usurped by the Jiao clan who created the Jiao dynasty. Although initially wealthy, by the 1600's the Jiao dynasty was being torn apart by civil war and uprisings, most disastrously the Red Orchid Rebellion. In the late 1660's the dynasty finally collapsed, resulting in a Senrian warlord to conquer Shangea and create the Toki dynasty. However, the Toki's attempts to promote Senrian culture led to the development of Shangean nationalism.

During the late 1700’s and early 1800’s the Toki came under pressure from various colonial powers having to lease several port cities to countries such as Gaullica, Estmere and Etruria after the XXX war. A default of Shangean debts in 1847 led to foreign domination of the Shangean economy which started to cause substantial unrest. The continued failure to confront foreign powers led to a coalition of nobles and military officers in 1864 to stage the Restoration War with overthrew the Toki dynasty and led to the enthronement of the Xiyong Emperor who created the Heavenly Shangean Empire that oversaw a period of economic modernisation and semi-constitutional rule. During this period Shangea subjugated neighbouring states and as a result of Shangea's victory in the Etrurian-Shangean War became recognised as a great power in the process becoming aligned with Gaullica.

During the 1920's the Shangean state became more totalitarian under the Shanrong Emperor who entered Shangea into the Entente. Shangea launched an invasion of Senria in 1927 which led to the start of the Great War which saw Shangea participate in the Senrian Genocide and eventually be defeated by the forces of the Grand Alliance. The end of the Great War led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the creation of the Republic of Shangea. The republic was unpopular and soon destablised, leading to the Corrective Revolution that triggered the Shangean Civil War. The war saw rebel forces under Lu Keqian take power who created a dictatorship based on National Principlism. In 1984 Shangea began to marketise its economy, although the governing regime has maintained a monopoly on political power. This political hegemony was challenged in 2016 after sustained pro-democratic protests leading to the beginning of "Normalisation under Yuan Xiannian.

Shangea is currently a dictatorship, with its ceremonial head of state being State Chairman of the legislative branch of the government, the State Presidium, and the head of government being the Premier of the executive branch of government, the Council of Ministers. Since the 1980's Shangea has undertaken substantial political reforms although corruption has remained.

Shangea’s economy has been described as being in a system of state capitalism in which bureaucrats and corporations known as Caihongs are the cornerstones of the economy. Although part of the Shangean economy are state owned, it has undergone substantial neoliberalisation with most state owned corporations being privatised. Major Shangean exports include coal, rice, bauxite and coffee. Shangea is a member of the Community of Nations, and maintains relations with most other nations, both democratic and dictatorial, having especially close relations with Union of Zorasani Irfanic Republics as part of the Rongzhuo Strategic Protocol Organisation. Shangea's cultural influence, growing economy, interventionist foreign policy and possession of nuclear weapons makes it a great power on the world stage and a regional power in southern Coius, albeit one marked with rivalry with Senria.

Etymology

The name "Shangea" is an exonym , with the name of the country in fuhao is Xiǎodōng (/ɕiɑu tʊŋ/). The characters of 晓东 translate to "Dawning East". The characters were first used to describe Shangea by the Tao dynasty, and were during the Toki Sougunate recognised as the name of the country by Shangean nationalists, and was adopted as the name of the country following the Restoration Revolution.

The name Shangea was first used by the Etrurian explorer Alessandro Vespasi and is based on the Pardarian name for the Xiang dynasty shaangu (شیانگ) in 1224. It has since been the name to describe the country predominantly in Euclea.

The current name of Shangea, the "Auspicious Republic of Shangea" (晓东吉祥共和国; Xiǎodōng Jíxiáng Gònghéguó) was adopted following the Corrective Revolution in 1936.

History

Ancient Shangea

The first human life in modern day Shangea is recorded to date back to the 6th millennium BC with early Neolithic sites with human remains having been unearthed through archaeology. The first humans in modern day Shangea are commonly referred to by anthropologists as "proto-Shangean" having immigrated from Lahudica, originally settling in the southern coastal regions before moving into the more mountainous north during the neolithic period. The proto-Shangean at this point shared similarities with Monic people from Koyro and Tuthina, with the more modern "Shangean" people largely being a mix of the proto-Shangean people's.

The first Syodongmun inscription found in Shangea dating back from around 850BCE
The proto-Shangean people's had infrequent contact with Koy tribes. In the north of the country much of the population was nomadic whilst in the south proto-Shangean people began to adopt more agricultural lifestyles. Most proto-Shangean resided in along the Miaoshen river, with migration to more mountainous regions of the country being slow as the population concentrated in the southern coastal regions. Early agriculture was primarily focused around the growing of rice and the rearing of livestock. Proto-Shangean people had begun to form small city states around 3000BC with the beginning of the Shangean bronze age, in which semi-cohesive cultural attitudes and trends began to emerge. It was during the creation of these city states that basic political units based around kings and feudal lords began to arise alongside the concept of families. Shangea was ruled for a time by various tribes such as the Xitain, Donghu, Banpo and Caotang.

The Great Monic Migration resulted in marauding tribes to Monicnise ancient Shangea, displacing the local language and resulting in the development of the Shangean language. The migration which took place between 2000-1000 BCE and resulted in a the societal shift to nomadic communities. This started to end around 1000 BCE when pastoral lifestyles began to develop, with farmers utilising intensive dry-field and paddy-field agriculture around 900 BCE.

In 850 BCE the Miaoshen river civilisation developed, which was considered the first recognisably Xiadongese society began to emerge. The Miaoshen river civilisation saw the Syodongmun script begin to be used by Shangean elites and adapted to fit the Shangean language, whilst society became dominated by large land owning families began to create proto-states, with a distinctive land owning class emerging. The Miaoshen river civilisation developed into the ancient kingdoms of Shan and Xiao, although very little is known about these kingdoms.

Xiang dynasty (650BCE-100CE)

The first unified Shangean state was formed around 500 BCE by the legendary Jianzhao Emperor, who created the Empire of Great Xiang (大向帝国; Dà Xiàng Dì Guó). Traditional Shangean canon states that the Jianzhao Emperor was the son of Heaven who successfully united petty kingdoms which he named the "tianxia" (天下; "under heaven"). The existence of the Jianzhao Emperor has been hard to verify with most archaeologists saying the founding of the Xiang dynasty as traditionally told is a myth, with some archaeologists saying that Xiang dynasty was more likely to be founded in 400 BCE. It is known that at the same time of the Xiang dynasty's existence several other smaller kingdoms and that the Xiang emperors retroactively justified the rise of the Xiang as they had taken the "Mandate of Heaven" (天命). The original capital of the Xiang dynasty was recorded to be Fuzhou (复州; Fùzhōu) which is near modern day city of Lunkeng.

Under the Xiang a feudal system was implemented, with the well-field system (井田制度; jǐngtián zhìdù) being its central feature. Society was divided between aristocratic clans that supported a centralised government around the Emperor. The mid-Xiang period (50 BCE - 300 CE) saw a tight centralisation of power by Shangean Emperors, who moved the capital to Rongzhuo (容㒂; Róngzhuó) around 0 CE.

Sun dynasty (100-400)

  • Empire of Great Sun - 大孫帝国 - Dà Sūn Dì Guó
  • Peasants found this dynasty
  • cultural stuff
  • dissolves into civil war by 400

Four Kingdoms (400-691)

  • four clans continually rule
  • division and civil war
  • glorious emperor unites Shangea

Tao dynasty (691-1356)

  • Empire of Great Tao - 大陶帝国 - Dà Táo Dì Guó
  • longest serving dynasty
  • ruled by strong emperors inspired by legalism
  • glorious defeat of Senria by legalist emperor
  • buddhism and Kamism arrives
  • lots of art and culture
  • dynasty gets poor
  • weak boy emperor is couped by one family who are the power behind the throne - the Jiao family

Jiao dynasty (1356-1667)

  • Empire of Great Jiao - 大皎帝国 - Dà Jiǎo Dì Guó
  • clan head becomes emperor
  • Jiao are decadent people who squander Shangea's riches
  • creates Taojiao - mix of Buddhism and confucianism
  • almost wins war with Senria before a peasant uprising ruins everything
  • oh shit Christianity's arrived, starts repressing it
  • goes into decline

Toki dynasty (1667-1868)

  • Toki dynasty - 大土岐帝国 幕府时代 (Dà Tǔqí Dì Guó)
  • Senrian mercenary takes over
  • implements Senrian like government system
  • hated by most Shangean
  • Loss of wars to Euclean powers, unequal treaties
  • overthrown, but develops Shangean nationalism as a result of existing
  • from a neutral perspective quite good rulers overseeing technological development and a capitalist economy

Heavenly Empire (1864-1935)

Main article: Heavenly Shangean Empire
The Xiyong Emperor ruled Shangea from 1864 to his death in 1906.

The overthrow of the Toki dynasty saw the country officially renamed the Heavenly Shangean Empire (大天晓东帝国; Dà Tiān Xiǎodōng Dìguó) although it was informally referred to as the Yao dynasty. The newly enthroned Xiyong Emperor, although a nationalist, was also a moderniser who believed the only way Shangea would resist colonisation by Euclean nations was by adapting their economic and military models into Shangea. This led to the start of the Great Cultural Rectification Movement (大文化整风运动; Dà wénhuà zhěngfēng yùndòng) commonly known as the "Zhengfeng" (Rectification) which aimed to rapidly modernise and industrialise Shangea. The first phase was military modernisation; almost as soon as the Empire was declared the provincial militaries were abolished and merged into a single standing army, the Heavenly Army of Shangea. New arsenals were created being handled directly by the central government rather then provincial authorities, creating new modern arms mainly copying Gaullican designs.

The success of military modernisation led to the second phase of reforms in the economy and the agriculture in particular designed to permanently curb the power of rural landlords and provincial nobles to the benefit of the central government. Under the direction of Rao Qiaonian and Gaullican banker Jérôme André Murat a central bank was created, unused land held by noble families that supported the Toki were placed under government control, provincial tax systems were harmonised and large industrial conglomerates with government support named Caihongs (财行; Cáiháng) were created to facilitate industrialisation. The most impressive of these measures was a huge investment in creating a Baiqiao to Rongzhuo railway. Education reform was also undertaken placing more emphasis on mathematics and sciences over classical texts whilst the University of Baiqiao was created in 1868. Cultural reforms designed to "Xiaoicise" the nation also were implemented - the former imperial language of Senrian was banned, chonmages were forcibly shaved off, the Shangean language underwent greater standardisation by the government intended to stamp out dialects and regional privileges were revoked in favour of central government control. Foreign missionaries were also restricted from preaching, a decision that aroused opposition from Euclean countries but was popular within nationalist circles.

In the effort to secure more Euclean designs and assistance for military and industrial development the Xiyong Emperor endorsed several reforms that allowed for large amounts of foreign investment by Euclean companies - particularly Gaullican ones through its port city of Jindao - to go into the country mainly through the construction of railroads. These moves led to increasing industrialisation and economic growth, although aroused the opposition of conservatives and nationalists in the Grand Council meaning the government often acted cautiously in matters of non-military reforms.

The reforms aroused bitter opposition from conservatives in the court and nobles and led to the Anfu Incident, when several army regiments loyal to court conservatives attempted to launch a coup d'état. The coup attempt unsuccessful after a tipoff had allowed the Xiyong Emperor to order several army units to arrest the conspirators leaders and ordering their public execution. As a result of the coup attempt the Emperor promulgated a constitution that created a legislative assembly that gave nobles institutional power. However the newly created post of Imperial Premier was appointed by the Emperor with the "arch-reformist" Yao Shusheng becoming the first holder of the post.

Etrurian troops during the Etrurian-Shangean War.

The new government undertook a policy of imperialist expansionism. Invasions of neighbouring states saw annexations of vast swathes of land and a reassertion of the tributary system that had prevailed prior to the early 1800's. The so-called "new tributary system" saw the establishment of a much tighter sphere of influence then had existed previously as Shangean intellectuals mixed traditional notions of cultural superiority with Euclean scientific racism. The new sphere of influence however provided a degree of protection from Euclean imperialism with southern Coius often referred to in Shangea as the "Great Shangean Order".  

In 1887 a series of disputes surrounding the Etrurian concession of Gaoming saw hostilities break out with both Etruria and Shangea declaring war on each other. Lasting a little more then a year and fought mainly on Shangean soil the decisive Battle of Jungfa saw the Etrurian expeditionary force almost wiped out by Shangean troops. The Treaty of Aignan saw Etruria forced to renegotiate several unequal treaties with Shangea in the latters favour. Whilst not acquiring Gaoming as planned, the defeat of a Euclean power increased the prestige of Shangea abroad, with Shangea renegotiating several more unequal treaties with other Euclean powers shortly afterwards. By his late reign the Xiyong Emperor's health had started to decline with more power being passed onto the elected assembly, especially after imperial chancellor Kang Qisun passed a series of liberal reforms increasing representation at a local level. In 1906 the emperor died - at his death the Shangean state had begun the path to industrialisation and military dominance in the region although its industrialisation was incredibly lopsided. Outside industrial centres the country remain chronically underdeveloped with many rural areas still resembling medieval times with peasant and industrial unrest being high.

The Xiyong Emperor's son, the Qingzhuo Emperor, largely continued the trend towards industrialisation, constitutionalism and military expansion. In 1909 Shangea through gunboat diplomacy acquired its own concession, Sakata, from Senria whilst becoming more nakedly imperialist within its own sphere of influence. The country was wholly unprepared for the Great Collapse in 1913 when demand for its main export industries - rice and silk - plummeted, driving the country to near bankruptcy. The crisis was followed with a large famine in 1914 that swept across southern Shangea with up to 11 million people starving as a result.

The economic collapse in 1913 and famine in 1914 unleashed political and social tensions that had simmered under the surface for decades. Radical socialists in the Shangean Section of the Workers' International were successful in calling a series of strikes and armed rebellion in many of the nations cities. In the countryside millennian groups gained in popularity alongside anarchist federations. The far-right also saw an upsurge in popularity especially amongst conscripts in the army. The seeming social breakdown were compounded with the Qingzhuo Emperor's attempts to centralise power around himself and a small clique of advisers, many of whom were seen as incompetent and corrupt. A series of short-lived governments ruled in the time period but the nation was overall seen to be in a "state of anarchy" outside the major cities. Organised crime in the form of the triads also saw an expansion in this time period.

An illustration of Gaullican-Shangean cooperation after Shangea's entry into the Entente.

In 1920 an anarchist peasant group launched a revolt in the Baozhou province over rice taxes an event that would come to be known as the "Red Summer". The revolt was large and well organised amongst the peasantry causing the provincial governor Zhao Hongjun to unilaterally deploy the army to crush the rebellion with the Baozhou massacre ending the political power of the radical left. The government's seemingly weak response to the revolt alongside the string of poor government policies and economic and social disruptions meant that Zhao and his supporters were able to persuade the emperor's brother to a successful palace coup known as the Jiayun Uprising that saw the Qingzhuo Emperor declared legally insane and inaugurated a regency under the emperor's brother. A year later the Qingzhuo Emperor committed suicide leading to his brother being enthroned as the Shanrong Emperor who abolished the legislative assembly becoming a de jure absolute monarch.

The new government was beholden both to the army and the far-right, being militarist, monarchist and expansionist in its outlook. The Shanrong Emperor purged Zhao from the regime in 1922 removing the largest de facto check on his power and asserting his personal power empowering the Nanqing Clique who relied on support from the Church of Emperor Worship. Anti-Senrian and racial supremacist rhetoric was commonly deployed. The new regime deeply admired the national functionalist regime in Gaullica and deepened cooperation with Gaullica, joining the Entente in 1922 as its fourth member alongside Gaullica, Poliania and Marirana. The new regime also supported the Senrian monarchist government during the Senrian Revolution and following the victory of the Senrian republicans began preparations for an invasion of the archipelago to include it into the "Greater Shangean Order".

In January 1927 Senrian occupied the Shangean concession of Sakata. After delivering an ultimatum that was rejected by Senria on the 2 February Shangea launched an invasion of Senria triggering a set of alliances that started the Great War which pitted the Entente against the Grand Alliance which included Senria, Estmere, Werania and Narozalica. Shangea would make large advances into Senria creating a client state based in the north as well as into Satria benefiting from fighting predominantly poorly armed forces. Shangean advances continued until 1931 when they would largely become bogged down in stalemates or lose ground to Grand Alliance forces, particularly in Senria.

Shangean troops entering Sakata during the Great War in 1927.

During their occupation of Senria Shangea would be responsible for what would become known as the Senrian Genocide. In Shangean-occupied territories in Senria it is estimated about 9.5 million Senrians were killed by Shangean occupying forces, either through murder, starvation or disease. The genocide was as a result of Shangean attempts to destroy the Senrian population due to supremacist ideology. It remains the biggest genocide in human history.

From 1931 to 1932 Shangea rapidly lost territory in Senria being driven out of the archipelago in 1932. Grand Alliance forces following the liberation of Senria began preparations for an invasion of the Shangean mainland with bombing campaigns destroying much of Shangea's infrastructure with the Shanrong Emperor being killed in a bombing raid. His successor, the Taiyi Emperor, provided poor leadership during the Senrian invasion of Shangea that saw Senria make rapid advances across Shangea's northern coast in 1933-1934. By 1935 the Shangean state and military defences were in a state of near collapse as sections of the country attempted to declare independence; however the Grand Alliance was unable to advance as it became clear that any attempt to occupy Shangea fully would result in a long and bloody war of attrition even after 8 years of war.

In 1935 the Battle of Baiqiao saw the capital fall to Senrian forces. The fall of the capital led the Taiyi Emperor to abdicate appointing Meng Jianing as regent who ordered the dissolution of the Heavenly Empire declaring its replacement to be the Republic of Shangea, ending over 2,000 years of imperial rule. The republic signed the Treaty of Keisi shortly afterwards which saw Shangea cede a large amount of territory to newly created countries, ending its tributary system, paying large reparations to Grand Alliance powers, restricting the size of its military and placing many of the senior figures during the war still alive such as former chief of staff Ren Xilian and the Taiyi Emperor on trial for crimes against humanity. The treaty was considered to be deeply humiliating for Shangea with the country becoming political unstable following its signing.

Republican era (1935-present)

The newly created republic was created on parliamentary grounds. It immediately suffered from conflict and instability - the borders with the new nations such as Chanwa and Dakata were poorly demarcated whilst the former Shangean Northern Expeditionary Army continuing to operate in parts of Satria. Nationalist anger over the Treaty of Keisi, the destruction of much of the countryside due to the Senrian invasion and the demobilisation of much of the army contributed to an outgrowth in militancy in the country.

Lu Keqian declaring the Auspicious Republic of Shangea.

In September 1935, mere months after the Treaty of Keisi was signed the general Lu Keqian, considered to be one of the most capable officers during the Great War, instigated a military revolt known as the Corrective Revolution. The revolution was supported by Lu's own Shangea Regeneration Society which followed a statist ideology known as National Principlism and the Workers' and Peasants Party, an agrarian socialist split-off from the Shangean Section of the International which allied to form the Army of National Salvation. The rebels coup was successful in the north of the country capturing the industrial capital of Rongzhuo but failed in the southwest with a large part of the army staying loyal to the central government. This led to the start of the Shangean Civil War fought primarily between the Army of National Salvation and the republican government. The war would later see the Army of National Salvation invade some of the newly created republics such as Chanwa. Despite foreign intervention by Senria to support the republic Lu's forces seized Baiqiao in 1940 leading to the collapse of the republic. Lu declared the creation of the Auspicious Republic of Shangea (晓东吉祥共和国; Xiǎodōng Jíxiáng Gònghéguó) forming a government between his allies and the socialists. The government's first act was to abrogate the Treaty of Keisi, coming to separate settlements with Euclean countries to pay a more limited forms of reparations and promising not to change the status of concessions. In 1941 the civil war ended with the partition of Chanwa between Shangea and Kuthina.

Following the creation of the the new government was faced with economic, political and social disunity. The first priorities of the new government was to crush communist forces in the civil war and stabilise the economic situation. In the short term the government moved in against remaining anti-government resistance in the countryside and restoring the country's shattered infrastructure. The end of the civil war saw tensions arouse between Lu's supporters in government and his socialist allies leading to in 1942 the socialists to be purged from his government. The new regime thus enshrined itself as a dominant -party state with the 1940 Constitution prescribing National Principlism to be the ideology of the state. Politically Shangea was declared a democratic republic but under a "guided democracy" in which the Shangea Regeneration Society monopolised political power. Rongzhuo after two years as acting as the provisional capital was declared the permanent capital. Although opposition to the regime was muted at the time, the new government continued its predecessors censorship and poor human rights record, creating a new secret police known as the Secretariat to Eliminate Counter-Revolution (more commonly known as the Shujichu) and setting up a network of "re-education centres". However, the restrained repression exercised by Lu and his economic development and social policies has often cast the early republic as being a "benevolent dictatorship" or a "post-totalitarian" regime.

Economic reconstruction and social reforms were steadily passed during the 1940's. As the new regime was adamant that Shangea undergo modernisation, the government under Lu Keqian established universal education, a rudimentary healthcare system, nominal gender equality and a more codified legal system. Most dramatic was the economic reforms pursued by Minister of Finances Ma Renzhong which dismantled feudalism supporting land reform and encouraging rapid industrial development. Despite a concentrated effort by Senria to sabotage re-industrialisation (Operation Red Pheasant) by the 1950's Shangea had record economic growth setting off the so-called "Decade of Development". Following the Solarian War Shangea reacquired concessions it had previously lost to Etruria. In 1945 Lu died, with his initial successors being military men. However the regime saw balance shift to bureaucrats in 1950 when Ma Renzhong became State Chairman. During the 1950's and 1960's focus was on economic growth whilst abroad Shangea promoted decolonisation in Coius, although tensions with Senria resurfaced following the assassination of Senrian Prime Minister Kitamura Tokiyasu. As a result social indicators such as literacy and life expectancy increased.

Protesters being suppressed by police officers during the Kuoqing Massacre.

In 1970 a group of radical officers led by Sun Yuting performed a coup d'état with the intention of aligning the country towards a more nationalistic stance in international politics. In 1975 a crisis over the former Estmerish concession of Baishadao led to Shangea to invade the island, triggering the Senrian government under Takahata Takesi to use gunboat diplomacy in an attempt to contain Shangean actions. This started the Coastal Crisis during which Shangea demonstrated that it possessed nuclear weapons, making it the eighth nation to develop them and starting a new arms race in Coius.

In 1977 a series of syndicalist strike action by the Shangean Labour Union of Free Workers' led to the Kuoqing Massacre, the most blood repression under the Auspicious Republic. The same year, Shangea intervened in Dakata alongside Ajahadya starting the Dakatan War which would last until 1982 when Shangean forces withdrew after being unable to defeat a powerful guerrilla army. In 1984 Shangea alongside Ajahadya and Zorasan formed a military pact, the Rongzhuo Strategic Protocol Organisation. The International Forum for Developing States was created shortly afterwards which was seen as being influenced by Shangea's advocacy of south-south cooperation.

In 1984 Sun was assassinated by a suspected Senrian Tokkeitai agent, being succeeded by Qian Xingwen. Qian ended the direct military rule that had been in place since 1970 and worked to create a guided democracy similar to the pre-1970 republic, albeit his political supporters - known as the Righteous Harmony Association - was not dominant like the former Regeneration Society. Confronted with a failing economy Qian approved of the Economic Reorganising Programme that liberalised the Shangean economy, privatising state assets, deregulating industry, removing price controls and opening the country to foreign investment.

The shock therapy program resulted in economic growth but poverty and unemployment to grow; this alongside lack of political reform led to the Orchid Revolution in 1988 which saw thousands protest against the regime and demand economic and political reform. As a result the government resigned and a generation of reformers in the Heavenly Gate Society took power. The revolution however also led to the beginning of the Chanwan War when the province attempted to gain independence from Shangea lasting from 1988 to 1994. The war resulted in over 150,000 people to be killed and 300,000 to be displaced, with both sides being accused of ethnic cleansing and genocide. The war was eventually won by Shangea in 1994 under the leadership of Yang Zhengming. As a result of the war the reformist faction was weakened with further political reforms stalling.

The 1990's also saw increased tension with Senria - under Qian Operation Calm Waters saw Senrian ships bombed with limpet mines, which resulted in Senria under hardline Prime Minister Haruka Kiyosi to order the 1987 bombing of the Mausoleum of Lu Keqiann. Shangea retaliated in 1990 by releasing sarin gas on the Keisi Metro and Senria in 1995 on the 60th Anniversary of the Corrective Revolution to bomb both the State Presidium and the parade that day in Rongzhuo commemorating the revolution, which resulted in the death of the premier Yuan Jiaxiang. These actions led to pressure from the international community as well as reformists led by Premier Han Guanzheng to begin détente with Senria - this led to the development of the Nuclear Arms Limitation and Non-proliferation Talks which helped reduce tensions between the two countries.

Jiang Zhongyu with Nisimura Hayato at the 2014 Nuclear Arms Limitation and Non-proliferation Talks.

In 2006 Yuan Xiannian came to power steering the country in a more nationalist direction after the 2005 world economic crisis which saw Shangea emerge relatively unscathed - in 2008 it overtook Senria as the world's largest economy. Economic growth however saw environmental and social degradation remain with the welfare system being only incrementally expanded. In 2007 as a response to the Kuthinian military taking power Shangea led the ROSPO coordinated Operation Eastern Protection which saw the region of Mongkar attain independence as the pro-Shangean Heijiang. This came as "neo-nationalists" under Yuan became dominant within Shangea, edging out more conservative-liberal officials such as premier Xi Yaotang.

In 2013 the Baozhou province was the centrepoint of an outbreak of avian flu that spread across southern Coius and Satria. The flu would result in half a million people dying and tensions increasing with Shangea's neighbours who accused Rongzhuo of downplaying the severity of the virus which resulted in economic troubles and higher mortality rates. It also led to a decline in support for the government after they were deemed slow to improve the health system and crack down on the proliferation of unhygienic food preparation practices, particularly unregulated wet markets.

In 2016 large scale protests erupted over governmental corruption and social problems in Shangea, leading to a snap election being declared in Janaury 2017. When the protests continued after what was seen as an unfair election in early 2017 the government launched a crackdown and started "Normalisation" that aims to reassert state power whilst also purging Yuan's rivals, making Shangea significantly more authoritarian. In the same period relations with the Euclean Community and the Council for Mutual Security and Development has deteriorated with economic centralisation being emphasised.

Government and Politics

Yuan Xiannian, the State Chairman of Shangea.

Shangea's political system is outlined in the 1942 constitution which has undergone numerous amendments since. Shangea is a unitary state organised on republican lines and containing a mix of presidential and parliamentary principles. Shangea is commonly seen as being an authoritarian state.

The highest body of the state is the State Presidium (国家常务委员会; guójiā chángwù wěiyuánhuì) which is led by a State Chairman (主席; zhǔxí) who serves as head of state. The State Presidium is the supreme executive and legislative body in Shangea, containing its chairman, the leaders of the four councils, the chief of the general staff and social affairs, foreign, security and finance ministers. The State Presidium appoints most members of the four councils which sits beneath the State Presidium which fulfil the roles of the executive, legislature, judiciary and civil service examination system.

The four subordinate branches to the State Presidium are the Executive Council (行政会; xíngzhèng huì) the Legislative Council (立法会; lìfǎ huì) the Judicial Council (司法会; sīfǎ huì) and the Examination Council (考試会; kǎoshì huì). The Executive Council which is led and appointed by a Premier (行政会总理; xíngzhèng huì zǒnglǐ) who functions as the head of government serves as a national cabinet of 20 ministries albeit with the State Presidium taking precedence in executive matters. Shangea maintains a four tier judiciary, with national, provincial, prefectureral and municipal courts with the Judicial Council serving as the supreme court being led by a Chief Justice. All judges, civil servants and politicians are picked from the Examination Council which is led by a president and based on the imperial examination system. The Legislative Council contains 750 seats with the majority elected by voters, and a minority either representing industrial and economic sectors or coming from the military. The top leadership roles of state are the State Chairman, Premier and President of the Legislative Council with the incumbents being Yuan Xiannian, Wen Kezhi and Wang Hongzhi respectively.

Since 1940 Shangea has been an authoritarian state. Officially Shangea is a "disciplined democracy" (有纪律的民主; yǒu jìlǜ de mínzhǔ) with political parties being discouraged. Nevertheless a variety of political organisations have since reforms made during the 1980's emerged that function as political parties. The current main one of these is the Society for Restoring Benevolence which is considered to be the current "party of power". Most of these organisations adhere to a nationalist, statist ideology known as National Principlism (国家主体主义; guójiā zhǔtǐ zhǔyì) that seeks to uphold a centralised form of authoritarian democracy.

The four council presidents: Wen Kezhi (Executive) Wang Hongzhi (Legislative), Tang Shanyuan (Examination) and Yi Shaoqing (Judicial).

Political apathy is high due to government corruption, authoritarianism and a weak opposition. Unlike in most countries, ideological differences are not the main divides in Shangean politics, which is based much more on guanxi networks between politicians. Nevertheless opposition to these political factions which make up the governing networks coalesce into what is known as the dangwai movement that tend to promote more democratic governance compared to the governing cliques.

In 2016 after an economic slowdown and several high-profile corruption scandals a series of protests in favour of political reform resulted in the government of Yuan Xiannian and Jiang Zhongyu to launch a crackdown on protesters and the declaration of a state of emergency. International observers state this state of emergency, named "Normalisation" (正规化; zhèngguī huà) has turned Shangea into a de facto police state. In 2020, the government announced it sought to end Normalisation by January 2021 four years after its introduction with the passing of a new National Security Law and constitutional amendments.

Government

Officially the main executive body in Shangea is the Executive Council led by the Premier. The Executive Council is responsible for the implementation of the constitution and for the exercise of executive powers in implementing the decrees and general policies as outlined by the State Presidium, except for matters directly related to the State Presidium, who has the final say in all matters. The Executive Council is led by the premier and four coordinating ministers - International Relations, Finance and Economic Affairs, Social and Cultural Affairs and Security and Justice Affairs. Below the Coordinating Ministers are 35 regular ministers overseeing a wide array of portfolios.

The Premier appoints the members of the Executive Council and are themselves handpicked by the State Presidium, with a legislative vote needed to confirm appointments. All members of the Executive Council are approved by the Examination Council. The Premier, State Presidium and Examination Council have the authority to dismiss members of the Executive Council who can also be impeached by the Legislative Council.

The relationship between the State Presidium and the Executive Council is often unclear. According to convention the State Presidium leaves most day-to-day governing to the Executive Council whilst making most major policy decisions. Since the assumption of power by Yuan Xiannian the role of the State Presidium has been strengthened making them constitute the apex of decision making.

Legislature

The Great Hall of the Legislative Council in Rongzhuo.

The main legislative body of Shangea is the unicameral Legislative Council which consists of 750 delegates. 550 are elected in a single-member plurality system, 150 from economic and industrial sectors and 50 appointed by the military. The partial nature of the elected legislature is intended to represent the concept of "sectional democracy".

The Legislative Council is chaired by its President who oversees legislative sessions in a manner similar to a speaker. In 2008, a bipartisan legislative commission recommended the creation of legislative committees to better scrutinise government policy, although no such moves to formally establish committees have been attempted yet.

Any legislative delegate has the right to propose draft laws to the council, which must pass a simple majority vote to become formally part of the law. Despite this most successful draft laws have come from the government benches which has always maintained a legislative majority. The council has the right to amend the constitution if the government has a supermajority (two thirds of the total seats, 495) or can declare a referendum on a proposed constitutional amendment if it possesses a simple majority (over half of total seats, 376).

Currently the legislature is dominated by allies of State Chairman Yuan Xiannian from the Society for Restoring Benevolence. Opposition pro-democracy groups, who previously were elected to the legislature, have been mostly banned. Other groups in the Legislative Council include the Association for Promoting Democracy which is seen as far-right and the Movement for National Principlism which is more socialist leaning. All opposition parties are considered to be functionally pro-government.

Political parties and elections

The only national-level elections in Shangea are for the Legislative Council. Legislative Council elections are held every five years for 700 of the seats in the Legislative Council (550 elected by universal suffrage and 150 elected through functional constituencies). Voting for the directly-elected seats is done through a mixed member majoritarian system with 300 seats elected by single-member plurality voting and 250 members through party-list proportional representation. The proportional seats retain a 5% electoral threshold with the entire country treated as single constituency and are appropriated through the Li-Qiao method. Functional constituencies use single-member plurality voting. Provincial and municipal elections are similarly held every five years with posts within them also elected by first-past-the-post.

In 1989, Shangea implemented universal suffrage for the first time. In previous elections held between 1942-1984 voting had been restricted by literacy requirements for voters. Universal suffrage for women was introduced in Shangea in 1956. In 2014, electronic voting was introduced on a limited basis in Shangea subsequently being expanded for the 2017 snap election. Elections for the Legislative Council are staggered over a week with different provinces voting on different days.

Elections in Shangea are controversial as they are often accused of being subject to electoral fraud. Disfranchisement, vote buying and gerrymandering are the most common instances of electoral fraud in Shangea according to an International Council for Democracy report for the 2014 election, although ballot stuffing and voter intimidation have also been noted particularly during the 2017 snap election. The Shangean government has denied that it practices electoral fraud, albeit has admonished provincial officials for engaging it in.

Voters at a polling booth in Lukeng during the 2017 election.

Political parties are restricted in Shangea. Parties can only run for the Legislative Council if they operate nationally; that is run in all provinces of Shangea (with the exception of Jindao) and have membership in all provinces. Provincial parties must have at least 5,000 members. All parties must be approved by the Examination Council - between 2000 to 2014 the Examination Council allowed the registration of 22 political parties, with only 8 of those being new parties. Often in Shangea independent opposition parties and organisations find it difficult to be registered.

Since the foundation of the Auspicious Republic there has often been a single political party that has dominated state affairs to the extent that Shangea is considered either a one-party or dominant-party state. From 1942 to 1970 it was the Shangea Regeneration Society and from 1984 to 1988 the Constitutional Protection Society. From 1988 to 2006 there was no single dominant party due to a split in the elite. From 1989 to 1992 the CPS and the Concordance Democratic Party co-governed whilst from 1992 to 2006 the CDP was replaced by the National Association for Progress. In 2006 State Chairman Yuan Xiannian engineered the return of the dominant party state after merging the CPP and NAP into the currently ruling Society for Restoring Benevolence. All these parties were at various points named the "party of power" and all were largely made up of the bureaucratic, political and military elite supporting to varying degrees National Principlism. Often the party of power is supported by independent members of the Legislative Council giving them alongside support from military-appointed deputies a permanent majority in the chamber.

Opposition parties are divided into two categories. Some are considered to be satellite parties to the party of power whose function is to give the superficial image of a competitive democracy or represent certain interest groups outside the governing coalition, but in practice support the government. The other are known as dangwai ("outside the party") parties that sit in actual opposition to the party of power and its supporters. Dangwai parties often hold marginal seats in the Legislative Council lacking the administrative support of the party of power and often struggling to be elected in the functional constituencies. Since the start of normalisation in 2017 no dangwai parties sit in the Legislative Council with their members either being removed from office or defecting to either the ruling coalition or one of the satellite parties.

Judiciary

The headquarters of the Judicial Council.

Shangean law has since 1940 been based on legalist traditions alongside civil law from Werania and Gaullica. Previously Shangea maintained a strong Ruist judicial system based on the belief that the maintenance of tradition would be more effective in maintaining social order, but since the rise of Legalist philosophy since the 1940's the law has become more codified. Nevertheless, the rule of law in Shangea is subject to the will of the state which is seen as above the law.

The highest judicial authority in Shangea is the State Presidium which officially delegates responsibility of such authority to the Judicial Council whose members are appointed by the State Presidium. The Judicial Council sits above provincial, prefectural, county and township courts. The introduction of Normalisation in 2017 saw anti-sedition courts set up that had the power to fast-track prosecution for cases regarding sedition, treason and "anti-Shangean activity". Critics have labelled these as "kangeroo courts". In 2020, the government announced it hoped to merge these courts into the existing judiciary system. It also stated it would change the appointment of judges, which currently sits with the responsibility of provincial governments on a provincial level and the national government on a national level, to be instead solely the purview of the Judicial Council with approval from the State Presidium although nomination of judges will rest with provincial and national governments.

Shangea's legal system suffers from a lack of confidence in its effectiveness. Since the 1980's courts dealing with property law have seen marked improvement in the process of justice, although this effort remains slow on human right issues. Corruption within the system has also been on the decline as the system has come under increasing rationalisation. However jury trials in Shangea remain rare.

Subdivisions

Shangea is an unitary state with partial devolution consisting of 24 subdivisions overall all. 18 are provinces (省; shěng), 3 directly-administrated cities (直辖市; zhíxiáshì), two autonomous provinces (自治省; zìzhì shěng) and one autonomous administrative territory (自治区; zìzhìqū).

Provinces each with their own regional government head by a chief minister (首席部長; shǒuxí bùzhǎng) with a provincial legislature known as provincial councils (省议会; shěng yìhuì) located in a regional capital. Provinces are further divided into prefectures (地级; dìjí) which are split either into urban districts (市辖区; shìxiáqǖ) and rural counties (县; xiàn). Districts are divided into sub-districts (街道; jiēdào) and counties into townships (乡; xiāng). The final level of organisation is a village 村; cūn).

Directly-administrated cities are governed by mayors (市长; shì zhǎng) with their legislatures being named biao's (表; biǎo) after the tables city elders used in ancient times. Unlike provinces the cities do not have district level administration instead being divided only into sub-districts and villages. Directly-administrated cities have slightly less autonomy then provinces being more subject to central government control.

Autonomous Provinces have a the same basic administrative structure of provinces having five prefectures (စီရင်စု; hcerain hcu). Chanwa does not have counties only retaining districts (ခရိုင်; hkarine) which are divided into rural townships (မြို့နယ်; myahoetnaal) and urban wards (ရပ်ကွက်; yatkwet) which are further split into villages (ကျေးရွာ; kyei-ywa). Autonomous provinces are led by governors (总督; zǒngdū) rather then chief ministers as is in the case of the provinces. Both autonomous provinces have bilingualism with regional languages (Chanwan and Paisha) in their official administration. Autonomous Provinces have more autonomy then provinces with the right to established their own official languages, constitutions and provincial anthems as well as greater rights over natural resources, external trade, regional security and internal budgets. However there tends to be cordial relations with the central government who have a strong role in autonomous provincial affairs leading to relatively coordinated action between the autonomous provinces and national government.

The single autonomous administrative territory, Jindao, has the highest degree of autonomy according to the 1990 Shangean-Estmerish Jindao Treaty. It is divided into districts and below them suburbs. It is governed by a Chief Executive (特首; tèshǒu; chef de l'exécutif) with the legislature being the Biao or Legislative Council (conseil législatif). Jindao has autonomy over the majority of its affairs including the maintenance of its own legal system with Jindanese Law takes precedence over Shangean Law with the notable exception of the Shangean constitution. Jindao also maintains its own independent police force and currency, the Jindanese nacar. Shangea still however retains the sole right to manage Jindao's foreign relations and national security.

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