Qyred
Brilliant Empire of Qyred 光明大桀帝國 Konmin Daichie Digue | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
Motto: 河清海晏 The rivers are clear and the seas calm | |
| Capital | Nyongiang |
| Largest | Liosa |
| Official languages | Qyredine |
| Recognised regional languages | Zhou, ??? Hin |
| Ethnic groups | 83.4% ethnic Qyredine |
| Religion | Cotrism |
| Demonym(s) | Qyredine |
| Government | Unitary constitutional monarchya |
• Emperor | Nyinye |
• Chancellor | Tshau Nyieshin |
| Legislature | Conclave of State |
| Establishment | |
• Establishment of Qyred fiefdom | 205 BCE |
• Independent Qyredine empire | ???? |
| 1884 | |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 105,231,000 |
• 2012 census | 102,471,000b |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | $831.8 billion |
• Per capita | $7,922 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $320.1 billion |
• Per capita | $3,049 |
| Gini | 39 medium |
| HDI (2017) |  0.654medium |
| Currency | Po (QPO) |
| Internet TLD | .qyr |
| |
Qyred (Qyredine: 桀 chie), officially the Brilliant Empire of Qyred (Qyredine: 光明大桀帝國 Konmin Daichie Digue), is a sovereign state located in East Catai, bordered by Tangkuo to the north. Qyred spans an area of X square kilometers, of which the north is rugged, hilly and occasionally mountainous, while the south consists of broad, fertile plains. It has a population of about 105 million.
Incorporated into the political entity of the ancient Yen in the 3rd century BCE, Qyred was declared a fief of a branch of the Shan dynasty’s imperial family in 205 BCE and began its existence in Yen history as an autonomous and at-times effectively independent region. While administrative boundaries and the owner of the Qyredine fief changed numerous times, an unique regional culture of the area had persisted. Qyred declared independence as an empire in 1720 amidst the fragmentation of the Yen.
Initially a regional power, Qyred was entered political and economic stagnation and a decline in power and culture in the 19th century; this was stopped and reversed by the rule of the Shintai Emperor (1879-1902) who instituted significant reforms and embarked on a programme of expansion. Reclaiming status as a Cataian power in the early 20th century, it was weakened during the Great Turbulence and lost its influence. Social, political and economic crises engulfed the country, beginning in the 1960s culminating in the rise of the Truth-Cleansing Sect, a Cotric heresy, and the formation of the State of Truth in northern Qyred. Qyred has in the 21st century regained momentum on stability, but still faces economic, social and political challenges.
Qyred is a constitutional monarchy. It is a member of the ???. Despite being sizeable in regional influence as a large Cataian country, it has been described as a fragile state due to ongoing religious insurgencies and political crisis. The Qyredine economy has a GDP by purchasing power of about of $832 billion, and a per capita value of $7,922. Although fast-growing, it has a low credit rating, increasingly high external debt and suffers from various other issues of sustainability. Qyred is considered to have a medium level of human development.
Etymology
Qyred is a corruption of an archaic pronunciation of the character 桀 chie, the Yen name of Qyred. The name literally means either ‘excellence’ or ‘bird roost’, and was first used during the First Kingdoms Period by the Kingdom of Qyred, as it was the name of the fief’s first holder and major Shan dynasty general Yang Jie. Prior to this, Qyred was named Quat 卫 wei, after the indigenous cultures that inhabited the area prior to its conquest by the Shan.
History
The Mo river valley has been home to several cultures known as the Quat people prior to its conquest by the Yen Shan dynasty from the west in the 3rd century BCE. Quat settlements had emerged beginning in the 8th century BCE on the Mo river banks and had steadily expanded into the densely forested interior of modern Qyred. Quat cities were also established on the modern Qyredine coastline and archaeological evidence has suggested the Quat possessed apt ship-building abilities and knowledge. In the times of the Dan dynasty, the Quats were trading partners with the Yen.
Over the course of 293 to 270 BCE the Shan dynasty launched campaigns that resulted in the conquest of the Quat region and the subjugation of its people; this was followed by the Yenicization of the Quat people and the displacement of those uncooperative north into the Tshi Mountains, along with colonization and settlement of the region by Yens. In 205 BCE the general Yang Jie was granted a part of the area as a fiefdom; this laid the foundations for the concept of Qyred as a political entity altogether.
The growing influence of the Yang family in the Shan court allowed the Quat state to steadily expand. After the Yang family fell from favor in 140 BCE, the Quat fief was transferred to possession of the Teu family, and would become a domain of many powerful aristocrats later on. During the Kat dynasty, the Quat fief was expanded to include modern eastern Qyred and the Li river area. During the Tumult of the 3rd century CE, the Kingdom of Lei was based in the area, followed by the Kingdom of Qyred which named the territory. The name was retained through the Chuk and Yiek dynasties. During the Yiek period, Qyred became a notably wealthy province due to its rich resources and developed agriculture. It was also during this time the last of Quat remnants were assimilated.
During the Bloom of Lands that followed the collapse of the Yiek empire in the 10th century, Qyred was ruled by the Qyredine Dzei (桀齊), a kingdom based in the eastern area whose power waxed and waned against surrounding states. The foundations for identity of modern Qyredines was hammered in place during the Dzei era and the centre of Qyredine culture was moved from the Mo river to the Li river in the east. Dzei was for several periods of the Bloom a major Yen power. It was conquered by the Hwak during the establishment of the Maengtau Empire at the dawn of the 13th century.
Mioky-era Qyred saw the rise of powerful landlords and merchants who combined to form cartels using economic resources of the area to become a prominent force in Mioky society, and eventually turned to open rebellion. The Maengtau state suppressed these groups in the Corporation Wars in the 15th century, which despite consolidating central authority caused economic devastation to Qyred and seeded discontent. In the Schismatic Wars of the 16th century, the Qyredines were moved to support the pretender Hei Yien who established the Eastern Empire. The War of the Preceptors of the 1650s ravaged and desolated Qyred further, depopulating the western areas.
The resolution of these wars established the Hong dynasty, though its reign was short and ineffectual. On the other hand, the years of instability drove the rise of powerful local gentries who earned influence via protecting local communities and charitable reconstruction activities. In 1720, these forces in Qyred declared the restoration of the independent Qyredine state as a continuation of the Dzei and also re-established the District, earning support of the Lionyong school. This is considered the establishment of modern Qyred.
Qyred was a major regional power, even being able to colonize Ajerrin, until the 19th century when a combination of internal strife and the intrusion of Asuran powers saw it challenged increasingly and ultimately declined. A silver standard was established across Yidao in 1789 to facilitate trade between east and west, but rapid outflow of silver in the 19th century, alongside huge loans from local gentries that ultimately could not be paid off, forced the government into financial insolvency. Qyred turned to tir Lhaeraidd to resolve these troubles, leasing the island of Huangjin, several ports, access to its markets, and agreeing to a close alliance, in exchange for huge Lhaeraidh financial aid, in the 1850s. With Lhaeraidh assistance, Qyred was also more generally modernized, industrializing in the late 19th century.
Under the emperors of the Chen dynasty (1820-97), Qyred expanded its influence in Savai through the colonization of Ajerrin and Kealakekua, along with gaining considerable control over trade in that area. In 1897 the Chen were abruptly overthrown; Qyred fell into a 5-year civil war between several factions of nobles until 1902 which sapped much of its influence. The general ??? defeated all his rivals in 1902 and proclaimed himself Lord-Protector, before crowning himself as the Shintai Emperor in 1903 and initiating the Dzin dynasty, which rules to today.
Revival of local and Cotric culture as well as inspiration from western managerialism culminated in the Shintai Reforms, where under the Shintai Emperor imperial power was expanded massively through the deposition of most of the nobility, the institution of a western-styled bureaucracy, and the reformation of the remonstrance system to become more legislature-like, creating the Conclave of State. These were combined with Qyred recovering its status, conquering the states of Kuang and Lang to the north, as well as establishing ties with many western powers. Qyred had accumulated a sizeable sphere of influence in Yidao by the 1930s. However, tensions with neighbouring Wahngjau, which was also a regional hegemon, ultimately led to the Great Turbulence (1932–1955) where the two main powers waged a series of proxy wars and then open total war against each other's metropoles. Qyred was defeated by the Jau-led sphere of states as well as communist Tangkuo.
Although the order in Qyred was preserved by the Jau and their allies at the Treaty of Danlok in order to fortify the continent against FSR influence, the failure of the twenty-year war fuelled huge dissatisfaction with the populace. This gave rise to the Truth-Cleansing Sect and the State of Truth, an anarchist Cotric heresy representing the disgruntled northern regions annexed in the 1900s which in the uprising known as the Restoration War (1980-2002) took over northern Qyred. The rebellion was a wake-up call for the government, which has since enthusiastically began reforms in the 2000s to improve stability and the economic situation, although many still consider Qyred's position vulnerable with continued corruption and the threat of an expanding State of Truth.
Geography
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Qyred is located in East Catai, and spans an area of X square kilometers. The southern area corresponds to the centre of the Qyredine Dzei, a 10th-century kingdom, and is generally considered to be the core of the Qyredine empire.
Qyred is intersected by two major rivers flowing from the mountains of central East Catai, the Mo River and the Li River. The south of the country is predominantly composed of plains which includes the Qyredine Plain, a large alluvial plane, a fertile region highly suitable for agriculture. Numerous lakes are present along the Li river in the east. The only prominent mountain range in southern Qyred is the Teu Mountains that are located in the eastern area. The north, which spans the Tshi Mountains, is significantly more hilly though several river valleys are present. Forests cover much of these areas.
Most of Qyred has a humid subtropical climate, experiencing summers of high temperature and humidity and mild-temperate winters. The average precipitation is about 1,700 mm, and rainfall in summer is high.
Politics
An example of a classic Yenic monarchy with reforms for adaption to modernization, Qyred has a government where the sovereign has greater influence than other constitutional monarchies, bureaucrats occupy a major role, and state philosophy is influenced by teachings of Cotrism. This traditional structure, while changed somewhat by the Shintai Reforms, remains the core of the Qyredine political system.
Since the 1970s the State of Truth, an insurgent polity established by the heretical Cotric Truth-Cleansing Sect, has been a major security threat to Qyred and since 2002 has occupied large areas in the north of the country. Despite a nominal ceasefire terrorist groups acting in the name of the Truth-Cleansing Sect remain active in government-controlled areas.
Monarchy
<imgur thumb="yes" w="150" comment="Emperor Nyinye, pictured here in ceremonial dress for an event, has reigned since 2006.">BinyDST.jpg</imgur> The Emperor of Qyred is the head of state of the empire, who possesses in theory absolute authority over the entirety of Qyred. As stipulated in Cotric political philosophy the Emperor is believed to be highly virtuous and Accomplished which form a righteousness on which imperial power is legitimized. The Emperor, being paramount and perhaps semi-divine, receives no restrictions in his power and opposing and questioning his decisions is not permitted; rather he receives ‘advice’ from his subjects. Through issuing edicts the Emperor may direct state policy unopposed.
The emperor is expected to make decisions based on both Cotric doctrine and practical needs. His high Accomplishment is what allows for this power of ordering society to the Way, a concept known as the mandate of knowledge.
To become eligible for the throne a member of the imperial family has to demonstrate exemplary and high Accomplishment through both a great amount of Learning and good Practice. The most righteous of potential heirs are elected by a council of Cotric scholars and Masters, the Imperial Transitional Conference, at the previous emperor’s death or abdication. This makes Qyred an elective monarchy albeit at a limited scale, though the dynamics behind imperial elections have been affected by more sophisticated factors of politics.
The true extent to which Emperors have exercised power has depended on the period, in Qyredine history there have been periods of true imperial absolute power as well as emperors being heavily influenced or even manipulated by clerics or officials. Emperor Nyinye, reigning since 2006, has reasserted power of the throne while balancing the role of clerics and the bureaucracy.
Government
The structure of modern Qyredine government has largely been shaped by the Shintai Reforms of the late 19th century. Qyred has a constitution that regulates only a few areas concerning government structure and processes, though it can not be altered easily even by imperial edict as such changes would require an immediate conference of the empire’s various notables; it was primarily designed such that the bureaucratic government could maintain competent management of the country when the emperor was less than ept.
The deputy of the Emperor and the head of government is the Chancellor, who is selected by a secretive panel of scholars, and then personally approved and appointed by the Emperor. The Chancellor ensures that imperial will is enforced and that state policy is properly implemented. The Chancellor presides over and appoints a cabinet of eight Secretaries who each head a Secretariat, each responsible for one aspect of national administration. The eight secretariats encompass departments responsible for bureaucracy, finance, rites, public works and industry, foreign affairs, military, law and commerce.
The Conclave of State is a gathering of various nobles, scholars and officials, selected from a pool of approved potential candidates by sortition in a variable number every 10 years. The Conclave serves to advise the Emperor and the government on important matters; it may also collectively submit remonstrances, pleads to the Emperor for an implementation of a policy or change in acts. The remonstrances are largely a ceremonial process where the Emperor’s supreme status is reaffirmed, and most of the time since the Shintai Reforms, remonstrances have failed to be rejected. This system leads to many considering the Conclave a de facto legislature.
Beyond these constitutionally established bodies the Cotric clergy wields significant influence in decision-making as well. Since the 1970s, the secret police, the State Security Service, has also seen growing powers in a process often referred to as Qyred’s transformation to a counterintelligence state.
While political parties in the Asuran model do not exist, a number of societies and associations campaigning for particular orientations of policy are present, and influence politics to varying degrees. They are heavily tied to poys in opposition to the one dominant in the state.
Human rights
Being rather traditional and Cotric in the principles with which it approaches to governance, the Qyredine state has never placed a large degree of emphasis on the concept of human rights, although they have been historically de facto upheld as part of 'reasonabilities' of a good government. While state restrictions on the press and freedom of association in modern Qyred have been in place since the early 20th century, after the rise of the State of Truth insurgency in the 1970s, concern for the stability of the Qyredine state led to intensified restrictions on civil freedoms. The State Security Service has since became an instrumental body in the enforcement of repression.
Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and even freedom of movement have been drastically curtailed. The state imposes extensive censorship of the internet and media. There have also been reports of forced disappearances and prolonged false imprisonment of suspected political dissidents and State of Truth sympathizers. In combating the State of Truth heresy and its religious element, Cotric religious disciplinary authorities have prosecuted numerous individuals prominent and otherwise accused of developing heretical tendencies, but have been criticized by both secular and other Cotric bodies as untruthful. Censorship and revision of religious texts have also been done in accordance with this policy. There are also lèse-majesté laws in place where not only insulting the Emperor but even 'subversive criticism' may lead to serious punishment.
Former self-claimed detainees as well as human rights groups have claimed the existence of 'rectification camps' where political dissidents and religious deviants are detained and subject to inhumane treatment. This has either been denied by Qyredine authorities or claimed that the supposed cruel conditions were greatly exaggerated.
The Qyredine government has also allegedly arrested, made disappear, or extensively harassed and threatened both native and foreign journalists who attempted to investigate human rights abuses in Qyred.
Foreign relations
Qyred was a regional power and potential great power in the early 20th century until the Great Turbulence, a series of wars in Yidao driven by its imperial ambitions that ended in the exhaustion of its economy under the pressure of total war of the last few years and a practical defeat in strategic terms. Qyred never recuperated fully from the defeat of this period, both in terms of raw strength and of relations in its area; it remains a subject of suspicion for its initiating role in the wars, and ties with neighbours are often lukewarm at best. Membership in the CMAGC and coalition opposition to the State of Truth has helped in being re-accepted in the Yidaoan community, but tensions still exist. Beyond its region, Qyred is close with tir Lhaeraidd, a historical ally; Lhaeraidh support of Qyred across many facets is exchanged for respect of the status of the Huangjin cession.
Military
The Military of Qyred consists of the Imperial Qyredine Army and the Imperial Qyredine Navy, each with a subordinate aviation force. It is further augmented by the Imperial Armed Police which is under nominal jurisdiction of the Secretariat of Law, but since 1985 has been controlled along with the proper armed forces by the Imperial General Headquarters to more effectively coordinate forces. The IQA and IQN combined have a strength of 640,000, in addition to 240,000 armed police. Local governments have also with consent from Nyongiang raised paramilitary units that are estimated to have a total strength of 200,000 in 2016.
Since 2004, the Qyredine imperial military has been primarily engaged in counter-insurgency against the State of Truth-backed Front for Restoration of Truth, a guerrilla group that is active in government-controlled areas. In spite of the 2002 ceasefire between Qyred and the State of Truth, the imperial military has also been involved in many border incidents with the State of Truth's military forces. The Qyredine military suffers from outdated equipment, poor morale and discipline, as well as conflict between officers of clerical or purely military origin; however these issues are being relieved with major reorganizations as well as acquisition of modern equipment under a programme that began in 2014.
Demographics
Qyred has a population of about 105 million according to most recent estimates. The Qyredines are the largest group of people in Qyred forming 83.4% of the population. ???, Song and Zhou people form significant minorities. About 70% of the population live in southern Qyred.
The Qyredine language is the official language of Qyred and the most widely spoken tongue. Despite being a Yenic language it has very low mutual intelligibility with other Yen languages such as Zhou and Hin. Other languages spoken in significant amounts include Hin, which, despite the low amount of Hin people in Qyred, was historically occasionally a lingua franca due to its use by traders. In cities the urban dialect has received a degree of influence from Hin. The language of official documents, edicts and rituals was Classical Yen up until the Shintai Reforms though in the Cotric community it is still taught.
Most Qyredines subscribe belief to Cotrism, though this specific figure is difficult to ascertain due to nature of Cotric practice and its status as a state creed. Religious freedom has seen restriction due to the Truth-Cleansing Sect extremist heresy and syncretism of Cotrism with religions brought by historical immigration such as Irsad and Alydianism has become near-forbidden, as well as most theoretical developments and innovations within the framework of native Cotrism. The Cotric school of Qyred is the Bright Palace Sect, doctrinally part of the Lionyong school, who are dominant in the Nyongiang Grand Observatory, the state observatory of the empire, and the Qyredine District. There are about 185,000 verified Cotric scholars in Qyred.
Economy
In the 20th century, Qyred was a heavily industrialized power, but its infrastructure was looted during the last years of the Great Turbulence as reparations for its aggressor role, and what remained of it was stripped even further by the Restoration War where the State of Truth took over much of its heavy industry. Manufacturing bases have been developed in southern Qyred to satisfactory extent, and have allowed it to experience a resurge in manufacturing capability and importance. Qyred is considered a newly industrialized country, and even as a 'reindustrialized country' by some analysts.
The gross domestic product by purchasing power was $831.8 billion in 2018, with a GDP per capita of $7,922. Main economic sectors are industry and services, making up 39% and 50% of the economy respectively. Qyred is very dependent on exports, providing machinery, electronics, chemicals, and foodstuff on the international market. It mainly imports raw materials, fuels, and textiles. The country also receives millions of international tourists every year. Unemployment in the country is low, but often attributed to work in low-income jobs such as agriculture. The standard of living was rated to be below average due to low wages, difficult amenity access, and high prices. There is also heavy inequality, with 6% of the population living below the poverty line and the control of 40% of income by 10% of the population. Qyred's economy is jeopardized by its high external debt, leading to a low financial credit rating, and is also hampered by corruption as well as sustainability issues.
Qyred's economy was formerly dominated and practically oligopolized by a small number of state-owned enterprises closely associated with the nobility or clergy, although these bodies were very autonomous from the government and essentially acted as private competitors, with the state taking a dirigiste role. Nevertheless, to advance competitiveness and growth encouragement of small and medium-sized enterprises took place since the 1990s, who now contribute much of employment and GDP, and make up for an overwhelming number of firms. However, they have also come under the influence of the state-owned enterprises through the formation of 'mediatory networks' that bring many firms together.
Culture
Qyred has a very distinct culture for a Yenic nation, as well as a strong identity of its inhabitants who have a history of divergence from customs of the heartlands of the historical Yen empires, although cultural norms remain conformant with that of the broad Yen region. Cotrism is a major cultural and social influence.
Literature and art
Qyred has a signature unique literary tradition that began in around the 3rd century with a collection of poets who became notable for the bold character of their works, represented by figures such as Tshan K'ien. Yenlan, a 5th century poet, is regarded as one of the greatest Yen poets and a major figure of Qyredine literary history. The predominant theme of early Qyredine poetry was contemporary events, linked to history through metaphors and descriptions of nature. A recurring subject of reference was the tide of the Mo River. Beginning in the Yiek dynasty, many epics were authored in Qyred, primarily with folklore as the subject. The Qyredine Dzei era saw the first development of prose literature, especially those that openly began to use vernacular Qyredine, and a rise in popularity of irregular verses, with Nyong Pan and Keng Wu representative of Qyredine literature of this era. During the Mioky period, Qyredine literature once again began to conform with the overall form of the empire. The use of Classical Yen was revived and works took on increasingly religious tints. Vernacularization of literature resumed after Qyredine independence, and was characterized by an influence of Romanticism that had indigenously developed in Catai. Perceived national humiliation to imperialist powers in the 19th century, the restoration of Qyred as a regional power with the Shintai Reforms, and the events of XXX all served to sustain the current of romantic literature in Qyred which persists to today. Wen Kitchian, Kau Mek, and Lin Gaye are regarded as representatives of modern Qyredine literature.
Visual arts in Qyred too has a long history, beginning with grand murals created by the Quat culture in the 5th to 4th centuries BCE. Paintings were first mainly tomb artwork but in the Yiek dynasty ink wash painting became widely produced. Tsin Man is one of the most prominent Yiek-era Qyredine painters. Like elsewhere in Yen, mountains and rivers were the main subject of artwork. Northern Qyred became famous for painted porcelain beginning in the late Yiek. The intrusion of Cotric philosophy into everyday life also influenced the topic of paintings which began to use more intricate construction and layout.
Cuisine
In contrast to Zhou cuisine of its western neighbour Zhoudo as well as the general flavor preferences of many Yen countries, Qyredine cuisine is characterized by a strong spicy and numbing taste that makes use of chili and Mo peppers. Chili has seen introduction to many Qyredine cuisine despite only being introduced via trade in the 18th century. Common culinary techniques include stir-frying, roasting, braising and stewing.