Huaxia (Gruppa4)

Huaxia 華夏
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Towards the Golden Emperor
Largest city	New Zion
Official languages	Huaxian
Recognised regional languages	Cantonese English
Demonym(s)	Huaxian
Government	Council of Government
Legislature	Grand Huaxia Congress
Formal Region of Gruppa4
• First Grand Huaxia Congress	June 11, 1932
Population
• 2020 estimate	543,480,000
• 2016 census	479,254,497
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	11.76 Trillion Satarii
• Per capita	65,000 Satarii
HDI (2020)	.75 high
Currency	Satarius (unofficial)
Driving side	left

Huaxia is an informal grouping of diverse polities united through a common heritage of being descended from a single long-spanning civilization that previously convered all of modern-day Huaxia and beyond. Subsuquently, Huaxians view themselves as inhabitants the inner sphere of "Heaven" in the world, with Huaxia at the cultural and spiritual center. Huaxia today is an extremely diverse region, with countless languages, ethnic groups, and cultures within its borders.

Political power within Huaxia is held by the Banner Kings who have absolute dominion within their territory and over their own militas. These Kings delegate power to various nobles underneath them, who in turn manage various ministries and other affairs. Huaxian localities similarly have district magistrates to administer laws created by the Banner Kings. The Banner Kings, nobles, and other lords and officials convene annually in the Grand Huaxia Congresses to coordinate policy. Additionally, meetings are attended by various special interest groups and secret societies, who have achieved a level of quasi-legitimacy in Huaxian affairs. These secret societies control large parts of the economy and are responsible for much Huaxian political thought, even stretching into Proletsvet and Império where they hold influence. Many of them ideologically hold visions of uniting Huaxia once again, something shared by the various Banner Kings. Each seeks to vie for supremacy over the other and attain complete control over Huaxia, establishing a second great Golden Empire.

Today, Huaxia as a whole does not exist as a unified political body, with no common government, leader, or ideology. It cooperates with its neighbors on regional and international matters without the existence of a codifed political body to enforce any decisions on constituent member states. As a result, Huaxian politics are mired in short-term alliances, political maneuvering, and off-record deals. Additionally, Huaxian relations with Proletsvet and Império are even more complex, with each Huaxian polity having independant relations with non-Huaxian polities, each of which is different in subtle or overt ways, which results in exceptionally convoluted alliances during armed conflict. Periods of armed conflict are made additionally politically complex as Huaxia is the world's foremost arms manufacturer, with the Hairy Men of God solely responsible for over 60% of the world's production of firearms, explosives, armed vehicles, and other arms.

Etymology

The word Huaxia is a combination of the words hua (華), meaning 'beauty', and xia (夏) meaning 'grandness'. Together they form the expression "beautiful grandeur", in reference to the land of the first Golden Empire, the pre-cursor to modern day Huaxia.

History

Drawing dated to 860, showing the golden river spilling over its banks. Huaxian Cultural Archives

The history of the region of Huaxia is ancient and incomplete in parts, with many cultural artifacts, documents, and other important items lost during the Grey Period. What survives indicates that Huaxia has been continuously inhabited for at least 4000 years, with the oldest known archeological evidence being clay pots unearthed dating back to ~2500 BC. It has gone through many great upheavals in that time, from the age of the river kingdoms, to the First Golden Empire, the fall and following grey period, the establishment of the First Grand Huaxia Congress, and the current troubles of the modern era. Additionally, it should be noted that many Huaxians, including Huaxian polities, maintain official accounts of Huaxian history that conflict with one another and with archeological evidence. This is a result of the myriad of claims to the vacant Golden Throne, with many polities maintaining that official and historical evidence favours their claims that their aristocracy or leaders are the sole legitimate inheritor(s) of the Golden Empire.

First settlement

The first cultures known to inhabit Huaxia were farming and fishing communities, largerly centered around the Golden River in modern day HMOG. The surviving cultural artifacts found in the area dated to those times indicate that these people were comparatively civilized relative to their neighbors, or they represented themselves as such, referring to the people outside the river region as "barbarous". Nothing else is known about these barbarians, other than they were antagonists to the way of life of the early Huaxians.

River kingdoms

Huaxian historians generally agree that the origins of Huaxia can be traced to the foundation of the early cities along the Golden River. The warring tribal clans had feuded and warred with one another over the prime riverlands, and some time around the year 1500 BCE, begun to contruct fortified settlements to defend their claims. While initially they were meant as safe places for tribal warriors to overnight in, they soon begun to expand as others in the riverlands flocked there to escape the conflict that was commonplace in the region.

These early settlements soon grew into villages, becoming the foundations of the earliest Huaxian civilization. The tribal warlords continued their campaigns against one another, but on a much smaller scale; overall historians agree that the establishment of cities lead to a general decline in conflict in the area, as the roving tribes that had previously needed to hunt and kill to survive now had the safety to make farming and trading feasible.

The War of Cherry Blossoms

Huaxian chroniclers account that in the spring of 400 BCE,

The Golden Empire

Based on traditional accounts, archeological evidence, and surviving cultural artifacts, around the year 390 a member of one of the warring kingdoms rose to prominance by uniting the feuding clans under his rule. In addition, he is credited with the invention of several then-revolutionary ideas, notably paper, gunpowder, and standardized bureaucracy. Through his political will, military might, and revolutionary scientific advances, the warlord conquered all of the river lands, and then the region beyond, forming a Great Golden Empire that encompassed all of modern-day Huaxia and into parts of what is now Proletsvet and Império.

The reign of the Golden Emperor was an age of unrivalved prosperity and development for Huaxia; many large cities were founded along the Golden River and outlands, each of which was ruled by a Banner Lord loyal to the Emperor. The population grew to at least 25,000,000 people as the river was used to create an extensive irrigation system to grow rice and other staple foodcrops. Trade flourished as rice and other surplus goods like pottery and metals were traded to all regions of the Empire and beyond, with Huaxias centralized location in the world facilitating trade between what is now Proletsvet and Imperio. The Imperial army, built from a mixture of volunteers, conscripts, and loaned troops from the banner lords, maintained order in the country and protected its constantly-expanding borders from bandits and barbarians. The Golden Emperor also established a system of writing and an education system to teach it to all Imperial subjects, a system of writing that evolved over the centuries and is known today as the Huaxian language.

Evidence of the death of the Golden Emperor is unclear, with contraditory accounts from a variety of sources. While some claim that he disappeared from the Imperial City around 470, never to be seen again, several surviving cultural artifacts indicate that he was slain in battle defending the City from invading barbarians.

The disappearance or death of the First Golden Emperor around the year 470 marked the beginning of the decline of the Golden Empire. He was succeeded by a number of Emperors, each able to rule the Empire to varying degrees of effectiveness, but none able to match the leadership of the first Emperor. The last recorded Golden Emperor ascended to the throne in the year 896, in his rule was marked by economic downturn, civil unrest, and banner lords defying Imperial rule.

Grey period

Sword recovered from a burial mound, dated to late golden period - early grey period (~900).

Archeological evidence from dates after 900 is sparse, with few surving relics from these times found. The artifacts that were recovered are markedly different from Golden Era finds, lacking the same craftsmanship and attention to detail found in traditional imperial work. They primarily consist of finds from burial mounds, crude carved tablets, and fragmented journal accounts from foreign traders and explorers present in Huaxia around these times. Together, the evidence seems to indicate the sudden collapse of the Golden Empire, likely in as short a time as a year. The high numbers of burial mounds in the regions surrounding the golden cities, all dated to the same period, are indicative of a high number of deceased high-ranking military and political figures being buried in that time. Anthropologists speculate that during this time, following a long period of decline for the Golden Empire, large numbers of barbarians invaded, likely originating from the outlands to the north. Lacking a strong leader the unite the Banner Lords in defense against the aggressors, the seperate kingdoms abandoned their previous alliances and focused only on the defense of their own cities. All but a few of the strongest kingdoms were destroyed, with those surviving being severely weakened by the damage caused to their lands and people by the collapse.

Struggling to recover following their near-destruction, the seperate kingdoms largely closed their borders to each other and to the world, focusing all their efforts on rebuilding their lands and infastructure. Culture languished during this time, as each went their own way, Huaxian identity began to drift apart and become fragmented. Each saw themself as the sole legitimate inheritor of the previous Golden Empire, and distrusting the failure of the last Golden Emperor, would not compromise and allow any but themselves to ascend to the Imperial Throne.

Age of Swords

In the centuries following the collapse of the Golden Empire, war and armed conflict was common in the region of Huaxia. Without an Empire and a strong central government to quell the fighting amongst the banner lords, old feuds resurfaced and lords fought one another for control of the cities and the surrounding country. Many great powerful kingdoms rose to prominence in Huaxia at this time, often growing at the expense of their neighbors or other conquests. Alliances between the Banner Kings were broken as quickly as they were forged, with opportunistic politicians and commanders seeking to capitalize on any possible advantage.

Huaxia remainded in this state for almost 1000 years, with many Kingdoms eventually able to attain a high degree of sophistication and development, but none able to unite all the lands of Huaxia under one banner.

Culture

Huaxian poetry, written around the year 300

The region of Huaxia has been inhabited since ancient times, with a common culture emerging as a result of shared history, language, religion, and geographic proximity. Many Huaxians speak a common language and see themselves as a common people, descended from the original Huaxian Golden Empire. However, as a result of Huaxias vast size and population, regional differences are great, with many distinct dialects, religious practises, and other customs being distinct to particular regions. These region differences manifest in many sub-cultures as a feeling of elitism and superiority over neighboring cultures, seeing them as inferior or otherwise not worthy of a significant role in Huaxia, both politically and spiritually.

Huaxian "Heaven"

A core component of Huaxian identity is the view that all modern Huaxians originate from the first Huaxian Golden Empire. As the majority of the polities directly or indirectly trace their origins to the rule and collapse of the Golden Empire, most Huaxians subsequently view themselves as the descendants of the Golden Empire, manifesting in Huaxian culture as the concept of Huaxian "Heaven", the idea that Huaxia is the center of the world in terms of cultural refinement, spiritual ascendency, and moral justice. This concept of grandeur or perfection is usually presented as being at the expense of the rest of the world, with Huaxia being the centre of civilization, and all outsiders bein barbarous and uncivilized.

As a result of the long period in Huaxian history without a unified Huaxian government or true successor to the Golden Empire, many Huaxians express desire for the emergence of a second empire, believing this will lead to a second golden age of prosperity and status for Huaxia. However, each polity is unwilling to give up sovereignty over itself, and as a result diplomatic attempts to unify have failed, leaving many considering military action to be the only possible solution. However, despite centuries of conflict, no second golden empire has emerged, and as a result Huaxian "Heaven" remains only a concept.

Social structure

Traditional painting from aprox. 1100, showing scholars & musicians, members of the craftsmen social class.

Within Huaxia is a distinct social hierarchy, with all persons or families being within a certain hierarchal social role in society. While regions and polities largely have their own specific naming conventions or nuances, these social groups are largely the same across all of Huaxia, with Banner Lords and their families representing the top of the contemporary social hierachy.

Imperial Throne

The Emperor, as the highest authority in Huaxia (and in the view of Huaxians, the highest authority in the world), represents the top of the social hierarchy, with all other groups and persons being beneath him.

Banner Lords

Banner Lords are rulers, analogous to kings, who maintain total sovereignty over their domain. Classically, Banner Lords would swear fealty to the Golden Emperor, and would rule their kingdoms as vassals to the Empire. As the Imperial Throne is currently vacant, Banner Lords now represent the top of Huaxian social order.

Bureaucrats

Underneath the Banner Lords are Bureaucrats, government workers and officials who act on the behalf of their Lords. Also including the upper military command, the Beureaucrat social group represents the core of political power, being charged with much of the day-to-day running of the polities.

Craftsmen

The second largest group in Huaxia both classically and contemporarily, Craftsmen are skilled freemen who gained a greater level of social respect and freedom as a result of their invaluable skills and contributions to society. As a result, many have been able to establish large families or dynasties, with some even able to rise to greater prestige and become part of the bureaurocrat social class. While traditionally it included only skilled labourers, the definition has since expanded to include musicians, scientists, businessmen, and all others who are skilled or prestiged above the level of peasantry.

Peasants

The lowest social group in Huaxia, the peasants are also the single largest group by number. They are the common people of Huaxia: farmers, fishermen, and other low-skill individuals. Largely uneducated or possessing only a basic education, they have limited autonomy over their property or person, being subject to the laws and social order imposed on them by Banner Lords and bureaucrats.

Regional differences

While Huaxians are largely united in their common heritage and mindset rooted in the first Golden Huaxian Empire, countless regional sub-cultures exist within it's borders, each of which largely consider themselves to be the "legitimate" Huaxians, and therefore the rightful inheritors and rulers of Huaxian Heaven.

Buite Hemel

A cultural oddity, the inhabitants of Buite Hemel, while considered Huaxian in terms of history, language, and other aspects, generally do not see themselves as Huaxians in the conventional sense. The majority of Hemelians see themselves as distinctly Hemelian, as a result of the polities history as a pirate port outside the traditional authority of Huaxian "Heaven".

In practise, the culture of Buite Hemel is largely similar to regional Huaxian culture, with common language and cultural practises such as holidays and and other customs. The primary difference continues to be the Hemelian mindset of disinterest, both towards the idea of Huaxian "Heaven", and Huaxian geopolitics in general.

Northern outlands

The Nomadic people of the Northern Outlands, traditionally referred to as the "barbarians" by Huaxians, are a distantly Huaxian sub-culture that have primarily been antagonists to mainstream Huaxian culture for the majority of their history. Made up of countless nomadic tribes and other groups inhabiting the northern forest lands beyond Huaxias northern borders, the various communities of outlanders are as distinct from one another as they are from mainstream Huaxians. Therefore, they have remainder a largely disparate people for the majority of their history, united only in a shared nomadic lifestyle and distrust by Huaxians.

Mythological figures in Huaxia

Golden Emperor

Arguably the most important figure in Huaxian history, the Golden Emperor was the first to unite Huaxia under a common political entity, the first Golden Empire. As a result, the Golden Emperor enjoys a near-mythological status as the forefather of all Huaxians.

Politics

While not being a unified political body like other regions in the world, Huaxian polities cooperate with one another on regional and interregional matters. In addition to direct diplomatic missions between polities, all Huaxian polities meet yearly for the Grand Huaxia Congress in the city of New Zion, HMOG. Banner Lords from each polity appoint 1-3 councillors to the congress, who serve their position until they are replaced. Individuals chosen to be councillors usually are experts in politics, economics, or other fields of importance, and serve on the congressional council as advisors to the Banner Lords. While their judgement is intended to be unbiased, impartial council, there is historical precedent of councillors being appointed to further the political goals of a single polity, instead of representing the interests of all Huaxians.

Lists of Polities

Name	Capital	Population (2020 estimate)	Area (km²)	Head of State	Head of Government	Government type
Hairy Men of God	New Zion	520,000,000	Area TBD	HoS	HoG	Theocratic Deleuzian-Fascist Aristocracy
Buite Hemel	Omhaya	14,880,000	65,000	Warlord Sovereign		Unitary Pirate Syndicacy
Huangjin lu	Capital	8,600,000	Area TBD	HoS	HoG	Taoist Anti-Modernist Monarchy