Great Han Empire


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The Great Han Empire (Han: 왕궈노하니,  Wánggwó no Hánī) is a  that consists of the ,  and adjacent islands including , , , and the. It has a total of area of 130,464 square miles, or 337,900 km2, making it ranked in terms of total land area. It is commonly considered a , being comprised of eight  and numerous , with the most powerful being Greater Hanyang, centred on the special city of Hanyang. Greater Hanyang is the only governorate that lacks a, and instead, its , the National Diet serves as the federal government.

Hani would not emerge as a single political entity until in the 17th century under the Kingdom of Tondo, a feat achieved through the rigorous expansion and incorporation of surrounding subordinate states. While early Tondo would be culturally influenced primarily by India, and later, Brunei, later Tondo would be heavily culturally influenced by the Ming, a that would be facilitated by the arrival of  fleeing the collapsing. By the waning days of Tondo, there would be a between three groups; the major Indianised and the Sinicised pluralities, plus a waning animist plurality. This power struggle would culminate in the ousting of the Tondo house by the hardliner Na dynasty. The Na dynasty would revise reforms done by the Tondo, but within five years, Tondo would dissolve into a dozen separate states.

After twenty-five years of conflict, former Tondo would be reunified under the Yi dynasty. The Yi dynasty would establish a strong through ruthless political repression and further entrench  into Han culture, making it its. These efforts would lead in the height of classical Han culture, trade, science, literature, and technology, and set the basis of modern Han culture. However, starting in the late 18th century, the Yi dynasty would suffer from severe political strife and decentralisation, with power eventually devolving to local governors. Despite establishing a policy in the 19th century, it would be to resist  ambitions. It would be subject to multiple treaties before ultimately being annexed by Sierra following the Han–Sierran War.

Despite being declared only under Sierran, in reality, Sierra had partitioned Hani into numerous among its fellow American allies and  – with treatment of locals varying between each zone. Whilst Hani experienced an acceleration of, it was at the cost of sovereignty and Hans were marginalised, exploited, and mistreated within their own country. In the thirties, two rival groups, the Grand National Party and the Han Worker's Party would lead a guerrilla war resisting colonial forces. With the Hans taking advantage of American preoccupation with the and , this would accede into warfare and full independence by the Hanyang Declaration.

Since the end of the First Han Civil War, Hani has as a part of the. Today, it is a, ranking eighteenth on the and wielding the world’s fourth-largest or third-largest economy by  and  respectively. It ranks highly in other indicators, such as areas pertaining to education and technological sophistication, as well as military might. It is an influential member of numerous key organisations, utilising its vast and growing  projection to spread its interests and influence globally. Because of these, it is recognised as a major, an emergent , and a against the Conference of American States.

Etymology
Most Hans choose to refer to their country as simply Háni (하니 ), but in formal occassions, it is referred to as Hárigoku no Háni (하리고쿠노하니 ); meanwhile, they refer to their people as Norén Hán (노렌한 ), while to their language Nowigá Hán (노위가한 ).

The term Hani emanates from the Old Han term Han (한 ), which had originally been used to refer to the Chinese. The term was coined after the ascension of the in place of the. As many of the Hans rejected the dynastic change, not showing the same amount of geniality to the Qing when compared to the Ming, Yi Young, the first monarch of the current Yi Imperial household, styled the Yi as the true successors of the Ming, adding –i to Han to make Hani. However, while the Qing did not recognised this and continued to refer to the Yi by their official name, this term quickly grew popular and the official name was reserved for formal situations.

Prior to the later Tondo period, Hans referred to themselves as Nangren Tongdo (낭렌통도 ).

Consolidation of royal rule
Following the end of the Warring States period and the establishment of the Yi dynasty, Yi Young heavily legitimized and consolidated royal power, laying the foundations of the dynasty's later successes. There were two major reforms that provided the much needed stability to the young and initially unstable dynasty.

First, a strongly  with  dictated by performance in government exams, was established. institutions were disestablished, forcing the upper echelons to excel, instead of relying on hereditary means, to maintain their status. These reforms led to the formation of a strong, competent elite–exactly as Yi Young hoped to accomplish. Second was the establishment of a largely society. He created a, as well as a based on tags, to effectively collect taxes and monitor the people. Afraid of court-nobles ever regaining the disproportionate power they held previously, Yi Young removed the voting system from the imperial court, giving him on national decisions. He also cut down on many privileges the nobility previously had, most notably the right to own private armies so that they are unable to muster large-scale revolts.

These reforms were met with different responses. The lower castes welcomed the emphasis on talent rather than blood lines, while the nobles found this as detrimental to keeping their power. The nobles were also concerned with the loss of privileges and influence within the imperial court.

Succession issues
By 1717, Yi Young fell ill, after twelve years of leading vigorous political. With his death preeminent, he picked a early. He picked his third child, Yi Hyorin, a selection which was controversial as she was a female (typically male heirs are prioritized) and at the tender age of seventeen, many assumed she was incompetent and ill-fitted to rule.

Seeking for power, her brother Yi Wei secretly amassed a large army of conscripts and convinced Yi Young to instate nobles that leaned towards him to several important positions in the government. In 13th October 1705, upon the death of Yi Young, after failing to launch a revolt in Hanyang, launched a revolt in the Gaya province, two events known as the Hanyang Incident and the Gaya Revolt, respectively. His forces capitulated by 10th November, less than a month later, and Yi Wei was executed for.

Reign of Yi Hyorin
With her reign lasting for fifty years from 1718 until 1758, while remaining for an additional eight years until her death in 1776, Yi Hyorin, commonly referred to as Hyorin the Great, is recognized as the longest reigning Han monarch. Her fifty-eight year reign marked the economic zenith and a height of political confidence of the Yi dynasty. This lasted until the death of Yi Chang, her successor, in 1806, which signalled a gradual decline of the Hanyang trading network until its final abolishment and the establishment of the harshly following the  defeat in the.

However, during her early reign, before the achievements she was known for, Yi Hyorin conducted a series of reforms that the Yi household and glorified its achievements. She designated the eastern shores of as a commemoration site for members of the Yi household, forcing people to do prostrations before the statues. She also adopted the doctrine, and attributed successes to moral purity and approval from heaven. While fostering close partnership with the neighbouring as a, she refused the Qing position as the successor of the Ming and styled the Yi as its rightful successor. She named her people to Han and labeled the Yi as Hani, and revised her family records to fit her claim that the Yi were the direct descendants of the household.

Her early reign also saw the establishment of that incentivized the adoption of Han culture by minorities. A law was passed that pointed out that only those of Han ancestry are eligible to be appointed positions to the government. She meanwhile, imposed a set of customs established to be the new social norms. She declared  as the, though she incorporated elements of  and local  into it to create a new distinct branch. She also declared the Han language to be the sole, while encouraged the use of over  due to its simplicity. She also the first grammatical conventions for it to facilitate the learning of the language by non-speakers.

To convey her aspirations for a wealthy and successful reign, she upscaled the imperial palace into a much larger palace complex, incorporating elements of. She brutally suppressed writing critical of the establishment, despite encouraging scholarly activity and the arts.

Economic development
While the dynasty became increasingly united under a single ethnic identity, thus bringing harmony and cohesion, the national treasury was being drained because of her assimilationist campaign, to the point of bankruptcy. This loss of funds meant she had to increase foreign trade to increase revenue, as she could only raise tax rates marginally or she could risk sacrificing popularity among the lower castes–which is important to retain power and imperial confidence. With the dynasty being an, it quickly developed a favourable with the Europeans. Though this was not enough to avoid the threat of national bankruptcy, which made her very anxious. She even ordered the confiscation of luxury items from nobles to fuel the depleting national treasury and to fund her programs.

Foreign trade had not truly boomed until when the enacted a series of  in 1756–most notably being the, which restricted trade to the city of  (then called )–to restrict trade with the Europeans. As the Yi dynasty still had special access to Chinese ports as they were exempted from the isolationist policies, it was quick to capitalize on the situation to be the link between the Qing and the Europeans. Foreign trade surged rapidly, and the dynasty established a vast trading network throughout Asia known as the Hanyang trading network the following year. As foreign trade surged, so did the inflow of silver (silver was the main form of payment) as Yi Hyorin placed high on, and inflated the price of, imported Chinese goods to maximize profit. With China unwilling to open its ports, the Europeans had no choice but to accept this unfair practice, and thus, the dynasty grew in importance. This quickly solved the looming financial crisis that would have hit the dynasty if it had not capitalized on. This sudden affluence enabled Yi Hyorin to maintain her policies but also start new public projects that aimed to achieve further development.

During the existence of the trading network,, such as potato, maize peanut, were adopted and cultivated mass-scale in large communal plots of land. As they grew in land not suitable for rice cultivation, food supply grew rapidly. This triggered a decline in mortality, and life expectancy rose to forty years, far ahead of Europe at the time. However, this led to the issue of but was quickly solved. Yi Hyorin established a system of monitoring grain prices to avoid severe. This prevented a loss of family incomes and a depletion of food supply. With the agricultural sector no longer needing as much labour as it used to, former peasants flocked to cities, and worked within sweatshops dealing with the production of handicrafts, luxury items, and textiles instead of in the fields. Meanwhile, metallurgy soared under the construction of numerous that melt wrought iron and cast iron into steel, which were reinforced with tools and machinery. This process of was guided under the government–specifically Yi Hyorin and the Ministry of Finance, who also encouraged the cultivation of. Funded by precious metals, public infrastructure was improved upon, most notably roads, canals and irrigation systems to further facilitate the process.

In order to stimulate participation in the market and, tax burdens on the lower castes were removed while was made illegal. This deemphasized the role of the nobility in the economy, which was assumed by merchants. Merchants, which originally comprised the lowest caste, were moved into the chungren caste, the second highest caste after the tasuuren caste. This change in status was meant to encourage mercantile activity, as merchants was seen by Yi Hyorin to be important to further development. This reduction in the importance of nobles within the economy meant a loss of power and leadership. In order to solve this, Yi Hyorin doubled tax rates for nobles, while decreasing the tax rates of peasants–thus hitting two birds with one stone, keeping the nobles contained while increasing popularity and market participation. The merchant guilds proliferated in all Han cities, building huge fortunes and patronizing literature, theatre, and the arts.

Ten Great Campaigns of Yi Hyorin
However, by the later half of her reign, Yi Hyorin began to notice the rampant population growth. The country had not increased territory since the Tondo conquest of Ruson, while the population had tripled since then. Peasants began working on noticeably smaller, more intensively cultivated plots. She even once bemoaned the situation by remarking while the population grew, the land did not. The only arable land within the archipelago was down south–which was occupied by the and the.

In 1770, she temporarily sought to solve this problem through the conquest of the southern lands.

Geography
Hani is an comprised of numerous islands. It is bordered by the to the north, the  (East Han Sea) to the east, the  (West Han Sea) to the west, and the  to the south. The island of is located a few hundred miles southwest while  is located directly to the northwest. The and  are located to the south-southwest. Hani's main island group, (comprised of three island groups;, , and ), has a total of 7,107 islands with a total area of 300,000 km2 (115,831 sq. mi).

The highest point in Hani is ; located on the island of, it measures up to 2,954 meters (9,692 feet) above sea level. In contrast, in the  is the deepest point in Hani and is the third deepest point in the world with a depth of more than 10,540 metres (34,580 feet). The trench is located in the Han sea. The longest river is the which is located in the. Its basin measures at a 27,280 km2 (10,533 sq. mi) while having a total length of 505 km2 (314 sq. mi). , which is next to the capital city of, is connected to its largest lake, , via the.

Hani is situated on the Western fringes of the, and as a result, Hani experiences common seismic and volcanic activity, with up to twenty earthquakes registered daily. Fortunately, an overwhelming majority of these earthquakes are too weak to be felt or to pose a threat to the island's safety. Not all geographic features are so violent or destructive, an example of one of the most serene legacies of the geologic disturbances is the, which is one of the new. The surrounding area is a major target of conservation efforts, as it is one of the few largely untouched places in Hani, and contains a full mountain-to-the-sea ecosystem and a high endemism rate.

Being located in the tropics, most of the islands, with the notable exemption of (which is dominated by flatlands and urban agglomerations), are covered in thick tropical rainforest and are mainly volcanic in origin. As a result of its volcanic nature, Hani has the world's second-largest gold deposits, one of the largest copper deposits, but is also rich in nickel, chromite, and zinc. Hani is the world's largest, providing roughly a fifth (approximately 18%) of the country's electricity demand.

Government and politics
Hani features a. The monarch is the head of state, but wields little actual political power and serves more as a ceremonial figurehead, whose role is to embody the Han people. The majority of real political power is held by the, who also leads the ; he or she is appointed by the monarch, but designated by people through a popular vote. Although the monarch appoints the Premier, its constitution explicitly states the monarch must appoint whoever the majority of voters designated in the elections.

Hani's is the National Diet, seated in the capital city of Hanyang. The National Diet is, consisting of two chambers; the Senate (with five elected from every constituent state) and the National Congress (a total of 300 seats). The members of the National Diet are elected through popular vote, and is dissolved once every six years. All adults eighteen and above have, with a for all elected offices. All members of the government, excluding the monarchy, are elected by the people of Hani.

The is headed by the Supreme Court of Hani; while it is the highest court in the country, it only has appellate jurisdiction over appeals cases relating to general and criminal law. The Constitutional Court of Hani has original jurisdiction surrounding any cases that involve constitutionality, having also additional powers on deciding cases regarding administrative law.

Political parties
Hani is most commonly described as a, having been dominated by the , Nationalist Party since the fifties whilst other parties are marginalised and excluded from mainstream politics. The Nationalist Party runs its campaigns based on the promotion of, , , with an streak, as well as maintained socioeconomic and military expansion that is seen as a necessity to retain Hani's sovereignty.

Recently however, the ousting of the in the seventies and the end of the persecution of political dissidents has allowed minority parties have flourished and grown in number, though none are large enough to threaten the preeminence of the Nationalist Party. The second largest party in Hani is the Worker's Party, while the third largest party is the Unitary party, which advocates for a  system in place of a  one. Other parties in Hani are often, basing their campaigns on a single issue. However, these type of parties has never had a significant influence on Han politics.

Administrative divisions of Hani
, a region comprising the, is divided into eight (shoung, 省 ), while outside regions outside Hani proper are directly governed by the federal government. Governorates are further divided into (jwou, 州 ),  (chengshi, 城市 ), and  (jingshi, 首都 ). All of these prefectures and equivalent prefecture-level equivalents are further divided into sub-entities including counties (shan, 县 ), districts (chwi, 区 ), towns (jen, 镇 ), neighbourhoods (rinri, 邻里 ), villages (suum, 村 ), and hamlets (suumjoung, <font face="Times New Roman">村庄 ).

Each is led by the, and he or she is tasked with enforcing both national and local law in their governorate. Meanwhile, and prefecture-level equivalents are led by the lead chairmen, which is the highest rank in the municipal council. As Hani is a, governorates enjoy partial autonomy in internal affairs and decisions. However this autonomy is restricted in some fields, for example, there is a set of core laws that are designated by the federal government, and governorates may be reorganised or dissolved per the discretion of the National Diet.

A growing portion of the National Diet (which is the legislative body of Hani) has advocated for the replacement of the current in favour for the creation of a. This move is meant to combat and  among Han governorates. Opponents have said that the cost of creating and maintaining provincial boundaries would be a financial burden, and that the separatist movements and regionalism would only be amplified by the decision.

Military
Hani wields the fourth-most powerful military in the world according to both the and the. It traditionally has been and, though the Second Cold War has prompted it to increase military intervention abroad. Hani's annual military budget comprises about ~3% of its, with the prime focus being on the manufacturing of aircraft, missile, and naval technology. While Hani has signed the, it allegedly possesses a small stockpile of nuclear weapons, though it has actively denounced these accusations.

The Ministry of Defense and Public Security is responsible for the coordination of Hani's defence and military capabilities, and is based, with all federal government branches, in the Imperial district of Hanyang. The armed forces of Hani is divided into four branches; the Han People's Army, the Han People's Air Force, the Han People's Navy, and the Han People's Coast Guard, all of which are collectively known as the Han Crown Armed Forces. As the role of the is to embody state, the members of the Han military swear loyalty and allegiance to the monarch as well as the Han people.

Military service is a voluntary manner, but occurs during times of war. During times of war, all able-bodied and men between the ages of 20 and 22 are automatically drafted. Those who have moral objections may receive other options, such as being a medical personnel or engineer. As of today, Hani has over 6,300,000 active military and reserve personnel. The reserve personnel of Hani predominantly consists of ex-conscripts with an obligation to undertake three days of training annually.

Foreign relations
It is the founding member of the League of Nations and is its most influential Southeast Asian member, even applying for. Hani is also active in other organisations, representing the interests of the Han people. It has membership in, but not limited to, the, the , the , the Trans-Pacific Allied Community, the , and holds observer status within the Conference of American States. Most embassies and diplomatic missions are in Hanyang and the areas surrounding it, though consulates are dispersed among Hani's major cities.

Hani also has military and defense pacts with nations, mostly with members of the Trans-Pacific Allied Community, though it, until the turn of the twenty-first century, has been largely in global military affairs. Even now, instead of participating directly in conflicts as a different side, it just sends aids that act under the wing of a separate polity.

Economy
Hani is designated as a highly, graduating from its status as a in the nineties. It has a strong, though it is prone to damage due to a recent strain in West–Han relations. According to estimates from the, Hani's economy at stood at roughly $6.747 trillion whilst its economy at  stood at $5.06 trillion. This would make it ranked third globally, before the and the United Commonwealth, and after  and. It is the largest economy within. A major economic power, it is a member of many economic organisations, including, , the , , and the the.

Hani's economy is driven by the production and exportation of high-tech precision goods such as, , , and , and is the world's third-largest exporter after China and Germany. Despite its wide-scale economic involvement in other regions, it is a well-known practicer of, placing high tariffs and has trading quotas on foreign imports to limit competition with domestically produced goods. It also practices some unfair trading practices, including to keep exports cheap. However, this does not stop it from being the fifth-largest importer as its economy relies on lots of, raw materials such as , , and to meet local food demands. Its main trading partners include members of the Conference of American States (mainly Sierra, and the United Commonwealth),, and the.

Hani's is considered to follow the. It is a economy where all major economic sectors, save for the services and industrial sector, are fully  and publicly owned. However, the industrial sector is instead dominated by privately-owned large-scale business conglomerates known as the changsu, which are similar to the of Korea and the  of Japan. Meanwhile, the services sector is dominated by privately small to medium sized corporations. The Han Central Bank is Hani's only bank, lowering or raising the national to control  and.

Labour
Workers' rights are both enshrined and entrenched in the Han Constituition, and as a result, Han labourers enjoy one of the highest working standards and wages within the region. The Han is at $7.5 every hour, or $15,000 annually, and with the exception of, receive benefits that include  and subsidised  for their children (if they have any).

are traditionally long; an excess of more than 1,800 hours annually (or eight hours per day), with the being from Monday to Friday. This long working time is a result of the government's attempt to facilitate economic expansion–despite increased and a decline in the –through heightened, higher employment, and the  of non-skilled labour. However, in response to several key problems brought by this long working period, the current administration has established a campaign that aims to lower working hours to 1,200 (a 33% decrease) hours a day within a 10-year period.

Many problems stem from the long working hours, including reported incidences of in which workers were pushed to suicide or heart attacks/strokes brought by stress, an issue also prevalent in nearby Korea,, and South Vietnam. It is also largely responsible for the country's low birth rate, prompting the government to introduce efforts to facilitate child rearing by subsidising child care services.

Currency
The Han chang (: <font face="Times New Roman">钱 or ¢; : HNC) is the of Hani. It is divided into séng by a ratio of 1/100, and further divided into mūn by a ratio of 1/1,000. The chan is largely issued in the form of banknotes, with coins becoming increasingly obsolete due to their low value coupled with rising consumer prices. A result of its miraculous growth, the chang has emerged as the world's third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the ($) and the  (€). A low and value has led to its candidacy as a potential global  and is currently going further  in case either dollar or the euro crashes.

Population
In 2016, the counted a total of 176 million people in Hani, a figure that includes  and, but excludes  (defined as those who have lived in Hani for under a year) and.

Hani is an society with approximately 99% of its residents being of Han ethnicity. The remaining percent are ; most of which are either or  from mainland Asia. The largest foreign immigrant enclaves are only found in Hanyang and the rest are dispersed evenly among the rest of Hani's major cities. The consistency of the population is attributed to strict immigration policies, though recently the rise of Han pop culture overseas has initiated the relaxation of these policies and the resulting rise in immigrants.

and are determined through  (right of blood); under Han law, any person with at least one  of Han ancestry, regardless of place of birth and nationality can apply for citizenship. Introduced in the eighties, is restricted to foreign-born Hans that has lived in their host country for at least five years.

Language
The Han language is the of Hani, with ~95.0% of Hans having the ability to speak the said language and to write in  Hanji– script fluently. The official global regulatory body of the Han language is the, which governs the proper usage of the Han language.

is the second most prominent language as words of English origin are often incorporated into signs and media. While it is mandatory in secondary and postsecondary education, the usage of English is minimal and only half of Hans have the ability to maintain a conversation in English. Other languages spoken in Hani that have a sizeable number of speakers are, , , , and , although their uses are largely limited within the ethnic enclaves of their origin.

Religion
According to its constitution, Hani is a, being supportive of the doctrine. Hani guarantees the and ever since the end of its pre-modern era, never had an official.

is the most common religion, having been introduced by missionaries from China. Its most common branch is  – with the most practiced form of it being Han Buddhism. Other practiced branches are, its second largest, and. , which has gained prominence during the twentieeth century is the second largest religion determined by the number of followers. The branch of Christianity is the largest, with the largest denomination being. The Protestant branch is the second largest branch. The denominations are the largest Protestant churches, followed by, and the.

The remainder of Hans has described themselves as being either, , , and/or. However, despite this and rigorous, Han culture remains heavily influenced by traditional religions such as and. While it is not a religion, Han culture is also heavily influenced on concepts based off.

Cuisine
Han cuisine, which is described as outwardly simple but rich in taste, is strongly, borrowing heavily from (particularly the regional  and ), but also incorporating aspects of , , , and. Han cuisine emphasises the freshness of ingredients (typically picked at the height of its quality), the balance of flavour between condiments and other components, and the texture of the dish.

, as with many other Asian cultures, enjoys status as the staple grain and make up the basis of a Han diet. ,, , and are the most used meats, but Han cuisine encompasses almost all edible meats, readily making use of , , , , and. such as, , and are frequently consumed raw and are rarely added into dishes, while  are typically boiled.

are used lightly and sparingly, as to not overwhelm other flavours. However, a notable exception is, which is used heavily in dishes that utilise internal organs (such as ) to mask the otherwise unpleasant odour. The primary condiments (excluding spices) include, , , , , , , , and. Meanwhile, the spices used are primarily, , , ,. With the exception of garlic and (with the latter being used merely as ), there is little to no usage of  in Han cuisine.

The most favoured method of cooking is or. ,, meats play a central place in their repertoire, with most  being delicacies. Other cooking methods are, , and.

Dining etiquette
Eating is considered an important social activity that reinforces relations between the family. Eating is typically led by a host or hostess (or in some cases multiple hosts), who are either the main cooker of the meals or the leader of the household. The youngest and eldest members of the family usually receive the first dishes.

Chopsticks are the primary eating utensils, used to pick pieces of meat, vegetable, and rice. When consuming soups, a Chinese-style spoon is used to scoop the liquid contents while the solid contents are still picked up with the use of chopsticks. A knife is seldom used to handle tough meats.

include, , and , and typically start a meal along with drinks such as or. These dishes work as an or to balance the strength of the. To conclude meals, sweets such as and  are consumed.