Quelpart

**Quelpart** (Quelpartian: *Reng-Koek*, Al-tseua: 榮國), officially the **State of Quelpart** (Quelpartian: *Reng-Koek-Kah*, Al-tseua: 榮國家; Danish: *Delstaten Quelpart*), is an country in East Asia. It consists of Quelpart Island, located between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, the Deot Wu Islands along the southwestern and southern coasts of the Jinhyung Peninsula, the Tsushima Strait Islands in the Tsushima Strait, the Koshiki Islands near Kyushu, and Zhoushan off the coast of China. Its capital and largest city is Trung Chang, which is a global hub for trade and industry. It has a population of 13 million people spread out over an area of BLAH, making it one of the densest countries in the world.

## Name

*Main article: Names of Quelpart*
The name "Quelpart" came from the name of a Dutch ship that landed in the island during the early period of its colonization. In Quelpartian and Chinese, the name "榮國" (Quelpartian *Reng-Koek*, Mandarin *Róngguó*) is used, literally meaning "glorious country".

## Geography

Quelpart is primarily made up of islands, with the exception of Deot Wu which is part of the Jinhyung Peninsula.

### Early History

Quelpart was first settled by Donghainese peoples between 2000 BC and 1500 BC. These peoples traded with other Austronesian peoples, sharing the innovations of the outrigger canoe and the catamaran and trimaran, as well as Jomon peoples. They eventually organized into the Ten Clans of Heidong, one of which, the Hajia Clan, united the island into the Kingdom of Heidong with the support of the State of Qi and began trading with China. Despite close ties with China and later Daitan, the kingdom was fully independent until 663, when Japanese and Daitanese restoration forces won the Battle of Baekgang against China. Quelpart was conquered by the Japanese who incorporated it as a province under the Ritsuryo System; nevertheless, they maintained high autonomy due to the island's remote location.

The Mongol invasion of Korea and attempted invasion of Japan led to the destruction of the local government, navy, and outside influence, though due to its strategic location and use as a grazing ground it was spared the physical devastation that struck elsewhere. A Mongol rump state led by Sokhor Shingkhor controlled the island until 12XX, when the Mongol invaders, native Quelpartians, and Japanese traders banded together to reorganize the island as the main base for the Wokou, pirates that plundered the already-weakened coastlines of China, Korea, and Japan. A large number of Chinese people, especially from Jiangzhe (Fujian), were kidnapped and brought to the island to be servants or slaves.

### European colonization

The Early Wokou evolved into the Later Wokou during the 1500s, now primarily comprised of Chinese pirates who naturally shifted their base of operations near their homeland. Because of this Quelpart declined in strategic importance, and local communities were left in shambles. In 1565, following the destruction of Yokoseura, the main Portuguese base in Japan, Portuguese forces invaded Quelpart and established it as part of their empire; it became the main Portuguese trading hub in Japan and Korea after the end of the lease of Nagasaki. Piracy remained rampant however, bolstered by Portuguese sailors and firearms. The Dutch viewed both the Portuguese and the Wokou as a threat to their monopoly in Japan, and invaded the island in 1640 to solve this. Dejima in Nagasaki quickly eclipsed Quelpart in its importance, however, and the island became a liability; hence, as a gesture of goodwill, the Dutch sold the island to their Danish allies in 1675. The Danish subsequently developed the island and became a decent power in East Asia, though they would never fully rival the Dutch and Spanish (and later the British).

In 1910, the Danish sold the island, along with Mindanao, to the German Reich. Japan would occupy the island in World War 1, and afterwards the island was returned to Denmark. However, financial troubles befell the country in the Great Depression, while tensions with the ever-militaristic Japanese Empire grew, which ended with the Annexation of Quelpart in 1930. The island's manufacturing base was rapidly expanded at the cost of the native population being forced to work; it is estimated that nearly 8,000 people died. During World War 2, despite its strategic importance, the island was spared much of the bombing that the Home Islands received.

### Lee Keuan-De and the One Quelpart Initiative

After World War 2 the island was handed over to temporary American administration. Lee Keuan-De, who had made numerous connections during his education in Vanderbilt University, convinced the American administrators that he should head the country under a transitional government in order to ease the transition to independence and democracy. By 1947 Quelpart was free from direct American control, and the Transitional Government was abolished in 1948 when Lee was elected President.

Lee's first act was to launch the One Quelpart Initiative, which was a multifaceted government policy that aimed to quickly modernize the nation and establish it as a hub for trade in Asia.
The Quelpartian Armed Forces were quickly developed, with significant help from the United States, and participated in the Rebellion of the Three Banners (which led to the acquisition of land in the southern portion of the Jinhyung Peninsula, including the valuable port of Beuk Huo) and the Japanese Civil War. In exchange for this, and also because of the destabilization of neighboring countries, large amounts of foreign aid were given to Quelpart. This was diverted to local industries, with foreign investment being tightly controlled in some areas to protect fledgling businesses while being nearly unrestricted in others. It was a success: economic output exponentially increased, foreign debt was minimized, large housing projects were constructed, the standard of living improved significantly, and the country became a global leader in trade. However, it also led to the widespread exploitation of workers and a hostile economic policy towards competing countries, primarily the Republic of Japan.

Also part of the One Quelpart Initiative was the One Country, Many Peoples Policy. Due to the aforementioned wars, as well as the Chinese Civil War, large numbers of refugees entered the country. Lee declared in 1948 that the country would promote "a distinct Quelpartian identity, not tied down by former allegiances, but under the banner of a modern nation-state" akin to the United States. The official languages were originally Danish, chosen to be a neutral lingua franca, despite its colonial ties; Quelpartian, the local language and the one most commonly spoken prior to the influx of refugees; and Mandarin Chinese, the new most common language. In 1954, English was added despite very few people speaking it, as Lee (who did speak English) recognized that it had become the new global language. Teachers from the United States were recruited *en masse* to teach it. Although mostly symbolic, the language policy allowed the refugees to properly wield their professional skills and helped quell ethnic tensions, though the Japanese and Jinhyungese refugees were unsatisfied that their languages were not included.

### Mosiah Lim

The Zhoushan Incident and repeated diplomatic incidents against the Republic of Japan sparked fears that the military was weak. Lee Keuan-De died in 1971, and was succeeded by Mosiah Lim; the 1972 Trung Chang attacks occurred not long after, which led to the assassination of high-ranking official and rival to Lim, Chu Huoi-Truen. The attacked was pinned on the Republic of Japan - though there were suspicions of it being a false flag operation - and the Donghai War broke out between them. Large parts of Kyushu were bombarded aerially and navally, and the country's manufacturing base was destroyed. Quelpart directly annexed numerous islands and acquired punitive reparations, and the Orange Islands were granted independence as the Quelpartian puppet Uesa; the Treaty of Sagrado Corazon was so punitive it was called the "modern-day Treaty of Versailles." There were also many pogroms against Japanese people in Quelpart, many Japanese-founded chai tsengs were bought by their Quelpartian- or Chinese-owned rivals, further cementing their influence.

===1992 Charter===d
The economy bubbled in the late 1980s only to burst in the First East Asian Financial Crisis of 1991 and 1992. Simultaneously, following Lim's death in 1989, THIRD GUY gained power and attempted to curtail the influence of the chai tsengs. In response, the Coup of '92 was launched by the ARMS MANUFACTURING COMPANY with the support of the other chai tsengs, which overthrew the Democratic Party. The 1992 Charter of Quelpart was written, which cemented the chai tsengs' control over the government. The economy swiftly recovered, even through the Second East Asian Financial Crisis, while ties were strengthened with China, and foreign influence was reduced.

## Government and Politics

*Main article: Government of Quelpart*
Quelpart is, in effect, a one-party state led by the National Development Board, though the Board officially has no political ideology. It is led by the Director-General of the National Development Board, more commonly known as the Director-General of Quelpart or just the "Director-General" or "Director". The official domestic and foreign representative of the government, and thus the head of state, is the President of Quelpart who is elected by the general populace for a single, nonrenewable eight-year term. They appoint the 100 members of the House of Representatives of Quelpart, one of whom is designated the Prime Minister, the head of government.

The current Director-General is Jane Crocker, the CEO of the Betty Crocker Corporation. The current President is Charles Tock, and the current Prime Minister is BLAH2.

### Administrative divisions

The country is divided into cities, headed by a Mayor, and are further subdivided into boroughs, each headed by a Sheriff (Quelpart). Each borough also sends out one representative. Some cities may be designated corporate cities, which are exclusively governed by a single chai tseng and whose Representative, while still chosen by the President, must be approved by said chai tseng. This status can be transferred or revoked.

### Historical

The historical Kingdom of Heidong was ruled by a king who had few vassals. Upon its integration into Japan as part of the Ritsuryo system, this was generally preserved though the king was now called a daimyo. The Wokou Republic was the first somewhat democratic government on the island, with Wokou leaders electing the head of pirate operations amongst themselves. During the colonial period, the island was generally ruled by a governor appointed by the colonial power who directly managed affairs in the island. The island reverted to a province of Japan after the Meiji Restoration. During the American administration, it was planned that the country would base its system of government on that of the United States, but Lee Keuan-De did the opposite, consolidating power under himself and the Council of National Development. The Coup of '92 nominally restructured the government but otherwise it operated the same way.

Quelpart was originally subdivided into Counties, of which cities were a subclass, but the distinction was abolished in 1976 by Mosiah Lim due to the blurring distinction between the two. There were also plans for the creation of states, a greater administrative level than counties, but this was scrapped due to fears of reducing the power of the central government. There were even plans of abolishing cities following the Coup of '92, but instead their powers were simply reduced.

### Laws

Quelpart is known for having a harsh penal code. Notably, most able-bodied criminals are sentenced to penal labor; this was marketed in the years following independence as an emulation of the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States. Capital punishment and corporal punishment are also possible sentences. Notably, the vaguely-defined "political subversion" has a minimum punishment of penal labor and a maximum punishment of capital punishment, and many opponents of the government have been charged with it as a way of silencing it. Quelpartian criminals, especially those who are abroad and are not extradited, can have their assets seized by the government. Recreational drugs are strictly prohibited, with drug possession and trafficking being capital offenses.

### Currency

*Main article: Quelpartian soeng*
Quelpart uses the Quelpartian soeng with the code QPS and using the currency symbol CURRENCYSYMBOL, or Sg when it is not available. As of January 2023, one US dollar equals 15.44 soeng.

### Transportation

*Main article: Transportation in Quelpart*
Quelpart is known for having a robust public transportation system. The Quelpart Expressway System forms the backbone of the country's roadway network.

The Quelpart Undersea Tunnel allows for fast travel between the island and the peninsula.

## Culture

*Main article: Culture of Quelpart*
Quelaprt has a rich and varied culture owing to its long history of intermingling between different cultures.

### Demographics

The vast majority of Quelpartian citizens are of East Asian descent. The Ministry of Social Resources officially subdivides this into five categories: Native Quelpartian, Chinese, Japanese, Jinhyung and Chosunese, and Other East Asian. As all "Native Quelpartians" are believed to have some Chinese ancestry as well, the Minisor defines "Chinese" as "those whose parents have arrived in Quelpart no earlier than the year 1800"; if a person has one Native Quelpartian parent and one Chinese parent under these definitions, they are considered to be Native Quelpartian. Thus, Chinese make up the plurality with 33.2%, followed by Native Quelpartians with 21.2%, then Japanese with 15.1%, then Jinhyung or Chosunese with 7.6%, and lastly Other East Asian with 3.8%.

European Quelpartians are Quelpartians of Quelpartians of European descent, either having descended from a small number of colonial settlers between the 1500s and early 1900s, or having come from American settlers attracted via the TOURISM PROGRAM from the 1950s onward. They make up 9.3% of the population. The current President, Charles Tock, was born to second-generation European Quelpartians (i.e. his grandparents were American citizens).

### Religion

*Main article: Religion in Quelpart*
Quelpart is notable for being the only country in which the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the LDS Church or Mormonism, is the majority church. It has 9 million adherents in Quelpart, nearly 70% of the population. Many other countries in East Asia have sizeable LDS populations as well due to the sheer influence of the Church in Quelpart and the number of missionaries they provide.

Other religions in Quelpart include Roman Catholicism, the former hegemon until it was displaced by the LDS Church after World War 2; Protestantism, which was official during Danish colonization but did not have as strong as a foothold as Catholicism (which was tolerated due to its size); Buddhism; Confucianism; and Shintoism. Overall, nearly 90% of the population of Quelpart identifies as Christian of any kind. Many religions founded from the 19th century onward, except for Mormonism, are called New religious movements; while popular in other countries, in Quelpart they are regularly audited and heavily regulated, due to the suspicion that they are not religions but cults. This has been criticized by many organizations worldwide.

### Attire

The original Quelpartian attire, derived from Austronesian practices, is made from fabrics such as ramie and hemp and was undyed. Contact with China led to the introduction of dyes, which quickly permeated Quelpartian culture and eliminated undyed clothing, and silk, which was reserved for the nobility.