Sham City

Flag of the British Crown Colony of Sham City (1887-1941, 1945-1954, 1984-present)

### Languages

EnglishHakka

Mongolian

### Date of formation/independence

January 27, 1887 (British colony established)

### Currency

Pound Sterling (GBP)Portuguese Escudo (Portuguese Sham, 1889-2002)

Soviet Ruble (Soviet occupation period, 1954-1984)

## KB Universe

### First appearance in KB Fan Fiction

2011*MHC IV: The Final Conflict*

**Sham City** is the fictional city where the Kai Xin Girls live and the setting for most of the *MHC* and *Exercise Girls* series.

## Location overview

The metropolis of Sham City was located on an island the size of Hong Kong in the middle of the Sea of Japan. The island was made into a British Crown colony since 1887. At the same time, the Portuguese settled in the southwestern part of the island and established a colony there in 1889. After a civil war that took place from 2003 to 2008, the British completely took control of the entire island after defeating the Portuguese and assimilating their colony through a treaty.

### Geography

The island only has one river, the Sham River, which originates from the highest peak on the island, the Great Ghost Mountain. A strait divides the main island from a smaller island, Diamondcutters Island, which is a popular tourist spot.

### Climate

The island also experiences a Palearctic climate due to its geographical position in the same latitude as Tokyo. The lowest recorded temperature in the region was 0 degrees Celsius, recorded during one of the island's worst winters, in January 1888. Usually snowfall occurs at the hilltops during winter, especially at the Great Ghost Mountain. The island was also affected by cyclones and typhoons, which usually follow periods of torrential downpours.

### Fauna

The animal life on the island is represented by a mixture of mammals adapted to life in its subtropical environment. The island is also home to 450 species of birds, as well as 200 species of herptiles including snakes, lizards and frogs. Pigs, rats and civets were introduced species.

## Location history

*More information: Timeline of Sham City's history*

The first people to settle in the island are the Hakka, followed by Arab merchants. In the 13th century, the island is conquered by the Mongol Empire through a navy faction led by Batyr Khan. They settled and created a mixed community. The island became a haunt for pirates after the fall of the Mongol Empire. Eventually in the 1800s, the British and Portuguese arrive and settled in the island. In 1887, a large portion of the island is made into a British Crown colony, while the Portuguese established their colony on the island in 1889. The island became a base for the Eight-Nation Alliance during the Boxer Rebellion and was carved up among 10 European powers, including Britain and Portugal.

During World War II, the island and city were taken over by the Imperial Japanese Army. The Japanese army is then expelled by the British forces with aid from the Soviet Union. Nine years after the war in 1954, an anti-revisionist Soviet movement decided to annex the island as their territory. Due to a rising resistance of the locals on the island against Soviet rule, the island returned to British rule in 1984.

In the 2000s, the island experienced a civil war between the British and Portuguese sides of the island, with the British victorious.

The island experienced extensive urbanization under the postwar British and Soviet periods, with some Japanese companies putting investments into the construction of modern buildings.

## Demographics

Sham City is predominantly populated by Asians, and a great majority of these Asians are Hakka Chinese. Mongolians are the second largest ethnic group on the island's population, most of them descended from the settlers from the Mongol Empire era. Other Central Asians who have emigrated to the area include Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks and Afghans, some of them deported to the island during the Soviet administration period. Other Asian minorities include Japanese, Koreans, Arabs, Indians, Bhutanese, Vietnamese and Singaporeans. Among the most numerous non-Asians living in Sham City include British, French, Portuguese and Russians.

As for linguistics, English is an official language in Sham City. The most common Chinese dialect spoken in the island is the Hakka dialect. The island's administration practices freedom of linguistic rights, and non-Chinese are most likely to use their own native languages, with Portuguese, Mongolian, French and Russian being the most popular.

 Mongolians and other Central Asian (predominantly Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks and Afghans)
 Europeans (predominantly British, French and Portuguese)
 Arabs
 Russians
 Japanese
 Koreans
 Others

### Religion

The religious affiliation of Sham City's population is varied due to their mixed ethnicity. A large majority of the Chinese population follow Buddhism and Taoism. Islam is the city's second largest religion, which is worshiped by the majority of Arabs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks and Afghans. About 40 mosques were built on the island. The oldest one, the Sham City Grand Mosque, is also the largest on the island and its construction dates back to before the Mongol Empire period. Christians comprise of about 14% of the population, and a majority of these Christians are Protestants, while the remainder belong to Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic sects.

 Islam
 Christianity
Russian Orthodox - 2.5%
Catholicism - 3%
 Atheism

## Economy

### Imports and exports

Sham City's major exports are plastic products including action figures and in the entertainment industry.

### Currency

As a British crown colony, Sham City uses the Pound Sterling as its official currency. The Russian ruble, Mongolian togrog, Japanese yen and several Central Asian countries' currencies are also accepted as legal tender in the island.

## Places of Interest

### Natural landmarks

* Sham River
* Diamondcutters Island
* Great Ghost Mountain

### Famous buildings

* Sham City National Museum
* Tiger Bridge, the longest bridge in the island.
* Genghis Khan statue
* Sham City Grand Mosque
* Sham City Shatterdome

### Dining

* Maximum Joy Roasted Meat Restaurant - a roasted meat restaurant which was established in 1644 and known for its prewar roasting techniques and signature roast fowl platter (which includes chicken, duck, goose, pigeon, quail and turkey). It was temporarily converted to a sushi restaurant by the invading Imperial Japanese army from 1941 to 1945. After the war, the restaurant retakes the business and converts the sushi restaurant into a partner restaurant, Maximum Joy Sushi Restaurant. After suffering from business declines during the Soviet period, the restaurant moved to a larger building at Henry VIII Road in 1984.
* Pochi Lam Authentic Noodle Restaurant - a noodle restaurant which is named after the real-life herbal medicine shop. Specializing in egg noodles, this restaurant was established in 1962 and its signature dish is the Secret Ingredient Noodles which was enjoyed greatly by revolutionaries in the 1910s and later the city's freedom fighters during World War II, who managed to prevent the invading Japanese army from converting it into a ramen restaurant. It later established branches in the USA, the UK, China, Hong Kong, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Bhutan. Inspired by a real-life restaurant with a similar name in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

## Trivia

* In real life, there are no large islands in the Sea of Japan.
* The history of the fictional country is inspired by the history of Shanghai and Hong Kong.