Hanyu

## Hanyun Republic

*漢韻共和國*

Flag

**Prime Minister:**
Taiji Xiyan (2013–)

**Hanyu** (Chinese: 羽生結弦), officially the **Hanyun Republic** (Chinese: 漢韻共和國), is a country located on Hanyu Island near North America. It shares overseas borders with New London to the east. It has a population of about 900,000, making it one of the least populated countries in the world as of 2022, although it is growing higher.

Indigenous peoples have inhabited Vancouver Island for thousands of years, long before the arrival of the Chinese in the 17th century. In 1645, Chaoxiang Han arrived on the island and, with orders from the Emperor, decided to invade it a year later, transforming the island into a colony - this was the first colony in the colonial empire, which is why it is significant in Chinese imperial history. In the 1840s, during the First Opium War, Britain invaded the island and converted it into a British colony, although it was eventually returned to China in 1927 after the Shanghai Conference in which Britain agreed to return the colony to Chinese rule. For a further eighteen years, Hanyu would be subject to Chinese rule until the Hanyun Revolution in 1944, when revolutionaries proclaimed the Hanyun Republic - a year later, it would be given independence. In 1947, there was a coup d'etat which established a communist state that lasted from 1947 until 1974 after the end of the civil war which reinstated the pre-socialist government.

Hanyu is a well-developed country, being ranked as "high" in the Human Development Index. Its economy is high, and it is praised for its variety of social freedom, free healthcare, free education and equality. Hanyu is a unitary semi-presidential republic, with the current president being Yuan Han since the 2013 election.

## History

### Discovery and early Chinese colonial years

*Main Article: Colony of Hanyu, British invasion of Hanyu*

Prior to the discovery of the island, Hanyu was ruled by a group of people known as the Kwakwakaʼwakw, who had lived on the island for thousands of years. The island was then discovered by a Chinese nobleman named Chaoxiang Han in 1645 when he was out searching for land to settle in order to establish a Chinese colonial empire to keep up with the other European powers of the time. According to a Chinese naval crew member's diary, Han "shouted with glee, as he cried out 'Land be there!'". After returning to China with treasures, Shunzhi Emperor ordered for the process of 'Jiēguǎn' to take place, as Chinese naval officers took over and established their presence.

After the colony was established, Chaoxiang Han was promoted to the Governor of Hanyu, and he held the position from 1646 until he died of a series case pneumonia in 1662. While he held the position of Governor, he ruled with dictatorial powers, enslaving multiple Kwakwakaʼwakw people. After his death, Cho Wichang took over as Governor, where he ruled with more ease, although still keeping the slavery system. Throughout the 17th and 18th century, Hanyu would be a major colony in terms of slavery and economy for China.

In 1765, there was a major revolution in Hanyu where people tried to gain independence, and proclaimed the first republic. However, the revolution was an absolute failure, and was crushed by the Chinese troops living there. In 1774, Spain attempted to take over the island, but eventually an agreement was made that Spain would not intervene with any of China's colonies in the Americas. In 1784, Governor Bolin Wo suddenly resigned, and 39-year-old Feng Yuhan took over, and made life in Hanyu more enjoyable. With permission from the Chinese government, he banned slavery in the colony, making lots of native people free. He ruled with a gentle hand, and ruled throughout what is known as the 'Golden Age of Hanyu' until his death in 1835.

In 1841, the First Opium War took place. British Prime Minister Robert Peel ordered for the invasion of the island. On 16 September 1841, the invasion took place, with the Chinese forces trying to fight against the invading British but eventually were forced to surrender the island. In the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, Hanyu was given to Britain along with Hong Kong.

### Cold War

*Main Article: Second Hanyun Republic, Hanyun People's Republic, Hanyun Civil War*