(S7) The Hainanese Expanse

## Overview

The Hainanese Expanse is a kingdom in Southern China. It is an absolute monarchy, and has a big population spread across the nation, with the majority living in rice farms or in villages. The monarch, King Minh, rules the people charmly, allowing the people to love him alot, however he rules the nation strictly, and has 2 palaces per the two major cities. One for himself, and one for government purposes. He has 2, as in one he isolates himself from his government and his workers, as they could kill him if he dares to let his guard down. The population follows the religion of Taoism (Yangsheng) in a more stricter and literal version to accomplish self-sufficiency.

## Origins

By tales of the wise, the origins of the great Hainanese Expanse comes from a village on the outskirts of Nanking. The King Minh, grew up in poverty, gaining little pay from his work, and barely being able to feed himself. When he was 20, he decided to move to the city, where he began to gain an interest in politics. Somewhere in his time, he met a charming, yet wise old man. The wise elder told him of his heritage, and how he descends from the Han Dynasty; The elder includes that he is the last one left, and it is his destiny to rule over China. Minh did not believe him, but as Minh got fired from his job as a seller in the marketplace, he decided to use this as a way to boost his self-esteem, as it was dangerously low. Finally, he got a new, more important job as an advisor for the local warlord due to his political correctness, and overall skill in the field. He began to bring almost a certain golden age in the city, with education sprouting up for children, and the economy beginning to boom. However, as a wise one would say, all good things must come to end. Not long after this growth came, a plot to kill the emperor arose in the workplace, and soon one of the warlord's other advisors attempted to kill him, and it almost worked. The warlord was stabbed in the arm, not killing him, but wounding him. The warlord was furious, and believed that Minh was behind this plan. Minh was banished, and for the first time, Minh was consumed with anger and hatred. He rallied his political supporters, and took everything he needed to start a new empire. The city was left in havoc, and the warlord got what he deserved, nothing. The warlord ran to the docks, only to see around 3 Fuchuans leave the city down the Yangtze River. The island of Hainan was mostly full of villages which did not praise a warlord, and were not subjects to a corrupt dictatorship nor any governing body. The people lived simple lives, with most of the North and East being Taoist, while the South and West were majority Buddhist. When the fleet arrived, as it is described it many stories by the elders, *"The Sun rose, and with it, came a new age for the island, as 3 ships full of riches and competent individuals came to the land, and began greeting the locals happily. They were armed, but they did not have any intentions on harm. They came for a new start, a new empire, and the people did not resist, we gave in, and what came out is a kingdom of Rice and Silk. The area flourished, a new golden age for us has come."* The fleet arrived at Haiku, which was an insignificant trading post at the time. The city, in only a few years, became a center for a new dawn, as it took a large land. Houses were all mostly the same, with something called an "address" to determine where a person lives. Each house included a built in outhouse, which went into a man-made stream, which filtered out the waste naturally. Each home included a medium sized garden with the capacity to feed a family of 5 for almost a year. Soon, the first army was created, using many East Asian and Southeast Asian weapon designs. Not long after, a large invasion was held of main-land China, where the kingdom took out most of the warlord cliques within months, as they were corrupt and unorganized. The second largest city was made in the mainland, connecting various roads, which made it become a large trading hub. The city of Nanning was a-lot like Haikou, following many of the same styles, except being smaller and more primitive.

## Cultural Hobbies

The people of the Hainanese Expanse enjoy many hobbies outside of their daily chores or work, such as on the coast of Hainan, many civilians, which have the time to, will go swimming in the shallow parts, not going too far from the shore. Many of the wealthy however, will own their own privates Paraws, where they will recreationally sail in the bays of Haikou, and overall around the seas. More inland, cultural hobbies go from less swimming, to make gardening and cooking, with special food competitions being held on the birthday of the Expanse. Hobbies inland include activities such as making wooden statues, playing with others, etc.