Lao Yukging

**Lao Yukging** (Λао Ѵъкгің) is the hometown of the Chang family. The town's name means "Lao's jade wellspring", after its founder Lao Daakbiet.

It is located in Zu Zeuk Province at southern Siangwaan. To the north is the provincial capital, Miet Cheung. To the east are the haunted towns of Gwai Yuen and Shao Lien.

## History

Before its founding under Thralondian rule, the town's site was simply a clearing in a vast jungle for farmers. As one of the many scenic views along the Lou Lang River, it had several ports where travellers rested and dined on deer and pork, before they continued.

The town was founded in 1731 as a jade mine. When the jade was depleted, its lands were irrigated as farmland for rice, pigs, and horses.

In one particular incident at August 1758, a band of Thralondian nobles were visiting the town to take pictures and start an Ardeschen-style restaurant. As they got themselves drunk, two of these nobles vomited and threw their bottles at the well. The furious governor alerted the authorities, who arrested the nobles and brought them to a prison. But along the way, those nobles contracted a very painful disease, but it passed just after the locals cleaned up the vomit and burned it with the other refuse.

In the 19th century AT, Lao Yukging had a small fortress for the Order of Zeuk Kiu, who worked there as their base of operations. When it had a new fortress, the original fortress was demolished and rebuilt as a sports stadium.

The town also witnessed several alien crashlandings for five times: 1948, 1951, 1954, 1962, and 1975. The second and fifth encounters were raiding parties that were shot down and defeated by the police and local garrison.

In 1971, some artists went all the way to Lao Yukging to act as magpies and pose for dozens of photographs.

In 1986, the town became a tourist attraction after one of its residents' horses turned out to be a unicorn.

It attracted four waves of tourists: the first being visitors to the Horse Fair of 1986; the second being refugees from the fights in Ei Ka between Wannaenid terrorists and the government; the third being visitors to that year's Uorimon Faire and the fourth being visitors to the Zomjonor's Birthday celebrations held in honour of the sports champions.

## Local attractions

* Gam Shek bowling alley
* Pong Sim Road - one of the main roads of the town, it goes between Gam Shek bowling alley and Dan Cheng Stadium.
* Various cafes
* Various traditional bookstores
* Tang Cheng Cafe
	+ Serves Siangwaanian food such as *dim sam*, tea, and dumplings.
* Six Star Failure
	+ An Ardeschen-style restaurant known for its roasted and grilled pork.
	+ Opened by several Thralondian nobles who became notorious for defiling the jade well. For that notoriety, it was reconsecrated to the town wight, ending several curses.
* Eight Out Of Sixty-Nine/8-69
	+ The town's only diner that also functions as a bar at night. There, young men watch soccer and jousting matches, and fireworks contests.
* 16 Ang Yen Road
	+ This is where the Chang family and Dok Saau live.
* Post Office
* Mai Geng Mall
	+ Has a Blue Lobster Restaurant.
* Wai Lao Resort
* Yukging Magpie Office
	+ A local newspaper brand established in 1941 by a wealthy resident who who upset that the district's paper did not include Lao Yukging in most of its issues. Its workers also covered several crashlandings, and two of them that ended in firefights with the police and army.
* Dai Paang Hotel
* Jade Well
	+ This well is the one that gave the town its name.
	+ When Lao Daakbiet founded the town, he discovered a ruined well made of crumbled jade blocks. It became a shrine to the town's local wight, and a tourist attraction from even as early as during Thralondian times.
	+ Its water is still not safe to drink, as always, due to the jade particles lacing the well.
* Dancheng Stadium
	+ The former fortress for the Order of Zeuk Kiu.
	+ It is remembered at the southeastern section being a museum for the Order of Zeuk Kiu, complete with a collection of Celestial artifacts. A few kodequara, dating back to a hundred years, serve in the museum as guides.
* Ao Zet Horse Park and Jousting Fields
* Ban Cheung Field
* Ban Cheung Airport
	+ An alternative stop to the Josolchir border checkpoints.
	+ Blue Lobster restaurant
* Beng Chao suburbs
* Yushin River
	+ The local name for the Lou Lang River, which goes from Mount Mandil in the south to Ei Ka in the north.
	+ A major waterway known for its cold waters. Lao Yukging back then was simply a rustic backwater village for travellers.
* Rice farms
* Paulownia Park
* General Hospital
* Southern Blue Lobster Restaurant
* Equestrian Sports Centre
* Beng Chao RnR
	+ It has two entryways, one along the highway, and the other (at the opposite side) from the town.
* Curry Twirl Restaurant
* Aspirants Senior High School/Diep Lang-Gao Kap Zong Hok
* Lao Yukging Train Station
	+ This train station is a few stations away from the border to Josol.
* Hao Beng Hotel
	+ This hotel was built over the ruins of an abandoned shopping mall, after a police operation drove the Highwaymen gang out. It was opened on November 1986 AT.
	+ It contains a water park, a *Stolaryn* bookstore, three restaurants (Ardeschen, Siangwaanian, and Josolchir), a mini-cinema, a pet hotel (for dogs, cats, foxes, and *araukosso* gryphons), some bus stops, and two Blue Lobster restaurants.

## Notable inhabitants

* Chang family
	+ Chang Gao
	+ Chang Shong
* So Zok - a boy who loves to collect cards
* Ruobineloz - the current mayor, an eccentric who practices a Vozonid culture
* Zen Sikdu - Chang Gao's northern neighbour
* Lam Bokteng - Chang Gao's southern neighbour

## Trivia

* In Chinese, Lao Yukging's name would be 撈玉井.
* The native Kjongkjong name for the town is Ohrubil or Okorubil. It means "the shining flint [of jade]".
* The unofficial symbol of the town is a magpie, which is also reflected in several local sports teams. It might also be done in honour of the Order of Zeuk Kiu ("Order of the Magpie Bridge"), a secret army used by the government against terrorists and hostile aliens.
* The town's official food is egg tart with potato curry inside, a local variant of an easterly meal popular all over the country.

## See also

* Provinces of Siangwaan
* Unicorn Farmhand timeline