Tseng

The Republic of Tseng (Chinese: 曾島民國; pinyin: Zēngdǎo Mínguó), also called Zeng, is a sovereign state located in East Asia. The capital and largest city is the eponymous Tseng City.

Austronesian ancestors of Tsengian indigenous peoples settled the islands 3,000 years ago. On 400 BC, Chinese migration began, creating five kingdoms. The Ming dynasty later arrived in 1394, destroying the kingdoms in a huge war. Starting in the late 16th century, European nations arrived in Tseng, creating huge chaos accross the islands. Because of the chaos, the Yuzo Treaty was signed in 1765, splitting the islands into British, French, Dutch, Chinese, and indigenous sections. After the Qing dynasty left in 1894, modern-day Tseng was under full European control, as the natives lost their land and Qing Tseng was annexed by the British. An attempted Japanese invasion in 1934 caused the territories to merge into the United States of Tseng, however it was annexed by Japan in 1938. Tseng was liberated from Japanese rule in 1944, with British Tseng and French Talasides merging into the AFJAT. Tseng later became independent on July 17, 1946.

Tseng is a member of the, , , and (although not a member or observer) cooperates with.

Etymology
The word Tseng meant "high" or "add" in ancient Chinese. It came from the ancient Chinese state of Ceng. After the state of Ju annexed Ceng in 578 BC, a few citizens escaped, eventually going to Tseng Island.

In everyday Chinese, "曾" means "once" or "already" (曾经/曾經) and is pronounced "Céng". However, the surname and the country name is pronounced "Zēng". In the colonial times the Europeans used the romanization system, and the Wade-Giles translation is "Tseng". Many people with the surname Tseng joke about how they are the "founder of Tseng" and that a country is named after them. Because of this some people want the country name to change.

Early settlement (-1364)
Tseng was joined to mainland Asia, until it split off in the 26 century BC. Around 5,000 years ago, the first people came from Sakhalin, which are the ancestors of Tseng's indigenous peoples. Their languages belonged to the Austronesian language family. The indigenous tribes called the land Fulang, after a tribe in modern-day Tseng.

Han Chinese settlers began settling in 400 BC, and they started to create their own kingdoms and countries, enslaving the native people in the process. There were five main kingdoms from 400 BC to 1364 AD, which makes historians call this period "the Era of the Five Kingdoms". The Five Kingdoms continued to have peace with each other until the Ming Dynasty of China arrived in 1394.

Colonization (1364-1765)
The Ming dynasty of China arrived in 1394, destroying the Five Kingdoms one by one in a huge war. Indigenous peoples such as the Fu'lang, Hazaki, and Tanan tribes were heavily discriminated and they were assimilated into Chinese culture even more.

In 1593, as part of the Age of Exploration, an expedition from the United Kingdom led by Charles Sterling, with the intention of a sea route on the Pacific coast, arrived in modern-day Tseng. They set up a settlement (Fort Elizabeth), and started exploring the area, finding several Chinese settlers. They were forced to leave because of a native uprising in 1597, but they returned in 1605.

In 1616, France arrived, competiting with other European nations. They also set up a settlement (Louis-Ville) on the southeast end of the island. By 1635, if it wasn't chaotic enough, the Dutch came, and for the next few centuries the four nations along with the native tribes clashed. Finally, in 1765, the Yuzo Treaty was signed, dividing the island into English, French, Dutch, Qing, and indigenous sections. That didn't solve the indigenous problems. They only had a piece of forest along with a few outlying islands. That was minuscule considered to the other four nations. Eventually the colonizers gave the natives more land.

Peace (1765-1894)
The five groups on Tseng coexisted peacefully over the next few years. France was forced to leave in 1790 because of the French Revolution, and later the Dutch left in 1795 due to its occupation by France. This left the British Empire, the Qing Dynasty, and the indigenous tribes, but the Dutch would return in 1805 after it ceased to be a cilent state of France.

France would return in 1884. The Qing dynasty left in 1894 due to rebellions and disorder, and its land was annexed to the British Empire.

European Tseng (1894-1946)
Main articles: British Tseng, French Talasides, Dutch Tseng, United States of Tseng, Japanese Tseng, AFJAT

On March 31, 1894, the UK took control of its Yuzo Treaty territory and established British Tseng, a crown colony of the UK. France renamed its territory to the Talasides on June 28, establishing the French Talasides (Talasidés français). The Dutch would establish Dutch Tseng (Nederlands-Tseng) on February 14, 1903. By 1903, all of Tseng was under European control, as the natives completely lost their land.

In 1934, Japan invaded Tseng. Quickly the territories and native land merged with the consent of the European colonial governments and became one country, the United States of Tseng (UST). The UST managed to fight off Japan two more times before it was overwhelmed and on April 30, 1938, Tseng became a colony of Japan. If it weren't for the protests and riots against Japanese rule in Tseng, during World War II, Japan would have invaded North America (because of Tseng's proximity to America) and maybe would have won. In 1944, with the help of the Allies, Tseng was liberated from Japanese rule. After World War II, Tsengians wanted a united country. But the British and French refused, which angered the Tsengians. In 1945, France and England decided to merge their colonies into one to have more power over the Tseng independence movement, creating the AFJAT (Anglo-French Joint Administration of Tseng). That would prove to be a fatal mistake, as Tseng nevertheless declared independence on July 17, 1946.

In 1949, Tseng, along with, were countries to escape to, as Mao Zedong and his communists had won the.

Contemporary era (1946-present)
The first election was held on July 22, 1946. Pierre Huang-li of the National Prosperity Party (NPP) was elected. Huang-li immediately expanded the economy. Huang-li then won the 1950 and 1954 elections (the latter of which he ran unopposed). Fearing Huang-li would become a dictator (even though Tseng was becoming richer every year he was in power), organizers from the Opposition planned a coup d'etat on Huang-li. On August 1, 1954, a few weeks after the election, Huang-li was assassinated by Johan Lee, a member of the Tongzi Wing, a radical militant sect of the rival People's Democratic Party (PDP).

In September 1963, Typhoon Carl devastated Tseng. Only a few months later, on January 18, 1964, the Wu'ao oil refinery exploded, completely flattening the town of Wu'ao. More terrible things happened in Tseng in the 1960s, including 3 coups (one was a military dictatorship), and the Dazhuo Era, and many people think it is the worst decade in Tsengian history.

However, in the 1970s, the economy rapidly grew, and Tseng became a developed country. This period is known as the Wanxia Miracle, after the Wanxia, a river in southern Tseng.

During the 1990s, Tseng saw many social reforms that changed the country. Gay and disability rights (previously nonexistent) were recognized, and gender roles (which were strictly enforced) were relaxed. One of the lasting changes was the end of Anti-Communist Day (反共日) which was on September 30, and a public holiday.

In recent years, there has been talks to make Tseng into a greener state, after it was revealed that the Huqing logging company was logging illegally on indigenous land in 2016.

There are currently 3,572 cases and 120 deaths of COVID-19 in Tseng.

Geography
Tseng is a rectangular, bone-shaped landmass in the Pacific Ocean 2130 km (1324 mi) southeast of Tokyo, Japan. There are two distinct regions of Tseng. At the north end of the island there are Van Wittek Mountains. The north is misty and rainy and cold. The average in January is -10 C (14 F). The central and east part is mostly forest. That was the land that the Yuzo Treaty gave the natives. At the south (French) end the area is beachy, hilly, and more Mediterranean. The west (English) part is mainly of plains and hills. That's where the capital, Tseng City is.

Climate
Tseng experiences a, which means it has hot and humid summers, and cold to mild winters. Sometimes, in Beifong Island (the island northwest of Tseng Island), there can be snow.

Islands
There are five main islands in the Tseng Republic. These are (from clockwise):


 * 1) Tseng Island
 * 2) Sanjiao Island
 * 3) Beifong Island
 * 4) Qingshan Island
 * 5) Jingwu Island

Natural disasters
Because Tseng is in the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean, the islands are prone to natural disasters, specifically typhoons and earthquakes. The most deadliest typhoon was Typhoon Carl in 1963 while the most deadliest earthquake was the 2006 Taihua earthquake.

Economy
Because of its varied geography, Tseng has a diverse capitalist economy.

Exports are fruits and fish. Manufacturing and agriculture are also popular generators. Tourism accounts for 5% of Tseng's economy. The GDP nominal of Tseng is $825 billion and the GDP PPP is $1.5 trillion. Tseng was relatively unhit during the 1997 Asian financial crisis due to its conservative financial approach and its entrepreneurial strengths. The unemployment rate in Tseng was an all-time 5% in 2019. It has since grown due to COVID-19.

Science and technology is also important. Since the Wanxia Miracle it represents a large part of the economy.

Oil was struck near Wu'ao, Nankou, in 1956, however after the 1964 disaster the resource is rarely used.

Currency
The official currency of Tseng is the Tsenyuan. It has been used since 1950.

Culture
See also: Indigenous Tseng culture

The culture of Tseng is a mix of different cultures. Because of colonialism, there are many European and Western-style buildings in the Tseng Republic. However, Tsengians have not forgotten their roots, as many pre-colonial buildings still stand. They are mostly temples.

Cuisine
Depending on where you're at in the country, there are many distinct cuisines in Tseng. In the north, foods like sausage and Hollandse Nieuwe are common. In the west, because of Chinese, Japanese, and British influences, fish and chips, beef noodle soup, ramen, or even combinations of those three cultures are common. Fusion food is popular too. The unofficial national dish of Tseng is prawn cracker gua bao (a gua bao where instead of pork, the meat is beef, braised in a soy-cilantro based sauce and there are crushed prawn crackers with cilantro and sesame seeds inside).

Sport
Table tennis and soccer (football) are popular sports. The National Association for Football is the premier league in soccer. It's the equivalent of the Premiership in Tseng.

Music
"Main article: Music of Tseng"

Naming
There are three types naming customs in Tseng.


 * 1) Chinese name: Surname in front, given name in back. The most popular type of name.
 * 2) European name: Given name (usually a European one) in front, surname in back.
 * 3) Tsengian name: An exclusively Tsengian custom, this name has a European given name in front and the Chinese given name in the back. A famous example of this is Pierre Huang-li. This is often done if the Chinese surname is generic or "cursed" (for example, the last name 棺 means "coffin" in Chinese, so the parents will use this type of name to stop the family curse). It can also be created by combining the parents surnames together and a given name in the front (if the mother doesn't change her maiden name). For example the last name Chang-wong is created from the parents' last name, who are Chang and Wong.

Politics
Tseng is a unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic. There are three branches of government. The legislative, the executive, and the judicial.

The legislative branch is unicameral and represented by the National State Assembly (also called the Legislative Yuan). There are 159 seats available. Currently the PDP is leading, with 90 seats for them. The Opposition, led by the NPP, has 69 seats.

The executive branch is led by the President, who is John Cheng of the PDP. The President lives and works at the Presidential House.

The judicial branch is the State Court, sometimes called the Judicial Yuan.

Political parties
The main two parties are the conservative NPP and the liberal PDP. Other parties are the New Republic Party (NRP) and the Power to the People Party (PPP).

Administrative divisions
"See also: States of Tseng" Administrative divisions are called states (省) in Tseng. Each state is divided into counties or hsiens (縣), or cities. Each county is further divided to towns or villages, and in cities they are divided into districts. There are 18 cities in Tseng.

List of presidents
Main article: List of presidents of Tseng

Land
The A1 highway, from Tseng City to Douet, is the busiest highway in Tseng. It traverses the island from west to east. There are plans to upgrade the highway into a motorway with no at-grade intersections, however there are concerns for wildlife. Currently the only parts of the highway that are fully upgraded are Tseng City, Pushan, and Huanzhou. Other highways are: A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 and A7, with many other expressways and freeways. Odd-number highways go east-west, while even-numbered highways go north-south. These freeways are called National Highways.

State highways go from 1 to 200 and are usually two lane highways. They fall below national highways and above local highways.

Another popular mode of transportation is by rail. The first railway in Tseng, the Beizhen Railroad, was built in 1860 and ran from Tseng City to Pushan. Now, there are many railways across the country. The web of railroads are called the Tseng National Railway.

Large cities like Tseng City and Huanzhou have their own metro systems, and in 2005 the Capital-Houwu High Speed Line began operations.

Airports
The largest and most busiest airport is Zengzi International Airport in Tseng City. Others are Huanzhou Airport and Taihua-Linfen Airport.

Sea
Tseng is a popular choice for cruise ship travelers. Ferries connect the main island to outlying islands. The largest port is Tseng City Harbour.

Television
98% of Tsengians own a television. The first TVs were brought over after World War II. Until 1996, the only news network available was the Tseng Broadcasting System (TBS). Now, there are three. With the TBS, there are the Tseng Television (TTTV), and the Pacific Broadcasting Center (PBC). There are (as of 2021) about 110 cable channels in Tseng. As with other countries around the world, streaming services like and  are popular. Popular television genres are dramas, comedies, and thrillers.

Radio
Car radios are the most popular type of radio in Tseng. Radio stations have a variety of genres, like Top 40, adult hits, rock, oldies, etc. Most radio networks are owned by television broadcasters, for example TBS Radio, the main radio broadcaster, is owned by TBS.

Cinema
The cinema of Tseng is quite popular in Tseng and East Asia. There are the "Big Three" film companies: Jingcheng Pictures, the National Film Production Centre (NFPC), and Taoshan Pictures.

Demographics
See also: Population growth of Tseng

Censuses are held in Tseng every 5 years. The first census was on December 14, 1946.

Population
The latest census on November 1, 2020 showed that 20,384,193 people lived in the Tseng Republic. Of those, 10,620,164, or 52.1% are female and 9,764,028, or 47.9% are male.

Race
Han Chinese is still the most populous group in Tseng, although now that number has decreased. In the 2000 Census, Chinese represented 92.5% of the population, in 2020, that number is 90.1%. 98% of Chinese are Tsengians, while 1% is Taiwanese, and the other 1% is other. 4.2% of people are of indigenous ancestry, which includes groups like the Fu'lang, Tanan, Hazaka, and Kanding.

Language
Tsengian Mandarin, a variety of Mandarin Chinese, is the language used by Tsengians. Other languages are: English, French, Dutch, Hokkien, Hakka, and many indigenous languages.

Life expectancy
The life expectancy in Tseng is 81.7 years old, up 0.9% from the 2015 Census, which was 78.5.

Education
Education is mandatory for children aged 5 and up since 1951. Because of this, Tseng has a 99.1% literacy rate. Schools are operated by the government. Once a student reaches Grade 12, he/she can choose to go to university or graduate. If the student chooses university, he/she will have to take entrance exams on math, science, language, and history. What the student gets on those exams will determine his/her chance of getting into which university. The most prestigious one is the Huang-li University in Tseng City.

Military
The Tseng Armed Forces are the military of Tseng. Until 1992, the President was also the head of the military. Now the Armed Forces are led by the Defense Minister (currently Paul Hsien-tung).

Military service is mandatory in Tseng. Conscription usually occurs after finishing higher education or high school. Minimum years for being in the military were 3 years. Punishment for not going to serve in the armed forces were usually jail time or fines. After that the person would be forced into the armed forces. Execution was also a punishment (it was only used one time). Both men and women can serve in the army.

Police
The Tseng National Police is the national police service in Tseng. Along with the TNP, almost every other city and town have some sort of law enforcement.

Intelligence and security
The Security and Intelligence Agency of Tseng (SIAT) is the official intelligence service of the Tseng Republic. Plagued by scandals and controversies in the 1960s and 70s, it has since cleaned itself up and become one of the most effective security agencies in the world.

Crime
The crime rate in Tseng is low, however it still exists. Some crimes are bombings, assassination attempts, murder, etc.

Laws
See: Constitution of Tseng

Punishment
Capital punishment (execution) is the highest-level punishment in Tseng. Crimes for execution include murder, rape, trafficking (any kind), treason, and espionage. Prisons are for lesser crimes. After a trip to Norway in 2015, then-president Marc Tseng remodeled the prisons of Tseng into more restorative justice-orientened.

Time
There are two time zones in Tseng, These are:


 * Western Tseng Standard Time (WTST). It includes Tseng City-Capital, Touzhou, and Georgeville. It is UTC+10.
 * Eastern Tseng Standard Time (ETST). It includes everything east of those mentioned states. It is UTC+11.

Daylight Saving Time was used from 1946 to 1982. Also until 1982, the country of Tseng was under one time zone, which was UTC+11, known as Republic Standard Time (RST) or Tseng Standard Time (TST).

Flag
The flag of Tseng is a horizontal tricolour. The colours are: Red, white, and blue. Red represents freedom, blue represents determination and hardiness of the indigenous tribes, and white represents purity. This flag has been used since the 1000s.

Netherlands and Luxembourg flags
The Tseng flag is similar to the Dutch and Luxembourg flags, however, it is simply just a coincidence. The only difference is that the red and blue are switched around and the blue is darker (lighter for the Dutch flag). However, it has not stopped people from advocating the change of the flag.

State and city flags
Unlike most countries in the world, states and cities in Tseng do not have their own flags. This has led to fiery debates, with pro-flag saying that it promotes identity and culture, while anti-flags argue that having states and cities having their own flags would destroy national unity and that "the society is more important than the individual."