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The Republic of Tseng (Chinese: 曾島民國; pinyin: Zēngdǎo Mínguó, Tsengian pronounciation [d͡zə́ŋ taw mín kwə̀]), 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. By the 2nd century BCE, Chinese migration began, creating five kingdoms. The Ming dynasty later arrived in 1405, 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 Treaty of Geneva was signed in 1894, splitting the islands into British, French, Dutch,, and indigenous sections. 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 1945 with the Americans occupying the islands. Tseng later became independent on July 17, 1946.
Tseng is a member of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, La Francophonie, Asia Cooperation Dialogue and, although not a member or observer, cooperates with ASEAN.
Etymology[]
See also: Tseng name controversy
The word Tseng meant "high" or "add" in ancient Chinese. It came from the ancient Chinese state of Zeng, a vassal of the Zhou dynasty. After the state of Zeng dissolved in the 5th century BCE, a few citizens migrated west and towards the Pacific Ocean. borrowing the "Zeng" name to describe the islands they eventually sailed to.
The Wade-Giles romanization of Zeng, Tseng, entered use as a name for the island in the early 20th century by the colonial authorities, and has remained since.
Many people have suggested changing the name of the country since the 19th century due to confusion with the Zeng/Tseng surname, including to Donghua (東華; "eastern China"), Senea, and Orienta.
History[]
Early settlement[]
Tseng was joined to mainland Asia, until it split off in the 26th century BC. Around 5,000 years ago, the first people came from Sakhalin and Honshu, and around 1000 BCE, Austronesian migration began from Taiwan to Tseng, which are the ancestors of Tseng's indigenous peoples. Their languages belonged to the Austronesian language family.
Han Chinese settlers began arriving in the Georgeville and Xiangyuan regions in 500 BC, and they started to create their own kingdoms and countries, enslaving the native people in the process. The first and only great dynasty on Tseng Island was the Wan dynasty, which was destroyed in 299 AD. Afterwards, there were five main kingdoms from 345 AD to 1364 AD, which makes historians call this period "the Era of the Five Kingdoms". The Five Kingdoms continued to have peace (with the exception of minor conflicts) with each other until the Ming Dynasty of China arrived in 1405.
European colonization[]
The Ming dynasty of China invaded in 1405, 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 against and they were brutally assimilated into Chinese culture.
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, settling on the northwestern coast. They were forced to leave because of a native uprising in 1597, but they returned permanently in 1605.
In 1656, France arrived after hearing about the British colony. They set up a settlement called Louis-Ville on the southeast end of the island. By 1743, the Dutch came, hearing about the French and British colonies, setting up on the eastern coast.
France was forced to abandon in 1790 because of the French Revolution, and later the Dutch abandoned its colony 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 recolonize in 1884. The Qing dynasty's land was annexed to the British Empire in 1894 due to rebellions and disorder
Independence movement[]
Finally, in 1894, the Geneva Conference was done to negotiate a solution between land claims in Tseng, dividing the island into English, French, Dutch, and indigenous colonies.
The Dutch would transform Dutch Tseng (Nederland-Tseng) into a constituent country of the Netherlands on February 14, 1903. With the exception of Dutch Tseng, the colonies had harsh treatment of non-Europeans. The Talasides were the worst offender, with governor Jean-Gabriel Loisè creating apartheid-like laws to separate the races.
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. In 1945, with the help of the Allies, Tseng was liberated from Japanese rule and put under American occupation. After World War II, Tsengians wanted a independent country. The Americans refused, but by then the people were tired of centuries being colonized, and Tseng declared independence on July 17, 1946.
Modern history[]
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. On August 1, 1954, a few weeks after the election, Huang-li was assassinated by Johan Lee, a member of the Tongzhi Wing, a radical militant sect of the Opposition Tsengian Socialist Union as he feared Huang-li would become a dictator. Afterwards, a period of political polarization began.
By the 1960s, Tseng was in political turmoil. After Frederik Bao came to power via a coup d'etat in 1962, politically-motivated violence became more common as right-wingers hated Bao and communism, while left-wingers fought against the rightist revolts. The years known as the Luanzheng Era were violent, and there were 4 new governments in 6 years, culminating in the Tsengian military junta of 1968.
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. The NPP ruled Tseng uninterrupted from 1980 to 2016.
During the 1990s to early 2000s, Tseng saw many social reforms that changed the country now known as the Reforms of 90. Gay and disability rights were recognized, and gender roles (which were strictly enforced) were relaxed as Tseng became globalized.
In 2008, there was a constitutional crisis due to then-President James Huang and his administration accepting bribes and refusing to resign. In the end, they eventually resigned.
By the end of 2021, there were 8,510 cases and 190 deaths of COVID-19 in Tseng.
Geography and climate[]
Geography[]
Tseng consists of 1,000 islands located in the Pacific Ocean, of which only around 100 are inhabited. There are six main islands: Tseng, Beifeng, Qingshan, Dahu, Jinwu, and Sanjiao. The main island stretches 1,083 km (673 mi) east to west. Despite its small size, the island has a diverse landscape. The western region is mainly composed of low-lying plains and flat arable land. As a result, most of the agriculture is produced in the west. The vast majority of the population lives on the west as well. Further east, the terrain gets more mountainous and forested. The Callendres Cpast. a 75-km coastline east of Huanzhou, is world-renowned for its towering mountains and resort towns.
Climate[]
Tseng experiences a humid subtropical climate, which means it has hot and humid summers, and cold to mild winters. There can be snow in the northern Beifeng Island, although snow is rare in other parts of Tseng. On January 23, 2016, due to the East Asian cold wave, Tseng City was welcomed with snow and temputures as low as -4.5 °C (23.9 °F), the lowest since 1983.
Natural disasters[]
Because Tseng is in the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean, the islands are prone to natural disasters, specifically typhoons. Since Tseng is not on any fault lines, there are almost never any earthquakes in the country.
Economy[]
Tseng has a diverse capitalist economy.
Manufacturing and agriculture are 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 low 5% in 2019. It has since grown due to COVID-19. The automotive industry in Tseng is also popular, being the 20th largest in the world.
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 Tsengyuan. It has been used since 1950.
Culture[]
See also: Culture of Tseng and Indigenous Tseng culture
The culture of Tseng is mainly East Asian and Confucian culture with Western influences.
Cuisine[]
Main article: Tsengian cuisine
There are many distinct cuisines in Tseng. In the east, 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.
Media[]
Television[]
98% of Tsengians own a television. The first TVs were brought over after World War II, but official TV broadcasts didn't begin until 1959. Until 1983, the only television networks available were those of the Tseng Broadcasting System (TBS). With the TBS, there are the Independent Broadcasting System (IBS), 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 Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video are popular. Tsengian dramas are also popular in the Asian world and have slowly gained a following in the West.
Cinema[]
The cinema of Tseng is quite popular in Tseng and East Asia. There are the "Big Five" film companies: Jincheng Pictures, the National Film Production Centre (NFPC), Zengzi Film, Chaodai Films and Taoshan Pictures. Other film companies in Tseng include Zuanshi Film (Zengzi's sister company under IBS)
Newspapers[]
Main article: List of newspapers in Tseng
Newspapers are also popular in Tseng, although most news is increasingly online. There are currently five major national newspapers in Tseng, the Xinqidian Baozhi (新起點報紙, New Beginnings News), Zengdao Ribao (曾島日報, Tsengian Daily), Guojia Chenbao (國家晨報, National Morning Post), Shehui Zhengzhi Xinwen (社會政治新聞, Sociopolitical News), and the economic newspaper Zengdao Jingjibao (曾島經濟報; Tsengian Economic Times). There is also the government-owned National News Agency (國家通訊社).
Sport[]
Table tennis, baseball, basketball, and football are popular sports. The National Association for Football is the premier league in soccer. Tseng Professional Baseball and the Tsengian Basketball Association are also popular sports leagues. Martial arts are also very common in Tseng, with the most popular being karate, tai chi chuan, and kung fu; many people of all ages and genders practice tai chi every morning.
Other sports in Tseng include American football and rugby union. The Tsengian Gridiron Football League has teams in several cities including Tseng City, and Tseng also has teams in the pan-Asian Asia Pro Football league.
Music[]
Main article: Music of Tseng
Personal naming[]
There are three types naming customs in Tseng.
- Chinese name: Surname in front, given name in back. The most popular type of name.
- Western name: Given name (usually a Western one) in front, surname in back. This is mostly used for people with mixed European ancestry.
- Western given name + Chinese compound surname: Rare since the 1990s.
Most Tsengians with Chinese names also have a Western name. Many people pick Western aliases as early as attending English classes in kindergarten, or as late as attending foreign language classes in university. Approximately 15.2% of Tsengians have a Western given name part of their legal name, while a further 49.6% of Tsengians go by Western given names even though those are not part of their legal names.
Politics and government[]
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. There are 159 seats in the NSA.
The executive branch is led by the President, who is John Cheng of the PDP, with a vice-president, Wang Qing-lai (PDP). The President lives and works at the Presidential House. The prime minister, Francis Qiu (PDP), is the head of government.
The judicial branch is the Supreme Court. The supreme law of the country lies in the Constitution of Tseng.
Political parties[]
Main article: List of political parties in Tseng
The main two parties are the conservative NPP and the liberal PDP. Other major parties are the third way New Republic Party (NRP) and the left-wing Power to the People Party (PPP).
The 10 states of Tseng
Administrative divisions[]
See also: States of Tseng
First-level administrative divisions are called states (省) in Tseng. Each state is divided into counties (縣), or cities (市). Each county is further divided to towns (鎮) or villages (鄉), and in cities they are divided into districts (區). There are 18 cities in Tseng.
| No. | Name | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arbre-Rose | Arbre-Rose |
| 2 | Georgeville | Taihua |
| 3 | Meihua | Lizhong |
| 4 | Meishan | Shimenxhi |
| 5 | Nankou | Huanzhou |
| 6 | Qishan | Qishan City |
| 7 | Sandao | Callentown |
| 8 | Touzhou | Pushan |
| 9 | Tseng City-Capital | Tseng City |
| 10 | Xiangyuan | Xiangyuanchuan |
List of presidents[]
Main article: List of presidents of Tseng
See also: List of prime ministers of Tseng
Military[]
The Tseng Armed Forces are the military of Tseng. The president is the head of the military, and the Minister of Defense (Paul Hsien-tung) is under him.
Military service is mandatory in Tseng. Conscription usually occurs after finishing higher education or high school. Minimum years for being in the military is 2 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.
Law enforcement[]
The Tseng National Police is the national police service in Tseng. Along with the TNP, every other city and town have some sort of law enforcement.
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.
Capital punishment (execution) is the highest-level punishment in Tseng. Crimes for execution include murder, rape, trafficking, treason, and espionage. Prisons are for lesser crimes. After a trip to Norway in 2015, then-president Marc Tseng began a process to remodel the prisons of Tseng into more restorative justice-orientated.
Transportation[]
Land[]
The A1 highway is the busiest and longest highway in Tseng. It traverses the island from west to east. There are plans to upgrade the highway into a complete freeway with no at-grade intersections, however there are concerns for wildlife in the east. 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 Beizeng 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 managed by 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.
Demographics[]
See also: Tsengian people and Hukou (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 31,589,136 people lived in the Tseng Republic. Of those, 16,457,940, or 52.1% are female and 15,131,196, or 47.9% are male.
Ethnic groups[]
Han Tsengian is the most populous group in Tseng, compromising 92.1% of the population. 3.2% of people are of indigenous ancestry, while 4.7% are ethnic minorities, including expatriates.
Language[]
Main article: Languages of Tseng
The most spoken language and lingua franca in Tseng is Tsengian Mandarin, the variety of Mandarin Chinese spoken in Tseng. English is the most widely spoken European language in Tseng. English language classes are mandatory in all Tsengian schools, and 50% of the population has an understanding of the language.
Life expectancy[]
In 2020, the life expectancy in Tseng was 80.63 years old for males and 85.15 for females, for an average life expectancy of 82.90.
| Period | Life expectancy in years | Period | Life expectancy in years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 58.50 | 1955 | 61.23 |
| 1960 | 63.17 | 1965 | 62.78 |
| 1970 | 65.66 | 1975 | 67.59 |
| 1980 | 69.39 | 1985 | 71.41 |
| 1990 | 73.00 | 1995 | 74.51 |
| 2000 | 75.94 | 2005 | 77.25 |
| 2010 | 79.04 | 2015 | 81.29 |
| 2020 | 82.90 |
Education[]
Tseng has a 99.4% literacy rate. Education is mandatory for children aged 5 and up since 1951. Schools are operated by the government, except for some private and religious schools. Entrance exams are required for entry to university. 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.
Flag[]
Flag
The flag of Tseng is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. Red represents freedom, blue represents determination and hardiness of the indigenous tribes, and white represents purity.
Similarities[]
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.