Han

The Han people of the far east have forged their own way of life, quite different to any other, and are fiercely proud of their independence. Seen as strange by most, not least for their political thinking. They arrived in Everland some time after the fall of the Kuigon and not long after the Umyebelian Empire began its slide into isolationist senescence. Never great in numbers, they established the nation of Jin Guo with its rather peculiar governmental structure (for Everland) and have remained a strong regional force ever since.

Naming Traditions

Family names

The Han do not have family names, as understood in other cultures, instead they have up to four names; a name given to them by their parents which is usually a positive adjective intended to bring good luck, a name that signifies their place of birth, a name that designates their job or career and is used to denote rank and seniority, and a name that they chose for themselves once coming of age. Some examples would be:
Qinhou Nóngmín Qīnqiè Dai  - Kind Dai, a farmer from Qinhou Xinan Shāngrén Fēngfù Zhenya - Wealthy Zhenya, a trader from Xinan

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Whilst Common is becoming increasingly widespread due to trading with the west, the Han language is still the predominant one spoken by the Han people. It is linguistically distinct from any other languages on Everland, and presumably brought by the Han when they migrated to Everland about 2000 years ago. Unlike other human languages, Han is based on logograms, and not individual letters. Whilst regional dialects do exists, they express on minor variation, although there is considerable overlap on the edge of Han culture with the language of the Zin people with a wide exchange of words and phrases, and the central Jin Guo government does maintain a department for language purity.

Culture and cultural heritage

The Han people worship the majority of the Dawn War pantheon, much like all other human cultural groups, identifying at least some shared cultural human heritage in the past, and the direct intervention of the gods throughout history. Ilmater, god of Endurance, with his partner Tymora, goddess of good fortune, are considered the 'chief' gods of the Han, with the two of them ensure prosperity and success for the Han people. Bane and Beshaba are allocated the position as their opposition, and worship of Ilmater and Tymora is considered essential to keep the forces of evil at bay.
As well as worship of the gods, veneration of one's ancestors is important for the Han, with most attempting to live a life that does not bring dishonour on them. Whilst family is typically subservient as a concept to nation and community, it still holds a place for most Han, so acting in a way that shows one's family in the best possible way is important. Nobody wishes to be a member of the family that is not remembered in a positive way when they die, or perhaps worse, not remembered at all.

Related Organizations

• The Dawn War Pantheon