Xinyuan: The City of Coin
History and Overview
The Princedoms of Yunhai’s second founding in the Sea, Xinyuan (literally “New Hope”) was founded in LN413 and straddles the precipice of the Southern Reef, where a small river delta feeds into the Azurite Domain. The reasons behind its placement are threefold: it affords the Princedoms of Yunhai control over a large harbor (a difficult thing to come by in the Eastern Territories), it provides Yunhai with a direct connection to Ashimachi courtesy of to the Coast’s river network, and it gives the Princedoms a path of commerce with the Western Territories, which no other Eastern Territory can achieve due to the accursed Drowned Shoal west of Maqqia.
Despite being officially recognized as a city-state, Xinyuan has only a single settlement of renown with a permanent population of only 12,000 according to a recent census. Smaller towns and hamlets exist, clustered around the waterways heading north, but they are largely independent and under no requirement to swear fealty to the capital.
The mainstay of the capital city is its docks: three-tiered expanses of lashed wood and Dragon's Pipe (a local bamboo analogue) which run the entire length of the city and facilitate commerce, travel, and industry around the clock - thus Xinyuan's moniker, "City of Coin." Though sturdily built, in recent years they've fallen into disrepair as the constant stream of traffic makes it difficult to perform maintenance without sacrificing efficiency.
Boats and other watercraft are guided to the docks by way of a magical lighthouse which projects a colorful banner into the sky. This banner is plainly visible in daytime, and can interface with vessels bearing the proper instrumentation to project guidance onto the water for use by the ships' crews. The range on this is limited, but over the last few decades has helped to drastically reduce the incidence of boats colliding with one another, or striking the Southern Reef or other obstacles. Most of Xinyuan's industry is located on the docks themselves, which is part of the reason they're built with multiple tiers. Street food, entertainment, and other attractions await eager sailors and tourists upon arrival; there's little need for a visitor to travel beyond the docks and into the city proper as the majority of it is residential. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. As the only city-state to keep regular contact with the Western Territories, Xinyuan houses a large population of immigrants from the West. Many of these immigrants are Ilians, a race of bipedal lizardfolk who thrive in the Sea, and it is from here that Ilian adventurers and entrepreneurs travel by boat to other regions of the Coast. As a traditional Dreamswallower state, Xinyuan is also a major safe haven for the Treetouched, who are unfairly persecuted and serve as slaves in many other city-states. The relatively shallow bay floor surrounding the reef is dotted with underwater mineral deposits. Valuable metals and gemstones abound, and the reef’s coral itself is a versatile material and a valuable item of export - so much so that strict laws are in place to control its harvest and sale. The majority of Ilian residents in Xinyuan make their living in the mining and refinement trade. Wind and water are widely employed: windmills and water wheels of all sizes are common sights in the city, ranging from small personal affairs to larger industrial machinery. Unlike more independent city states, Xinyuan is seperate from Yunhai only due to its wealth: no Yunhainese prince could suffer another to control such a vital trade port, so Xinyuan has been jointly ruled as a nominal subject of the united crown of Yunhai. In reality, the port stands as possibly the closest vision to a united Yunhai that currently exists. The Gaoshi, or Governor, answers directly to a council made out of envoys of the princes. Under their advisement, he and a handful of government officers manage the affairs of the city-state. Given the above, it follows that the official language of Xinyuan's capital is Long and the state religion is Mèngchī (the Dreamswallowers faith). This doesn't necessarily hold true for other settlements within the city-state's borders; as previously mentioned they're generally allowed to do what they wish with little to no oversight or enforcement of customs.
Additional Info
Xinyuan: The City of Coin
Head of State: Gaoshi Zhang Wen
Founding Territory: Princedoms of Yunhai
Language(s): Long
State Religion: Dreamswallowers
Theme Song: Cui Jianghui - The Left Hand Refers to the Moon (cover)
Founding Territory: Princedoms of Yunhai
Language(s): Long
State Religion: Dreamswallowers
Theme Song: Cui Jianghui - The Left Hand Refers to the Moon (cover)
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