Third Province

No gal made has got a shade
On sweet Missus Shen,
Oh she's made new, so hum a tune
For sweet Missus Shen!
A heart that she can't get
Must be a heart that she ain't met!
Bamboo claimed her, bamboo named her,
Sweet Missus Shen!
Lula Rei in radio hit 'Sweet Missus Shen'

Once home to the last independent eladrin, Third Province was the first to be taken by conquest. It is the westernmost territory of the 'Bamboo Belt' (Third, Ninth, and Tenth Provinces). Its capital, Shen, was razed to the ground during the conflict. Its replacement, New Shen, is the second largest city in the Empire, well known for its red lamp district and vibrant culture of dance, music, and theatre. It is often called 'The City of Swaying Bamboo' for the forest that surrounds it, and for its tall, bamboo-wood buildings, which are known to sway during the area's constant typhoons. It lies on the province's southern coast.
More than 80% of all the Province's residents live in New Shen. The rest are foresters and villagers. The Province's uneven terrain and thick forests mean building railways is difficult, and most traverse the area via boat along the coast. The growing thickness of the forest to the east of this province, as well as the small, human-majority population of those territories, means that for centuries Third Province remained the only conquered territory of the Bamboo Belt, until the mass conquest of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh provinces.

Capital

New Shen