No, it's not dead. I've just been occupied with something outside of the website.
The Mandarin Observer - A Chinese ATL
- Thread starter A Piece of History
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No, it's not dead. I've just been occupied with something outside of the website.
Architects of Yangtze River Dam Authority to be honoured - November 30th 1932
(Sorry for the long hiatus. I've been working on a project off-site)
The builders of the Yangtze River Dam Authority are set to be honoured in an award ceremony in Beijing.
The project, announced in 1927, created dams within the tributaries of the river, stretching between Sichuan to Anhui Provinces with the intentions of preventing the type of large-scale flooding which has plagued the area for centuries.
In 1931, the project proved it's strength and worth. Rather than flood the combined land area of the American states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, high torrential spring rain flooded several small villages in Hubei Province, leading to the deaths of 50 villagers[1] and the flooding of agricultural fields. The rest of the rain was contained by the dam network and it held up from March to November, during which weather conditions severely deteriorated.
The architects of the team were led by Chinese nationals, but included individuals from America and Germany. The Minister for Infrastructure, in announcing the decorations, declared that 'National boundaries do not matter to the Great Qing if foreigners have something to contribute'. The architects are set to be awarded with the Mu Guying Medal, a military/civilian decoration awarded for acts of heroism, in December.
[1]I am no meteorological nor architectural expert, so please inform me if the death toll should be higher.
The builders of the Yangtze River Dam Authority are set to be honoured in an award ceremony in Beijing.
The project, announced in 1927, created dams within the tributaries of the river, stretching between Sichuan to Anhui Provinces with the intentions of preventing the type of large-scale flooding which has plagued the area for centuries.
In 1931, the project proved it's strength and worth. Rather than flood the combined land area of the American states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, high torrential spring rain flooded several small villages in Hubei Province, leading to the deaths of 50 villagers[1] and the flooding of agricultural fields. The rest of the rain was contained by the dam network and it held up from March to November, during which weather conditions severely deteriorated.
The architects of the team were led by Chinese nationals, but included individuals from America and Germany. The Minister for Infrastructure, in announcing the decorations, declared that 'National boundaries do not matter to the Great Qing if foreigners have something to contribute'. The architects are set to be awarded with the Mu Guying Medal, a military/civilian decoration awarded for acts of heroism, in December.
[1]I am no meteorological nor architectural expert, so please inform me if the death toll should be higher.
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In my opinion, my father came from a village, and I estimate that around 30ish or 20ish people lived there, depending on how long they lived there, and how many return from the cities to honor their ancestors and fathers. I think it was pretty small for its age, too. But I'm also not sure. Sorry about it.
Emperor Hirohito addresses Japanese military, announces changes to Constitution - 27th January 1933
Emperor Hirohito has made his first public appearance since the chaotic end to the Second Sino-Japanese War last year.
As if to epitomize the seriousness of the event, the Japanese Emperor spoke at Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto shrine which is also the country's de facto war memorial. Within the shrine, the names, origins and places of death of Japanese soldiers are enshrined. Over 6,000 names adorn the walls of the shrine.
The Emperor began his speech by announcing that the names of the 2,000 Japanese soldiers who died in the Second Sino-Japanese War would also be enshrined, but shocked many with his succeeding announcement. "The conspirators who drew Japan into the pointless conflagration will not be enshrined. They have no right to be adorned alongside our honoured fallen",
In essence, the names of Sadao Araki, Shigeru Honjo and Jiro Minami will not be added to the long list of names already adorning the shrine.
The Emperor also announced that the Diet would be reconvened to pass changes to the Constitution, which would eliminate the necessity of Army and Navy Ministers being members of the Imperial Cabinet. Instead, the Army and Navy would be brought together in a new Imperial General Headquarters Liason Conference. In announcing the decision, he proclaimed "Soldiers do not belong in politics. They are to command warriors, not the Imperial State",
However, that was where the reforms ended. The Emperor reaffirmed his person's imperial divinity by stating "It is permissible to say that the idea that the Japanese are descendants of gods is a false conception, but it is absolutely impermissable to call chimerical the idea that the Emperor is a descendant of the gods'.[1]
He also reaffirmed the Imperial Japanese Army's high place of importance in Japanese society, but emphasized the importance of rooting out traitors. 'Traitors destroyed the most important parts of Our Empire. To protect what is left, we must purify the Army and extinguish any flames of rebellion'.
He also condemned Communism, calling it a 'ideological dead-end' and a 'excuse for barbarism and murder'. Indeed, the newly-reopened Chinese embassy has reported that slogans such as 'Break the legs, smash the head of faithless Communism' have been widely spread in the Japanese media.
He ended the speech by calling for peaceful relations between Japan, China, Korea and other nations, reciting a poem by his grandfather. "Across the four seas, all are brothers. In such a world, why do the waves rage, the winds roar?"
The Korean government, in the midst of it's first elections since liberation, has condemned the speech, proclaiming that 'Not a single additional name should be scrawled on the walls of Yasakuni Shrine' and adding that 'The Emperor is responsible for crimes against the Korean people'.
The Great Qing, however, has been much more subdued. "If the Emperor is legitimate in his wishes for peace and cooperation between our nations, so soon after the bloody conflagration, then we are more than willing to meet him on the field of diplomacy and discuss shared issues",
That statement was made at the unveiling of a war memorial near Dandong. The memorial takes the form of a traditional Buddhist temple complex but inside lies both the trophies of war and the belongings of deceased soldiers. Outside the memorial are pagodas in which the names of dead Chinese soldiers are inscribed[2]. The memorial began construction in 1930, before the Second Sino-Japanese War, but completing it became a matter of national honour after the end of the war.
The aforementioned statement was made in a section of the museum dedicated to the Great Qing's involvement in the Russian Civil War, before the spectacle of tattered Red Army flags.
Emperor Hirohito visits Yasukuni Shrine
Anti-Communist propaganda from Japan
[1] Actual quote from the Emperor.
[2] Think of it as China trying to build their own version of Yasakuni Shrine.
As if to epitomize the seriousness of the event, the Japanese Emperor spoke at Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto shrine which is also the country's de facto war memorial. Within the shrine, the names, origins and places of death of Japanese soldiers are enshrined. Over 6,000 names adorn the walls of the shrine.
The Emperor began his speech by announcing that the names of the 2,000 Japanese soldiers who died in the Second Sino-Japanese War would also be enshrined, but shocked many with his succeeding announcement. "The conspirators who drew Japan into the pointless conflagration will not be enshrined. They have no right to be adorned alongside our honoured fallen",
In essence, the names of Sadao Araki, Shigeru Honjo and Jiro Minami will not be added to the long list of names already adorning the shrine.
The Emperor also announced that the Diet would be reconvened to pass changes to the Constitution, which would eliminate the necessity of Army and Navy Ministers being members of the Imperial Cabinet. Instead, the Army and Navy would be brought together in a new Imperial General Headquarters Liason Conference. In announcing the decision, he proclaimed "Soldiers do not belong in politics. They are to command warriors, not the Imperial State",
However, that was where the reforms ended. The Emperor reaffirmed his person's imperial divinity by stating "It is permissible to say that the idea that the Japanese are descendants of gods is a false conception, but it is absolutely impermissable to call chimerical the idea that the Emperor is a descendant of the gods'.[1]
He also reaffirmed the Imperial Japanese Army's high place of importance in Japanese society, but emphasized the importance of rooting out traitors. 'Traitors destroyed the most important parts of Our Empire. To protect what is left, we must purify the Army and extinguish any flames of rebellion'.
He also condemned Communism, calling it a 'ideological dead-end' and a 'excuse for barbarism and murder'. Indeed, the newly-reopened Chinese embassy has reported that slogans such as 'Break the legs, smash the head of faithless Communism' have been widely spread in the Japanese media.
He ended the speech by calling for peaceful relations between Japan, China, Korea and other nations, reciting a poem by his grandfather. "Across the four seas, all are brothers. In such a world, why do the waves rage, the winds roar?"
The Korean government, in the midst of it's first elections since liberation, has condemned the speech, proclaiming that 'Not a single additional name should be scrawled on the walls of Yasakuni Shrine' and adding that 'The Emperor is responsible for crimes against the Korean people'.
The Great Qing, however, has been much more subdued. "If the Emperor is legitimate in his wishes for peace and cooperation between our nations, so soon after the bloody conflagration, then we are more than willing to meet him on the field of diplomacy and discuss shared issues",
That statement was made at the unveiling of a war memorial near Dandong. The memorial takes the form of a traditional Buddhist temple complex but inside lies both the trophies of war and the belongings of deceased soldiers. Outside the memorial are pagodas in which the names of dead Chinese soldiers are inscribed[2]. The memorial began construction in 1930, before the Second Sino-Japanese War, but completing it became a matter of national honour after the end of the war.
The aforementioned statement was made in a section of the museum dedicated to the Great Qing's involvement in the Russian Civil War, before the spectacle of tattered Red Army flags.
Emperor Hirohito visits Yasukuni Shrine
Anti-Communist propaganda from Japan
[1] Actual quote from the Emperor.
[2] Think of it as China trying to build their own version of Yasakuni Shrine.
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The Peace Preservation Law of 1925 is still in effect, so the Japanese Communist Party is effectively still banned and it's members are still being hunted by the Thought Police
Read this over the course of two days. Really enjoying it and I am looking forward to seeing it continue.
Syngman Rhee elected President of Korea - 30th November 1933
Syngman Rhee has officially been elected President of the Republic of Korea.
The 58 year old independence activist's National Korea Party won 70% of the popular vote, on a platform of intense nationalism and Chinese-style economics. His opponent, Choe Nam-seon, an independent, mysteriously disappeared after his pro-Japanese views became public.
President-elect Rhee's election campaign was supported on a spiritual level by Baek Yongseong Jinjong, a famed figure in Korean Buddhism and one of the inspirations behind the March 1st Movement, which ignited the movement for Korean independence. With Yongseong by his side, Rhee vowed to eradicate all harmful foreign influences from Korea, including Japanese innovations in Korean Buddhism such as allowing monks to marry and have children, but he reached a hand out to Korean Protestants and non-Buddhists, pledging to serve them as well as he served Korean Buddhists. Rhee himself is a Presbyterian, but described his alliance with Yongseong as a 'strong relationship that is necessary for the foundation of a strong Korean nation'. The Chinese ambassador and the General in charge of Chinese troops in Korea, Ding Chao, were in attendance as he made his victory speech.
There were some minor protests against the election, but the Korean Army swiftly put down the protests, which were found to be Communist-influenced. Speaking of Communism, the Soviet regime in Moscow inaugurated their own 'government' led by 'General Secretary' Pak Hon-yong. Calling itself the 'Korean Soviet Socialist Republic', the miscreants and bandits vowed to 'bring the works of Lenin and Marx into the heartland of the Korean masses'.
A Korean voter casts her ballot
The 58 year old independence activist's National Korea Party won 70% of the popular vote, on a platform of intense nationalism and Chinese-style economics. His opponent, Choe Nam-seon, an independent, mysteriously disappeared after his pro-Japanese views became public.
President-elect Rhee's election campaign was supported on a spiritual level by Baek Yongseong Jinjong, a famed figure in Korean Buddhism and one of the inspirations behind the March 1st Movement, which ignited the movement for Korean independence. With Yongseong by his side, Rhee vowed to eradicate all harmful foreign influences from Korea, including Japanese innovations in Korean Buddhism such as allowing monks to marry and have children, but he reached a hand out to Korean Protestants and non-Buddhists, pledging to serve them as well as he served Korean Buddhists. Rhee himself is a Presbyterian, but described his alliance with Yongseong as a 'strong relationship that is necessary for the foundation of a strong Korean nation'. The Chinese ambassador and the General in charge of Chinese troops in Korea, Ding Chao, were in attendance as he made his victory speech.
There were some minor protests against the election, but the Korean Army swiftly put down the protests, which were found to be Communist-influenced. Speaking of Communism, the Soviet regime in Moscow inaugurated their own 'government' led by 'General Secretary' Pak Hon-yong. Calling itself the 'Korean Soviet Socialist Republic', the miscreants and bandits vowed to 'bring the works of Lenin and Marx into the heartland of the Korean masses'.
A Korean voter casts her ballot
I know what you mean by him mysteriously vanishing, considering Syngman Rhee's OTL policies.
1st December 1933 - Islamic preacher arrested in Xinjiang
On the eve of the beginning of Ramadan, the Jingwei have arrested a Islamic scholar in the region of Xinjiang.
The arrest was made based on a tip off from an attendee of the scholar's mosque. A search of the scholar's house unearthed several pro-Communist texts, including evidence that he was translating said texts into Uyghur for consumption by his followers.
Possessing Communist texts in regular China itself is a serious offence, but possessing said material in a culturally sensitive region is treated very seriously by the Ministry of Justice, due to the potential for inciting revolt against the Great Qing as a whole.
The arrest comes as ethnic tensions in the region reach a new height as Han Chinese begin migrating to the region, in controlled numbers. Instances of violence include assaults and destruction of private property.
The Viceroy of Xinjiang, Ma Shaowu, has denounced rumours that the August and Blessed Government is attempting to eliminate Islam. "Complete nonsense", he said, reminding the people that the government has left Islamic places of worship unmolested and has no intentions of tearing up cemeteries to make way for 'dirty places such as bars and other displays of filth'.
Indeed, the Great Qing is only continuing the work that it began after liberating the region in 1884. By the early 19th Century, 155,500 Han Chinese were resettled into Dzungaria (Northern Xinjiang). At the same time, Uyghurs were resettled from that area of the region and dispersed throughout the region, just as is being done now, for the betterment of both the region and the country. What the Great Qing does now in Xinjiang is no different from what it has done in the past and will always respect the culture of the region, as long as it is not co-opted by hostile foreign forces, such as the Soviet regime in Moscow.
Viceroy Ma Shaowu
This court painting (depicting the residents of Xinjiang and surrounding areas on an annual tributary visit to Beijing) has been reprinted as a poster to be displayed throughout the region to encourage patriotism and encourage the residents to feel a sense of patriotism.
The arrest was made based on a tip off from an attendee of the scholar's mosque. A search of the scholar's house unearthed several pro-Communist texts, including evidence that he was translating said texts into Uyghur for consumption by his followers.
Possessing Communist texts in regular China itself is a serious offence, but possessing said material in a culturally sensitive region is treated very seriously by the Ministry of Justice, due to the potential for inciting revolt against the Great Qing as a whole.
The arrest comes as ethnic tensions in the region reach a new height as Han Chinese begin migrating to the region, in controlled numbers. Instances of violence include assaults and destruction of private property.
The Viceroy of Xinjiang, Ma Shaowu, has denounced rumours that the August and Blessed Government is attempting to eliminate Islam. "Complete nonsense", he said, reminding the people that the government has left Islamic places of worship unmolested and has no intentions of tearing up cemeteries to make way for 'dirty places such as bars and other displays of filth'.
Indeed, the Great Qing is only continuing the work that it began after liberating the region in 1884. By the early 19th Century, 155,500 Han Chinese were resettled into Dzungaria (Northern Xinjiang). At the same time, Uyghurs were resettled from that area of the region and dispersed throughout the region, just as is being done now, for the betterment of both the region and the country. What the Great Qing does now in Xinjiang is no different from what it has done in the past and will always respect the culture of the region, as long as it is not co-opted by hostile foreign forces, such as the Soviet regime in Moscow.
Viceroy Ma Shaowu
This court painting (depicting the residents of Xinjiang and surrounding areas on an annual tributary visit to Beijing) has been reprinted as a poster to be displayed throughout the region to encourage patriotism and encourage the residents to feel a sense of patriotism.
That's not very hard they simply have to colonize it with a Han majority and not much local culture and religion would remain to tell it ever had been different, not many colonial powers planned doing so and even fewer had distance and terrain aiding them in such ambitions like the Chinese in Xinjiang so it wouldn't be that hard. If that's the route they will take is another question...
If by 'genocide', you mean throwing the Uyghurs into concentration camps like they are in OTL, then the current regime is holding off implementing such extreme methods to avoid provoking an uprising which could result in the Xinjiang equivalent of the Younghusband expedition from the Soviets.
If by 'genocide', you mean eradicating the region's cultural heritage, that's a bit tricky. Like I said in the post, the government isn't explicitly targeting sites like cemeteries and mosques like in OTL, but in areas where there was previously a Buddhist presence, there may be some covert attempts by the government to assert Xinjiang's history before the Qarakhanids brought Islam to the region.
Right now, the focus of the regime is to encourage the migration of Han Chinese, but there won't be any methods like forcing Uyghurs to marry Han men.