The Mandarin Observer - A Chinese ATL

[A Piece of History]

The following testimonial was submitted by a student studying in Germany to the Mandarin Observer through a third party source, describing the events of 9th November 1923. It is understood that the student is still in Germany, but is unharmed.

"At 3:00 AM on the 9th, I and my friends were drinking when we heard some gunshots. We thought it was just some drunk soldiers shooting into the air, so we didn't think much of it. Later that morning, I was walking to a library when saw these men, wearing helmets and hoisting this flag with a strange symbol on it, walking towards the Odeonsplatz. They came up agaisnt hundreds of soldiers. The leader of the marchers was a funny-looking man with the kind of mustache that you would see in the talkies. The soldiers then shot at the men. Some fell to the ground while the others broke and ran. Soon, I was hearing on the radio that the government had stopped a 'putsch', the German word for 'coup', and that 18 'Nazis' had been killed. On the 11th, they announced that they had arrested the leader of the putsch, a man named Adolf Hitler. He's been charged with treason. The Nazis have been something of a bogeyman around here, but no one was expecting them to try and overthrow the government. Hopefully, the Nazis won't be such a problem anymore with Hitler behind bars

Now that I think about it, the symbol resembles one that is treasured back home, the wan symbol, the one that is supposed to represent the Buddha's auspicious footprints. What in the hell is such a holy symbol like that doing in that hands of ruffians and malcontents?"

 

[EternalCynic]

The Tokyo earthquake happened before the advent of air travel. It's not realistic for Chinese aid workers to spend weeks to sail to Japan. Maybe they should be Chinese migrants who, in the immediate aftermath, helped rescue locals, and rumours spread they were secretly poisoning the water?

 

[Whiteshore]

Hopefully, the Nazis won't be such a problem anymore with Hitler behind bars

Famous last words.

 

[A Piece of History]

The Tokyo earthquake happened before the advent of air travel. It's not realistic for Chinese aid workers to spend weeks to sail to Japan. Maybe they should be Chinese migrants who, in the immediate aftermath, helped rescue locals, and rumours spread they were secretly poisoning the water?

Changes made

Famous last words.

Indeed. Though something tells me the Nazis won't be a problem for China. Wink, wink.

 

[LeX]

I think the student observing the "strange symbol" on the NSDAP flag would probably note that it is a blackened and tilted wan (卐) character. He might be puzzled as to why a bunch of European street thugs have adopted the sign of the Buddha.

 

[Kaiko]

I think the student observing the "strange symbol" on the NSDAP flag would probably note that it is a blackened and tilted wan (卐) character. He might be puzzled as to why a bunch of European street thugs have adopted the sign of the Buddha.

If anything, it would be great for Buddhist and other groups to claim *that* symbol as culturally and religiously significant, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

But either way, any symbol used by extremist groups, especially this group of fuck mothering genocidal maniacs, get tainted in the view of history.

 

[A Piece of History]

I think the student observing the "strange symbol" on the NSDAP flag would probably note that it is a blackened and tilted wan (卐) character. He might be puzzled as to why a bunch of European street thugs have adopted the sign of the Buddha.

Not a bad idea. I'm now practically kicking myself for not pointing that out.

The post has now been edited based on your feedback.

 

[A Piece of History]

The White Russian community across China have come out in droves to celebrate the passing of hated Communist, Vladimir Lenin.

According to Soviet-controlled media, Lenin passed away on the 23rd from a incurable disease of the blood vessels. The body was then transported by train to Moscow where it lays in state, as if Lenin was a saint, an ironic fate for one who so epitomized Marx's claim that 'religion was a opiate of the masses'. Though the temperature is understood to have been freezing, thousands of Soviet citizens attended his funeral, no doubt with guns at their backs.

White Russian enclaves across the country have celebrated the decadent tyrant's passing, with tricolour flags going up across the country and citizens participating in masses commemorating the thousands of people who have died under Lenin's tyrannical rule. When asked about the fate of Communist leaders in the afterlife, the Dalai Lama predicted that since Communists, by definition, prey on others and have excessive cravings for power, they will either end up in the animal realm or the hungry ghost realm. Information Minister Huang Pian has announced that acting on this advice, the afterlife will become a powerful tool in the Government's war of information against Communists.

It is unknown who will succeed Lenin as leader of the Soviet administration in Moscow.

 

[A Piece of History]

To celebrate the completion of the Road to Tibet railway, the Mandarin Observer feels that it is it's civic duty to remind citizens of the laws surrounding our country's different administrative regions

Special Law on the Administrative Divisions of China​

Within the territory of the Great Qing, there shall be four administrative divisions - August and Blessed Government - Province - Municipality and Special Autonomous Region- and District.

The August and Blessed Government is headed by the Prime Minister, with the Emperor acting as a symbolic figurehead of the state's legitimate power. Decision-making within the government is undertaken by the National Cabinet made up of five members of the National Enlightenment Party, three officers of the Imperial Chinese Military from each branch and two members of the country's private industry.

The August and Blessed Government shall be competent to legislate and execute the following matters:
1. Foreign affairs.
2. National defense and military affairs bearing on national defense.
3. Nationality law and criminal, civil, and commercial laws.
4. The judiciary.
5. Aviation, national highways, State-owned railways, navigation, and postal and telecommunication services.
6. Central Government finance and national taxes.
7. Demarcation of national, provincial, and county taxes.
8. State-operated economic enterprises.
9. The currency system and State banks.
10. Weights and measures.
11. Foreign trade policy.
12. Financial and economic matters affecting aliens or foreign countries.

Provinces shall be headed by Governors appointed by the Emperor and the administration of the province shall be delegated to committees comprised of citizens appointed by the governor. Governors shall be eligible for appointment after having acquired a masters' degree in government[1]

Provinces shall have the following powers

1. Provincial education, public health, industry, and communications.
2. Management and disposal of provincial property.
3. Administration of cities under provincial jurisdiction.
4. Provincial public enterprises.
5. Provincial cooperative enterprises.
6. Provincial agriculture, forestry, water conservancy, fishery, animal husbandry, and public works.
7. Provincial finance and provincial taxes.
8. Provincial debts.
9. Provincial banks.
10. Provincial police administration.
11. Provincial philanthropic and public welfare work.
12. Other matters delegated to the Provinces in accordance with national laws.
(2) Unless otherwise provided by law, any of the matters referred to in the various items of the preceding paragraph, if it involves two or more Provinces, may be jointly undertaken bv the Provinces concerned.
(3) In case any of the Provinces lacks sufficient funds to undertake any of the matters referred to in the various items of the preceding paragraph, subsidies may be granted from the National Treasury by a resolution of the National Cabinet.

Municipalities are territories that deemed to be of special importance to the Chinese government, but do not have enough of a particular minority to be given full autonomous status. Aforementioned territories shall have their importance measured within the spheres of the economy and the military.

Special Autonomous Regions are regions in which a particular non-Han minority is deemed to be in high enough numbers to warrant particular treatment in regards to issues affecting that minority.

The Special Autonomous Regions shall be presided by two principal figures. One shall be a cultural figure from a minority group[2] and the other shall be a Viceroy, of Han-descent, to be appointed by the Prime Minister. The Viceroy shall have the power to

1. Collect tax
2. Command Imperial military forces within that region.
3. Enact laws under emergency conditions.
4. Appoint judge to that region's judiciary
5. Oversee funding of important sectors such as education, infrastructure, etc.

A 'district' shall be defined as an administrative region overseen by a District Magistrate, who shall be appointed by the August and Blessed Government after having acquired a diploma in government leadership

The county government shall be competent to legislate and execute the following matters:
1. County education, public health, industry, and communications.
2. Management and disposal of county property.
3. County public enterprises.
4. County cooperative enterprises.
5. County agriculture, forestry, water conservancy, fishery, animal husbandry, and public works.
6. County finance and taxes.
7. County debts.
8. County banks.
9. County police administration.
10. County philanthropic and public welfare work.


[1] In OTL, when the imperial examination system was abolished in 1905, the Qings were attempting to transition to Western-style degrees to replace it. In TTL, it's a similar idea, but the examination systems were either abolished, but retained and retooled to be more modern. For instance, in TTL, the military examination system was abolished because it was outdated. In brief, the examination system in TTL covers politics, science, mathematics and Legalism.
[2] For instance, the Dalai and Panchen Lamas in Tibet would be subordinate to a Chinese viceroy. This overly intrusive administrative role is in response to the Younghusband expedition of 1904-1905, in which Tibet was made a British protectorate. After the British left, the Qing Dynasty had to put down revolts in the region and attempted to Sinify the region. In response, the 13th Dalai Lama refused to be ruled by the Qing dynasty and fled to India.

 

[EmperorBuaya]

I like this TL so far. Not every day everyone do a surviving Qing Dynasty TL.

 

[A Piece of History]

Notorious political activist Sun Wen has been buried in a private ceremony in Cuheng, Guangdong.

Sun Wen, otherwise known as Sun Yat Sen to his small group of followers, died in British Malaya of liver cancer on the 12th of March. He is widely known as an anti-Qing radical who sought to bring down the monarchy. Though his 'Tongmenghui' and the National Enlightenment Party had many disagreements, both organizations agreed on the practicality of modernizing Chinese society to keep up with the outside world and distributing the land equally among the people. However, unlike the Party which achieved it's goals, Tongmenghui floundered and declared bankruptcy in 1920.

Under the direction of Jinywei director Wang Jingwei and his wife Soong-ching-ling, Sun Wen was buried in Cuheng, Guangdong under a fake name. In keeping with his Christian beliefs, his funeral was conducted in a church, he received a prayer of absolution and he was buried in a small cemetery near the city. Soong-ching-ling's attendance was allowed under the condition that she not participate in any political activity after the date of her husband's funeral.

Sun Wen as a young man

Soong-ching-ling, Sun's wife

 

[A Piece of History]

Prime Minister Zeng Qi has sent official congratulations to the newly-enthroned Japanese Emperor, Hirohito

Succeeding his father Yoshihito, the newly enthroned Emperor had been royal regent in place of the ailing monarch since November 1921 and during that time, he has already faced several events engulfing his country, including the ending of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, the Washington Naval Treaty and of course, the horrific Great Kanto earthquake. He has even faced an assassination attempt from a supposed Communist.

The Emperor's reign comes on the back of a slowing Japanese economy and rising tensions between the slowly atrophying civilian government and a rising military, including the passage of the Public Security Preservation Law of 1925, a law which cracks down on those seeking to overthrow the ideological principles of the Japanese state, or 'kokutai'.

In his statement, the Prime Minister wrote 'The Great Qing wishes to convey it's congratulations to the new Emperor and welcomes him to the world of monarchs'. In respect to the deceased Emperor, the Chinese flags have been lowered to half-mast.

On the same day, Jinywei agents have officially entered Japan to begin a training program with their counterparts in the Special Higher Police.

Hirohito, as Crown Prince, watches a boat race at Oxford University, England in 1921

 

[LeX]

。。。When asked about the fate of Communist leaders in the afterlife, the Dalai Lama predicted that since Communists, by definition, prey on others and have excessive cravings for power, they will either end up in the animal realm or the hungry ghost realm.

I find this theological description oddly amusing.

 

[A Piece of History]

I find this theological description oddly amusing.

Me too. It sounds like propaganda, but if you asked a Buddhist to make being a Communist sound like a horrible idea to his fellow Buddhists, that'd be the line he'd push.

 

[Whiteshore]

Communists, by definition, prey on others

How ironic this more accurately describes corrupt capitalists, if anything else.

 

[A Piece of History]

How ironic this more accurately describes corrupt capitalists, if anything else.

You're probably right. I'm not that big a fan of unrestricted capitalism myself, but I think Communists are more blatant when it comes to preying on others. I mean, their ideology is all about liquidating private ownership and everything belonging to the State.

 

[LeX]

Speaking of which, what is this Qing government's attitude towards unbridled capitalism and state intervention? Does it understand the dangers of leaning too far in either direction?

EDIT:
I wonder if there would still be a Washington Naval Treaty given the butterflies.

Also, the Japanese government is not the kokutai. The kokutai (國體) is the state system and by extension its body of ideological principles.

 

[A Piece of History]

Speaking of which, what is this Qing government's attitude towards unbridled capitalism and state intervention? Does it understand the dangers of leaning too far in either direction?

Well, I'm not sure if you saw it, but in a previous update, I had the Qing government take notes out of OTL Taiwan's playbook when it comes to farming. Basically, one of the priorities of the Qing government will be to 'to ensure safety of habitat, water source and prevention of pollution, all required facilities to be re-zoned agricultural land and adjacent land need to be planned ahead of time'.

In essence, make sure construction on land doesn't do too much damage to the environment.

And since the NEP is Buddhist, they will build infrastructure, but not in a way that causes the wanton destruction of the environment. To draw an example from OTL, Tibet, according to the Tibetan government in exile, had forests that were 25.2 million kilometres in size in 1950. As a result of Chinese logging, that was reduced to 13.57 million kilometres in 1985. During that time, $54 billion worth of timber was removed. (Please correct me if I'm wrong on that, since I'm using the Tibetan government in exile as my source). There is also the allegation of 120,000 square kilometres of land being degraded as a result of human use due to intensive agriculture production, among other reasons.

The NEP won't have such negligent policies. If they feel it is necessary to remove trees for infrastructure, they will do it, but they will then rehabilitate the land by planting new trees. Their goal is the modernization of China, but they're not overly so materialistic as to disregard the environment.

 

[Whiteshore]

So, basically the Qing Chinese can be described economically as "state capitalist" in how it has a capitalist economy under strong supervision of the state?

 

[LeX]

Well, I'm not sure if you saw it, but in a previous update, I had the Qing government take notes out of OTL Taiwan's playbook when it comes to farming. Basically, one of the priorities of the Qing government will be to 'to ensure safety of habitat, water source and prevention of pollution, all required facilities to be re-zoned agricultural land and adjacent land need to be planned ahead of time'.

In essence, make sure construction on land doesn't do too much damage to the environment.

And since the NEP is Buddhist, they will build infrastructure, but not in a way that causes the wanton destruction of the environment. To draw an example from OTL, Tibet, according to the Tibetan government in exile, had forests that were 25.2 million kilometres in size in 1950. As a result of Chinese logging, that was reduced to 13.57 million kilometres in 1985. During that time, $54 billion worth of timber was removed. (Please correct me if I'm wrong on that, since I'm using the Tibetan government in exile as my source). There is also the allegation of 120,000 square kilometres of land being degraded as a result of human use due to intensive agriculture production, among other reasons.

The NEP won't have such negligent policies. If they feel it is necessary to remove trees for infrastructure, they will do it, but they will then rehabilitate the land by planting new trees. Their goal is the modernization of China, but they're not overly so materialistic as to disregard the environment.

Thanks for the explanation. I am skeptical of the Qing government's ability to root out the corrupt interests (which will be legion) that would disregard the environment in favor of industrial progress, but for cases like Tibet, where there might be a strong religious argument, the NEP might see successes. Of course, this is the Mandarin Observer, so we probably aren't going to hear much news about corruption or how bad it is.

Also, see my concerns about the Japanese update.