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Daxian people: Difference between revisions
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Daxians have a love for the monumental and fastuous, the country's landscape is dotted by remnants of fortresses that were just a bit too large to be defended properly and village houses that simply seem to grow towards the sky, rising upwards beyond all practicality. Researcher Congming Ren proposed the theory that the size of the [[Daxia]]n nuclear family became so large thanks to Chiliang's Pact that families would literally need to transform their farm houses into literal complexes to have enough space. Cheap materials such as adobe and straw were favored in the countryside, the longevity of these buildings was not guaranteed without regular maintenance so there are few surviving examples. Townhouses in more affluent parts exhibit this architectural gigantism with houses five or six stories high. Emperors were not immune for this fascination with size, as not only the size of their palaces was used as a way to display their power and authority but to set themselves above their predecessors. During the Shang dynasty, emperors tended to disassemble the palace of their predecessor and use the materials to build a new, bigger one. The Zhong emperors stopped this wasteful practice, choosing instead to forever be building new additions to existing palaces, the Qian [[Palace of Columns]] was undergoing its 22nd expansion when the dynasty was overthrown. Current governments continue with the trend of giant buildings, the current seat of the Ministry of Information being 51-stories high and covering 493,000 square meters of floor space. The sinking of several [[Daxia]]n cities built in softer terrain is a direct consequence of Daxian Gigantomania. | Daxians have a love for the monumental and fastuous, the country's landscape is dotted by remnants of fortresses that were just a bit too large to be defended properly and village houses that simply seem to grow towards the sky, rising upwards beyond all practicality. Researcher Congming Ren proposed the theory that the size of the [[Daxia]]n nuclear family became so large thanks to Chiliang's Pact that families would literally need to transform their farm houses into literal complexes to have enough space. Cheap materials such as adobe and straw were favored in the countryside, the longevity of these buildings was not guaranteed without regular maintenance so there are few surviving examples. Townhouses in more affluent parts exhibit this architectural gigantism with houses five or six stories high. Emperors were not immune for this fascination with size, as not only the size of their palaces was used as a way to display their power and authority but to set themselves above their predecessors. During the Shang dynasty, emperors tended to disassemble the palace of their predecessor and use the materials to build a new, bigger one. The Zhong emperors stopped this wasteful practice, choosing instead to forever be building new additions to existing palaces, the Qian [[Palace of Columns]] was undergoing its 22nd expansion when the dynasty was overthrown. Current governments continue with the trend of giant buildings, the current seat of the Ministry of Information being 51-stories high and covering 493,000 square meters of floor space. The sinking of several [[Daxia]]n cities built in softer terrain is a direct consequence of Daxian Gigantomania. | ||
====Generational Greed==== | ====Generational Greed==== | ||
In the words of the sage [[Qipian's Book of Artifice|Qipian]]: Greed is good. Daxian attitudes towards money closely align with the stereotype of the red faced Daxian grabbing fistfuls of coins from a fountain. Alongside passing on their name, Daxians take great pride in passing on as much wealth as they can on to their descendants, and it is impressed upon the children from an early age that they too are responsible for adding on to the family hoard. A traditional will commonly leaves the fortune of the family to the eldest son, who is duty bound to section some parts off if he has any siblings so they can start their own piles. Unfortunately the greed aspect often rears itself during the proceedings leading to many younger siblings being given nothing by their elder brother, this is called a generational reset as they have to start over without anything to fall back on. [[Daxia]] stands at the top of world charts for the personal savings rate, banks are very accommodating and charge no handling fees for savings accounts. This money driven instinct has reflected in an adventurous streak of several Daxian generations who have embarked on dangerous and unsavory activities in order to generate more wealth, from the creators of the [[Southern slave trade|slave cartels]] to the [[Xisheng|colonists]] who hoped to plunder the gold studded cities of [[Ixa'Taka]]. At the dynasty level, the ruthless enforcement of the [[Tributary system of Imperial Daxia|tributary system]] was also a form of dynastic wealth accumulation, much of the tribute went directly to the pockets of the imperial family. The generational greed of Daxians has had an important influence on the [[Architecture | In the words of the sage [[Qipian's Book of Artifice|Qipian]]: Greed is good. Daxian attitudes towards money closely align with the stereotype of the red faced Daxian grabbing fistfuls of coins from a fountain. Alongside passing on their name, Daxians take great pride in passing on as much wealth as they can on to their descendants, and it is impressed upon the children from an early age that they too are responsible for adding on to the family hoard. A traditional will commonly leaves the fortune of the family to the eldest son, who is duty bound to section some parts off if he has any siblings so they can start their own piles. Unfortunately the greed aspect often rears itself during the proceedings leading to many younger siblings being given nothing by their elder brother, this is called a generational reset as they have to start over without anything to fall back on. [[Daxia]] stands at the top of world charts for the personal savings rate, banks are very accommodating and charge no handling fees for savings accounts. This money driven instinct has reflected in an adventurous streak of several Daxian generations who have embarked on dangerous and unsavory activities in order to generate more wealth, from the creators of the [[Southern slave trade|slave cartels]] to the [[Xisheng|colonists]] who hoped to plunder the gold studded cities of [[Ixa'Taka]]. At the dynasty level, the ruthless enforcement of the [[Tributary system of Imperial Daxia|tributary system]] was also a form of dynastic wealth accumulation, much of the tribute went directly to the pockets of the imperial family. The generational greed of Daxians has had an important influence on the [[Architecture in Daxia]] as before the creation of electronic banking, the Daxian family hoard was an actual physical pile of currency and valuables. Therefore people, in accordance with their means, sought to protect and hide their accumulated patrimony. Those without great means would often simply transport their money to the wild and bury it in so called treasure hives, so named for they glittered as gold as a beehive full of honey. Those with more means would build secret alcoves, hidden basements and carved chambers; many old houses on the market still feature these old additions. | ||
====Numerology==== | ====Numerology==== | ||
there is power in numbers | there is power in numbers | ||