Touxian: Difference between revisions

==Demographics==

==Points of Interest==

[[File:Quince Diplomacy.jpg|thumb|Painting of a diplomatic summit in Touxian between Daxian and Kiravian delegations in 1966. Depicted second from right is Devdan Vesêkoruv, Deputy First Secretary of the [[Kirosocialist Party]]; he is shaking the hand of Gansho Ximin, then Deputy Foreign Secretary. A large, bountiful basket of quince can be seen on the table.]]

The term Quince Diplomacy lies in the use of the city of Touxian as a venue to host visiting dignitaries. This predilection from the government can be explained by Touxian's position on the far east of [[Daxia]], its mild and pleasant weather and sunny beaches. The mild climate is perfect for the planting and growth of quince trees and it became a custom to gift foreign visitors with the fruit. President [[National Reconstruction Front (Daxia)|Chi Long Qua]] famously gave the president of [[Huoxia]] an oversized wicker basket full of quince as a parting gift after a summit; this event was memorialized in the painting ''Sharing of the Bounty''. The painting was used as the start of a bizarre propaganda campaign by the [[National Reconstruction Front (Daxia)]] centered on the quince as the ''fruit of peace''. The propaganda of the government made wild claims about consuming the fruit, such as supposed health benefits including that eating it resulted in greater longevity, cerebral growth and a decline in joint problems. Monuments to the fruit of peace were erected in many cities, Touxian itself built the 105 meter tall Quince Monument. Classrooms around the country were gifted quinces encased in resin to use as displays. Artists began fulfilling painting commissions from all levels of government for paintings in the same exact style of ''Sharing of the Bounty''; usually depictions of greater than life dignitaries and with oversized baskets full of quince almost always used as a central prop in these paintings. The style came to be known as '''[[Patriotic Realism]]''' and was adopted as a sort of official art style by the government. As part of the campaign, farmers on the [[Shoubi peninsula]] were forced by the government to dedicate one third of their farmlands to the planting of quince trees, government officials argued that making [[Daxia]] a 'quince power' would bring great economic dividends in the medium and long term. Sharp increases in the prices of fruits and vegetables and economic losses for the farmers due to their much reduced crops sizes forced the government to eventually financially rescue many farmers. The cult of the quince only began to die down in 1986 when a stampede in [[Minxia City]] killed 249 people, they were waiting to enter a supermarket who was selling discounted quince.