Diary of Ming Wei Yu

[Logi]

OOC: And the movement begins.....

August 1, 1918

I've been assigned the mission of convincing the citizens of false China to see the light and join our cause. This is a most ardors undertaking, but I plan to attack it will zeal. With enough determination, even a small family and move two mountains and divert the great river. So I set off for the day to Kowloon Railroad Station. I suppose I'll take the train directly to Nanjing and then travel by carriage to Huai River. I'm going to need some money, but I must be careful to not bring too much.


August 8, 1918

I've arrived in Xiamen and am currently awaiting the train to Wuhan. I'm met a delightful lady as well as made some old business partners. The lady was supposed to travel to Wuhan as well; I've secure against my boredom on the coming trip. My old partners caught me up with their new business ventures. It was most entertaining, especially combined with their fierce nationalism. It was most delightful to see our citizens caring so much about our nation. They told me of business ventures in Taiwan and the success there. It pleased me that they reported many Taiwanese were sympathetic to our cause. I was, however, displeased by the Swiss corruption in the newer generations. Although I perceived from their stories that there was an underlying dislike for the Swiss foreigners I knew this relied on the different in skin color and physical attributes and the continuing influence of the grandparents. I am afraid of the Japanese hold Taiwan and, I project, Hainan, for much longer they will succeed at assimilation where the Swiss have failed. This is most unsettling. However the time for idle chat passed and I had to excuse myself or the train would have left without me.


August 22, 1918
After a gruesome two weeks in the train, I finally arrived in Wuhan. It travel time was somewhat relieved by the presence of a delightful young lady. I shudder to think of traveling to Wuhan a decade ago. I part with the lady and entertain myself for the next two days as I await the train to Nanjing. I have secured my resources for the future, obtaining the guarantee of a well-off family to provide me with provisions such as food and pocket change in the case I need them. I am to write them a letter in such a case. I hope not to need it but it is a necessary precaution. Wuhan has been rebuilt splendidly, I am unable to discern the damages from the last war and the influence of foreigners have night disappeared save from some traders. I am most pleased for that is the position I believe foreigners who refuse to become a citizen of the Republic should have; only as traders. It would be wonderful to recount the details and little anecdotes I have been told but I fear I ramble. Suffice it say that I am on the border between the Lam and Bei peoples. It is most interesting to see the differences in personality of the northerners and southerns and how they come together. It seems to me that the southern man is shorter, wider eyed, quiet in personality, calm in his cunning, and an expert businessmen. I was also tricked out of my money! The northern man contrasts sharply. How shall I say? He is more simple, taller and more muscled in breadth, he speaks thunderous what is on his mind. He is honest, eager, and well-trained in morals, but naive and easy to fool. He is like those in the ancient court pictures, narrowed-eyed. I must register him in my data as the northern man shall be my adversary in the near future.

I am told many stories of the countryside up north and the conditions there but I am out of time. The night falls and I have a journey to make in the morning. The pen must wait another day.

[Desertfox]

OOC Taiwan and Hainan where an independant nation (and part of the Swiss Confederation) untill the 2nd Pacific War. Also the situation with them is analogous to that of OTL Taiwan and China, in that they where Chinese forced to flee from mainland China, and hated the mainland Chinese. Also there are a lot of refugees from Hong Kong and Shangai, and they still remember the 1st Pacific War... 

[Logi]

OOC: Most of Chinese immigrants to Taiwan were from Fuzhou and retained the thinking that they were Chinese. No doubt they disliked the mainland government but they always thought of themselves as Chinese.

[Desertfox]

Oh they think of themselves as Chinese, but they also hate the mainland Chinese with a passion. BTW there was a Republic of China before you came along, unfortunately it was destroyed by those [warning: Swiss propaganda] bloodthirsty rabid fools [end warning] from the Middle Kingdom.

[maddox]

OOC
Desertfox is right. Hanain and Taiwan was mostely populated by exiles from the MK.

In the Nverse II, we had the Eastern Kingdom taking the bulk of theese, but that has changed a lot

[Logi]

OOC: After looking it over I fail to see DF's point. This is the REpublic of China,. not the Middle Kingdom.

[Walter]

BTW there was a Republic of China before you came along

Yeah, a puppet state of the evil Swiss. :)

This is the Republic of China,. not the Middle Kingdom.

Their thoughts could easily be "They're worse than the MK as they are out of control. MK still has order. RRC is chaos" or "Different ideas, same Chinese people, same mess".

Stiil, I think many Taiwanese were sympathetic to your cause... but all that disappeared when the RRC began walking on the wrong path (their mess with Siam and their mess with Indochina), a bloody path that makes the RRC look like the Habsburg of the East.

[Logi]

OOC: Hmm..... not really; perhaps OCC they seem that why but its been 5 year's since they started a war and now two years afterward. They're not going to think the RRC's out of control. You're welcome to think as you please, but I operate on the accounts of people who lived during the Japanese reign over Formosa.

On a side-note I realized I spell the guy's name with an extra n again....

-----------------------------

August 29, 1918

I've arrived in Nanjing, I plan to stay a few days before moving out. I have found a cheap hotel to live it, but I am most displeased at the working and sanitary conditions here. Perhaps I have been spoiled by Hong Kong and Macau? The children take fit whenever to squat down and let loose their waste. There are no sewers here. The adult workers walk about the streets with soot-covered faces. And this is a major city! Perhaps the government needs to look further than southern provinces. So I have written and spent such a letter to the Legislative Assembly. I think I shall stay under the month turns over before leaving. I will have to secure my ride tomorrow.


September 1, 1918

I have secured my form of transportation. A farmer living near Huai River has offered to carry me in his wagon back o the river. Our idle conversation opened my eyes. He praised the Republic for its many actions to aid the farmers. Although the land redistribution has not reached him, he had received a tractor. In addition the Republic had built roads leading to his village. He claimed such had made live easier for him and the other villagers. Having a tractor although him to spend more time on other things like learning to read and writing. It was tough, he told me, but well worth it. The roads had also brought in more business to the village and the he now rarely worried about not being able to see his crops. I was very happy, both from his praise of the Republic and the shear admiration for the Republic's works.

[Walter]

Missed this one...

Also the situation with them is analogous to that of OTL Taiwan and China, in that they where Chinese forced to flee from mainland China, and hated the mainland Chinese.

I see. So that was why the Swiss did not want Hainan and Taiwan to end up in the hands of the Middle Kingdom during the peace talks. Keeping that in mind as well as the fact that the RRC has been around for a mere 5 years, I think that the citizens of Taiwan and Hainan trust the RRC as much as the MK, maybe even less. To them it really is a matter of "Same Chinese, different label" and the RRC actions against Siam and Indochina did not really help improve their image.

You're welcome to think as you please, but I operate on the accounts of people who lived during the Japanese reign over Formosa.

As I see it, the situation here in Navalism is different from the RL situation. You can't really apply those RL accounts to Navalism when the Japan here is so much different from RL Japan.

On a side-note I realized I spell the guy's name with an extra n again....

Maybe you should just use 'Yun' instead of 'Yu'. That way You'd be forgetting the 'n' every time so the name then comes out the way you want it right now. :)

[Logi]

I see. So that was why the Swiss did not want Hainan and Taiwan to end up in the hands of the Middle Kingdom during the peace talks. Keeping that in mind as well as the fact that the RRC has been around for a mere 5 years, I think that the citizens of Taiwan and Hainan trust the RRC as much as the MK, maybe even less. To them it really is a matter of "Same Chinese, different label" and the RRC actions against Siam and Indochina did not really help improve their image.

Unlikely, I draw from historic altitudes in China towards the 1911 rebellions in South China, even with two more wars that last only a month each; the opinion was generally positive.

As I see it, the situation here in Navalism is different from the RL situation. You can't really apply those RL accounts to Navalism when the Japan here is so much different from RL Japan.

I know I am not using it word for word. I use it to see what is a realistic response to certain actions in the N-Verse.

[Walter]

Unlikely, I draw from historic altitudes in China towards the 1911 rebellions in South China, even with two more wars that last only a month each; the opinion was generally positive.

Maybe it applies to OTL history, but it does not apply here as the Navalism situation was and is different.

Also as DF pointed out, they hated the mainland Chinese (I also think fear and distrust apply). Do you think that would change in the few years that lead up to the breakup of the MK? I don't think so. Do you really think the RRC can in the next years that it exists help make that hate, fear and distrust just fade away? I doubt that. I think it takes longer than that.

As I said, to them it really is a matter of "Same Chinese, different label".

[Logi]

OOC: Maybe I can't hammer it into you, but what you believe is not how people reacted to things IRL, not the specific situation but by the general situation. By talking accounts for all sort of situations and piecing them together where the situation fits N-Verse we can see what a realistic reaction would be.

During the rebellions the Manchus were not thought of not as Chinese so  "same" Chinese doesn't really apply. The Taiwanese hated the mainlanders, but not the Fuzhou. They spoke the same dialect, had the same culture. They believed they were Taiwanese and Min Lam. The Taiwanese did not fear the mainlanders anymore than they feared rat in their houses. They disliked them vehemently but it was not something to fear. Furthermore the thing they dislike was the the people but the government.

The Manchus despite claims of their being assimilated into China's culture were considered very much foreigners in the south. "Same Chinese, different label" does not apply as the Manchus were, to both the Fuzhou-nese and the Cantonese , foreigners. The reason why there were no revolts under that the Opium Wars OTL was the fact that they had their needs satisfied so they didn't feel the need to revolt. But the Chinese , especially the further away from the Imperial Palace,  still disliked the "foreigners rule". Now the RRC in n-Verse is a government led by the true Chinese, not the Manchus. Although the Taiwanese would still be somewhat unfriendly towards the Cantonese, they wold be more accepting of the Chinese rule in the Republic. This is especially helped by the relatively short periods of time under foreign rule.

Talking with Taiwnese and older Taiwanese has yielded this: They hate the mainland Chinese due to the cruel Kuomingtang rule; but they felt connected to the Fuzhou-nese (the very old),  but the generation from WW2 claimed to be Japanese as a result of a quite successful assimilation program by Japan. There's the gold; the Taiwanese, before long foreign occuption thought of themselves as Fuzhou-nese (Min Nam).

I can't convince you, but try talking with someone from those places at those eras ask them about various things on that time period and then pop them with what they think of the N-Verse scenario; the answer will be very close to mine.

-----------------

September 2, 1918

We set off from Nanjing at sunrise and reached his village (Xuyi County really) at sun set. He nicely offered me a place to stay for the night; I accepted. The seafood cuisine was delectable, especially the crayfish. The village looked out over Lake Hongze, it was magnificent.


September 3, 1918

The day broke and I got to work. After thanking my hosts for their welcome, I set off. I offered to help them in their harvest but this adamantly refused. Perhaps the countryside life has struck a chord in me. I asked around for a port or pier; I was directed to one. Luckily for me, I found what I wished to find, a barge. I talked to the Captain on the possibility of me traveling on the Barge in exchange for work or some small pay. The Captain refused my payment and told me he was short on hands so some work would be fine. After some talking it appeared the Captain grew to have great faith in me and appointed me the role of running the ship on the other shift, whilst he slept. I can not say whether the move was gracious or naive, but I accepted regardless. He told me the barge would be traveling down Huai River and then taking a tributaries to Fuyang to sell some goods. We might make other stops along the way. We would set off tomorrow.


September 5, 1918

We took a break at Bengbu where the captain haggled and sold his load of crayfish. Me and the other few crew members were given the day off. I looked around the city and managed to buy a map of the local region. It's become my new hobby, buying and drawing detailed maps. The Captain often comments on my maps and points out any mistakes I make on the local region. I finish the day off with a taste of the famed Yanhuai cuisine.


September 6, 1918

We set off again, the Captain has filled the barge with a few Bengbu pearls, some textiles, many crates of rice, and some other goods. After, I believe, two hours, we arrived at a major fork in the river. I pointed towards the northern flow but the Captain corrects me, saying we are to stop at Shou County first. We head south.


September 7, 1918

We've arrived in Shou County. The Captain has unloaded some common goods as well as a few of the many crates of rice. In return the Captain has loaded the so-famous Shou pottery. Whilst this was done, I excused myself and explored the old town. The local populace was very friendly and less so influenced by the Republic's rule than the other places. Although I was but a stranger they offered for me to try my hand at pottery making. It did not come out as well as a professional's work but it was good enough. I went to mail to my home in Kowloon. When I told them I came from Kowloon, they were at first confused; I told them I came from the island south of Guangzhou. Guangzhou, at least, they recognized. They asked me how long it had taken me to travel up here, I told them it had taken me only one month, they were duly surprised. How marvelous, they exclaimed, from that far away to here in the span of one month? I smiled and told them the new railroads of the Republic had made traveling so much easier, they were impressed.


September 8, 1918

We set off from Shou County at noon and arrived at Fuyang by nightfall. There the Catain unloaded all his goods and paid his crew. He told the crew they had shore leave for a week before they made the return trip. He bid me goodbye. Fuyang... I believe, is only a few ten miles from the border. I will rest for the next few days and then set out.

[Walter]

The reason you can't convince me is because everything you mention may apply to real life but it just does not apply to Navalism as the situation is too different here.

Edit: ... on second thought, that last bit you mentioned may have happened when the two islands were part of New Switzerland. So if they think they're anything, they'll think that they are Swiss. Before the Swiss came, they might have thought themselves to be Fuzhou-nese, but right now they consider themselves to be Swiss.

[Logi]

The way humans react to situations do not change based on where they are. Liekwise my argument stands.

[Sachmle]

The way humans react to situations do not change based on where they are. Liekwise my argument stands.

It has NOTHING to do with WHERE they are, it has EVERYTHING to do with HISTORY BEING DIFFERENT. What happened IRL to the folks on Taiwan DIDN'T HAPPEN HERE. Also, the "MY ARGUMENT STANDS" crap is getting old. IF you choose not to listen to those that have been here A LOT longer than you, that is your choice. Stating that they are wrong simply because you don't like their argument and counter arguing w/ items that didn't occur or happened differently does NOT make you right. It makes you ignorant. Please don't be ignorant Logi, you're too young to be that way. You must be open minded. Things here happened differently because different people were in different places at different times making different choices. As to Taiwan, China, Swiss, ect.. I'd recommend defaulting to Walter, Desertfox, and Phoenix for the Nverse HISTORY so you can then use your personality dynamic and 'real life information' to mold that info to accurately reflect what is going on HERE. Then write your story based on Nverse FACT, not RL interjection. There...my 2cents..though I'm sure you won't listen anyway.