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Tinto Maps #23 - 18th of October 2024 - China

Hello, and welcome to another week of Tinto’s fun Maps. This week it will be a huge one, as we will take a look at the entirety of China. It is a really big area, but it didn’t make sense to split it into multiple parts to present it separately, so we are showing it all at once. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Countries
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Obviously the territory is dominated by Yuán, with Dali as its vassal. They appear big, strong, and scary, but they will have their own fair share of problems for sure. I will not go into detail into the countries that can be seen further south, as we will talk about Southeast Asia in a future Tinto Maps.

Societies of Pops
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Quite a variety of peoples in Southwest China, as you will see later in the culture maps.

Dynasties
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Here we finally have managed to catch the full name of the Borjigin dynasty in all its glory.

Locations
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Before you ask, there are around 1800 locations in China proper, not counting impassables and barring possible counting errors.

Provinces
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Areas
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Terrain
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You will notice here that there are few locations assigned as "farmlands", that's because when we did this part of the map there was yet not a clear criteria on how we would be defining the farmlands and their placement here hasn't been reviewed yet.

Development
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As mentioned before, the harsh changes of development at the end of China proper is probably too strong right now and it’s something that will have to be reviewed, especially at the Liáodōng area.

Natural Harbors
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Cultures
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There is a lot of cultural variation in China, not only among the sinitic peoples (which have been divided according to their linguistical and dialectal differences) but also having many other types of non-sinitic peoples. The resulting pie chart for the cultures of the country is a wonder to see indeed. And even if Yuán itself is Mongolian, there are actually very few Mongolian people in the country, as only the ruling class would belong to it. That is one other source of further trouble for Yuán.

Religions
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Considering religion, there is also a lot of variation in the South West, and one thing you will notice is the clear lack of “Animism”. We have finally eliminated Animism as a religion from the game and have divided it into many multiple ones. Besides this, and some Muslim presence in some areas, there are other small pockets of religions that do not get to appear in the map, like Manichaeism, Nestorianism, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. And the elephant in the room is the Mahayana, that we have already mentioned that we have plans on dividing it, but more on it at the end.

Raw Materials
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A very resource rich region, which makes it understandable that China was able to basically be self-sufficient in terms of resources for long periods in history, and with many sources of highly appreciated resources like silk, tea, and even soybeans. Another interesting thing is the division on the preference of grain cultivation, with rice being more prominent in the south while the north tends to favor wheat and sturdy grains (millet, basically).

Markets
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Population
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Yes, there’s a lot of population in China, and with that many people and that many resources it obviously has a lot of potential. We have been following population census of 1351 and 1393, which allows us to have the most accurate values we can have.

Now, before closing off, let me turn back once again to the subject of religion, as it has already been pointed out that having a single Mahayana religion covering both China and Tibet (and parts of India) may not be the best both for accuracy and gameplay reasons, and we basically agree with it so we are planning on reworking a bit but it hasn’t been done in time for this Tinto Maps. However, as we are aware that you are not able to provide proper feedback unless we present you something, let me now share with you what are our plans with it. Please keep in mind that I will NOT go into details about their mechanics, and only talk about their distribution.

First of all, Tibetan Buddhism will be split and turned into its own religion. Although it “technically” is part of the Mahayana branch, it is true that its practices have distinguished it from Chinese Buddhism enough to represent it as its own religion, starting from the fact that they do not follow the same canon. The Mahayana that was present in India was already an outlier from start, so it will be made into its own religion.

That leaves out that the current “Mahayana” remaining in game will be Chinese Buddhism, that is, those following the Chinese Buddhist canon, and it will be present in China, Korea, and Vietnam. The question remains on what to call the religion, and several things have to be considered for that:

  1. The religion will already include blended into it Confucianism and Daoism besides Buddhism, so all three religions are included. That means it can’t be named either Confucianism or Daoism, as they have been bundled in. Buddhism was taken as the base name because, from the three, it was considered as the one mostly oriented towards the “religious” (Confucianism being more focused on administration and Daoism on rituals), and the most similar to what an organized religion would be outside of China.
    1. As a subpoint on that, and I can’t go into details for it yet, but there will also be options inside it to favor Buddhism over Confucianism or the opposite, so that is already covered too.
  2. As mentioned, it will be present not only in China but also in Korea and Vietnam (and any other country that may convert too, like for example Japan), so naming it something that’s too intrinsic to Chinese identity would not be ideal. That would mean that a term like Sānjiào, although good, would feel a bit out of place when playing for example as Korea (we know that the concept spread there too, but it was more prominent inside China and regardless having the name be directly in Chinese would be the main issue when playing outside China)

So, for now, the current name we are considering for the religion is directly “Chinese Buddhism”, or even leaving it as “Mahayana”, understanding that the main current of Mahayana is the version following the Chinese canon anyway. But feel free to suggest any alternative naming if you feel that there may be a better option we haven’t thought of, as long as it takes into consideration the previous points. And of course, let us know your feedback on the proposed representation and distribution too.

And that’s it for today, after a bit longer closing than usual. Next week we’ll be back a bit further east, taking a look at Korea and Japan. Hope to see you there!
 
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I have made a comment in this thread before but I will reiterate: I don't think it makes sense to eschew Sanjiao because it's a Chinese word. Kongo can convert to Catholic and no one bats an eye. A Japan converting to Catholic wouldn't feel out of place; hell, if the religion were called Catholicus it wouldn't feel weird (although pedantic). A nation neighboring China, whose history/culture is for better or worse deeply tied with China, would not look weird in adopting a religion with a Chinese name. What *would* be weird is if the religion was monolithic to the point they played the same in Korea, China and Vietnam, but it seems it will not be the case regardless.
The difficulty with the term Sanjiao is not that it's a Chinese word. For instance, Mandarin for Mahayana is Dàchéng 大乘. I think this would be fine for the Eastern Mahayana in the game. Sanjiao specifically refers to the harmonious practice of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The first two are practiced in Japan and Korea as well, but Taoism was only really practiced in China. Japan has a similar balance of Buddhism, Confucianism and Shinto, and Korean traditionally has a form of Shamanism alongside Buddhism and Confucianism. Even this vastly oversimplifies the matter; rather than parallel practice of 3 religions, it could be seen as religious practice drawing from three distinct traditions, as well as other folk sources. All that being said, Sanjiao could not be used to label religious practice in Japan or Korea, due to its specific reference to Taoism.

I really hope EUV is able to capture these complexities, as I believe the relevant prominence of these religious factors played important historical rolls. There are countless Christian denominations in the game, and I would love to see a large eastern religion group with religions like Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Korean Shamanism, etc, as well as (to fit the game engine) religion labels like Sanjiao or perhaps Chinese Buddhism to reflect certain combinations of these in syncretism. (A system allowing for true, dynamic syncretism would be amazing, but may be impossible to code while failing to capture the flavor of regions like China.) Sanjiao could view Mahayana buddhism as non-heretic for tolerance purposes, for example.
 
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Also, another reminder, we are not looking for names of counties but the names of the seats. We want locations to be named after locations not after areas as it was in EU4.
Actually, in Chinese maps, the names beside the dots are usually the names of the highest level administration present in that location. So instead of the name of the seat, it is actually the name of the county. In present day China, a lot of counties simply have 城关镇(city-center town) as a placeholder name for the town hosting the seat of the county, because usually that town is simply referred to as the county. So a county name would usually refer to both the seat-hosting town as well as the whole area, although technically the town may have a different name that is never used. It is also true administratively, as the officials of the county-level administration automatically gains the responsibilities for the hosting town, without another level of administration, except for places populated by minority groups.
To conclude, if counties in China are named after hosting towns in a doctrinaire manner, we'd have 1000 locations all called 城关镇. So although you may think you are looking for the names of the seats, what you thought of as the names of the seats may well be the names of the counties.
 
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If you're gonna leave China, Korea, and Vietnam Buddhist, you'd better make Japan Buddhist too. Shinto wasn't a separate religion until late 19th century when it was separated for political reasons, and even after that I wouldn't say its really a religion.
In fact, for what I've read of chinese and japanese history around these centuries, Japan seemed to be way more influenced by Buddhism than China. IDK about Korea and Vietnam, though, sadly.
 
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The difficulty with the term Sanjiao is not that it's a Chinese word. For instance, Mandarin for Mahayana is Dàchéng 大乘. I think this would be fine for the Eastern Mahayana in the game. Sanjiao specifically refers to the harmonious practice of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The first two are practiced in Japan and Korea as well, but Taoism was only really practiced in China. Japan has a similar balance of Buddhism, Confucianism and Shinto, and Korean traditionally has a form of Shamanism alongside Buddhism and Confucianism. Even this vastly oversimplifies the matter; rather than parallel practice of 3 religions, it could be seen as religious practice drawing from three distinct traditions, as well as other folk sources. All that being said, Sanjiao could not be used to label religious practice in Japan or Korea, due to its specific reference to Taoism.

I really hope EUV is able to capture these complexities, as I believe the relevant prominence of these religious factors played important historical rolls. There are countless Christian denominations in the game, and I would love to see a large eastern religion group with religions like Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Korean Shamanism, etc, as well as (to fit the game engine) religion labels like Sanjiao or perhaps Chinese Buddhism to reflect certain combinations of these in syncretism. (A system allowing for true, dynamic syncretism would be amazing, but may be impossible to code while failing to capture the flavor of regions like China.) Sanjiao could view Mahayana buddhism as non-heretic for tolerance purposes, for example.
We already know that Japan is Shinto religion from the first religion map we got way back. So it's not included under Mahayana as it is currently implemented regardless.
 
@Roger Corominas I don't know if it is up to you to decide this, but since this is the dev diary for China I'll put this here
Screenshot_20241019_164927_Chrome.jpg
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I think this silver banner with 3 red moons here is more suited to be used as the Yuan flag than the "classic" Mongolian one, even though there is no evidence that either the Emperor or its governament ever used it(infact it is theorized by many that this flag was used by a muslim khanate of the region) but it is used in the Catalan atlas to indicate all major Chinese cities including Beijing plus considering that this is the closest thing to a western style flag for China of this era we have and that all the other Mongol successor states use flags from the Catalan atlas as well it would make sense to use this one as a flag for Yuan.

P.s. Another important fact about this flag is that this is where the "classic" Timurid flag comes from, as it is a wrong interpretation of an aged up version of this flag from the Catalan atlas
Screenshot_20241019_172544_Chrome.jpg
 
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显然,我们需要更接近当前的海岸线。这意味着您可以在新的 Impact Plains 中发展您的城市,而游戏是关于模拟所有可能性的
I support this statement. The newly emerged saline alkali mudflats have replaced the old coastline and developed salt drying and fishing industries, despite the relative poverty and loss of good ports in these counties。
And using languages other than English on this forum will result in a warning unless under special circumstances. I guess you forgot to turn off the translation function of the webpage when replying (I have also encountered this situation)
 
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Shanghai is the most developed city in China, and I'm not drawing it randomly, but historically, it has a large population, a heavy tax burden, and a denser location to help manage it
Shanghai is the most developed in modern times, but it was not as developed in ancient times compared to other surrounding areas. I think Shanghai should not be divided too finely, but should maintain a similar density as other places.
 
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Proposal for Han Cultures:

Before I begin this post, I would like to personally state that I think the Han Chinese should be represented as one single culture, as the common identity of Han people is very ancient and crucial to the historical behaviour of China.

However, in the culture maps shown so far, one thing has been proven, the devs are in favour of splitting cultures to a fairly granular level. German and French dialects each are broken into multiple cultures, Ruthenia has gained many cultures, and the Persians, despite only speaking one language, have three cultures. Therefore, I advocate for the game to adopt a principle of CONSISTENCY, China should be treated equally to Europe. In this regard, the current culture map is massively inadequate. One of the main features of China is the diversity of its language and culture. Each European dialect gets to be a culture, and China has hundreds of dialects, so there should be many cultures.

Additionally, I would argue that if we are to divide up the Han culture at all, a fairly granular approach is the best. The reason for this is that the recognisable "groups" that one often sees on linguistic maps of China and which form the present basis for Han cultures in the game, were created by linguists in the late 20th century and have dubious historical meaning. Each top level group contains multiple speeches that are mutually unintelligible. How can a person from Wenzhou and a person from Suzhou be considered one and the same culture if they can't understand each other if they speak in their local dialect, while meanwhile, people from Hanover and Brandenburg in Germany are different cultures even though they can easily understand each other if they speak in their local dialects? I think this must be rectified.

View attachment 1204097

NOTICE: This map is ABSOLUTELY NOT supposed to illustrate which regions are ethnically Han as opposed to other ethnicities. It is also NOT a map of exactly where Han people are found. Many of the locations on this map that are coloured in might very well have absolutely no Han people in them at all (it's also possible that there might be Han people outside the coloured regions, but I would expect such communities to be military colonists and therefore their culture could be anything). Its EXCLUSIVE PURPOSE is to illustrate where the borders between the sub-cultures are, and what culture I would expect any Han pops in a location, if they exist, to be.

Format: I will provide each culture's name in Han characters, Standard Chinese pinyin, and then the closest approximation of what the local pronunciation might be that I could find, with the dialect it is in in parentheses. The parentheses DO NOT indicate the dialect spoken by the people, only the dialect that the name for them that's given is in).

Wu group:
In this period, which is before the upheaval and crisis of the Red Turban rebellion, speakers of Wu dialects occupied a greater territory than they do today, although I believe most of the modern day Wu communities north of the river did not form yet. The Xuanzhou dialect especially was damaged and used to be spoken in a wider area than it is today.
Each one of the Wu cultures here represents groups that today have great difficulty communicating with each other. The Wu and Yue groups are the closest to each other, and Yue could maybe be folded into Wu, but from what I read, their dialects were referred to with different names.

吴 / Wú / Ghou (Suzhou)
越 / Yuè / Ɦyə (Hangzhou)
宣州 / Xuānzhōu / Xitseu (Shanghai). Could also simply be called Xuān
婺州 / Wùzhōu / Vutseu (Shanghai). Could also simply be called Wù
衢州 / Qúzhōu / Jiutseu (Shanghai). Could also simply be called Qú
滁州 / Chúzhōu / Zytseu (Shanghai). Could also simply be called Chú
江山 / Jiāngshān / Ciaonsan (Jinhua)
台州 / Táizhōu / Thecieu (Taizhou). Could also simply be called Tái
瓯海 / Ōuhǎi / Auchiou (Wenzhou). Could also be called 东瓯 / Dōng'ōu / Tong'au, or just Ōu / Au

Huizhou group:
This is a great example of how arbitrary the dialect groups are. It's actually considered unlikely that the Huizhou dialects really have a common origin, they were grouped together because they are all spoken in the same region and don't belong to any other group. They are all incomprehensible to each other.

绩溪 / Jìxī / Jiecii (Jixi)
屯溪 / Túnxī / local pronunciation might be something like *Dencii?
祁婺 / Qíwù / local pronunciation might be something like *Wuxi?

Min group:
Min is another example of a dialect group that contains many totally incomprehensible varieties. This group in particular might be the most extreme example of that, which is caused by its being the oldest dialect group to diverge from all the others.
Today, Northern Min and Central Min are incomprehensible and in fact Central Min contains several incomprehensible speeches within itself, but from what I have read, the development of these differences might postdate the 14th century and the dialect of Jianning had prestige status back then and could be understood throughout inland Fujian
My decision to separate Fuzhou and Funing from each other could be argued with, personally I would prefer to have them be separate, but they could be merged into a single 闽北 / Mǐnběi / Mìngbáe̤k culture
Additionally, the migration that brought Southern Min speakers into eastern Guangdong and led to the formation of the Chaozhou and Fulao dialects, is quite recent, and the migrants did not come from a single area, so it could be argued that these people shouldn't be considered distinct from the Minnan people yet. However I have decided to show them as separate cultures because they should definitely become separate later on. It is much like the conundrum with Greenlandic and Icelandic.

福州 / Fúzhōu / Hókciŭ (Fuzhou)
福宁 / Fúníng / Hóknìng (Fuzhou). Could also be called 闽东 / Mǐndōng / Mìngdĕ̤ng
兴化 / Xīnghuà / Hinghua̍ (Xinghua)
闽南 / Mǐnnán / Bànlâm (Minnan). Could also be called 泉漳 / Quánzhāng / Choânchiang, or perhaps even 福建 / Fújiàn / Hokkiàn (this last name is the one most familiar to English speakers but is mostly used by Overseas Chinese, and not much within China itself, because this toponym refers to a whole province that also includes four of the other Min dialects listed here)
潮州 / Cháozhōu / Diêziu (Chaoshan)
福佬 / Fúlǎo / Hôkló (Minnan). This name might be slightly confusing since it technically can be used to refer to any Southern Min group, it is just specifically associated with this subgroup. They could also be called 海丰话 / Hǎilùfēng / Háilio̍khong
东 / Dòng / Tang (Minnan). This name can be used to refer to other groups though, its more common modern name is 雷州 / Léizhōu / Luitsiú
琼 / Qióng / Kheng (Hainan). Also known as 海南 / Hǎinán / Háinâm, but 琼 was more common in the past
村话 / Cūnhuà / Chhun'ōe (Minnan). Today these people are called "Zhongshan Min", but the region was named Zhongshan in honour of Sun Yat-sen (Zhongshan is Standard Chinese, Yat-sen is Cantonese), so it can't be used.
建宁 / Jiànníng / Gṳ̿ingnǎing (Jian'ou). Today equivalent to Inland Min

Yue group:
Another group that contains a lot of incomprehensible varieties. Historically, Yue proper (i.e. Cantonese) was only spoken in the immediate vicinity of Guangzhou, but in the past few centuries, Yue people have migrated to upper reaches of the Pearl River valley, and as a result there are large communities of people in Guangxi today who speak dialects comprehensible with Cantonese, which wouldn't have been the case in 1337. There is one culture I have included named "Wuzhou", today Wuzhou is a Cantonese-speaking city, but in the 14th century this city and the region around it would have all spoken dialects of the Goulou group.
I made the decision to split off Guanbao and Shiqi from Cantonese, but this is a matter of my opinion, and I'm not totally sure.
Even though this might seem like a lot of cultures, all of these historically would have serious difficulty communicating and might not be able to communicate with each other at all

粵海 / Yuèhǎi / Jyuthoi (Guangzhou). If the Yue dialect in Zhejiang is eliminated, the name could be shortened to just 粵 / Yuè / Jyut. It could also be called 广州 / Guǎngzhōu / Gwongzau, 番禺 / Pānyú / Punjyu, or by the English word "Cantonese".
石岐 / Shíqí / Sekkei (Guangzhou). Could also be called 香山 / Xiāngshān / Hoengsaan
莞宝 / Guǎnbǎo / Gunbou (Guangzhou)
新会 / Xīnhuì / Ilhinvoi (Taishan). Today these people are called "Taishanese", but that name did not exist until 1914.
麻佬 / Málǎo / Maalou (Guangzhou). Could also be called 欽廉 / Qīnlián / Hamlim
化州 / Huàzhōu / Faazau (Guangzhou)
高州 / Gāozhōu / Gouzau (Guangzhou)
吴川 / Wúchuān / Ngcyun (Guangzhou)
阳江 / Yángjiāng / Joenggong (Guangzhou)
广信 / Guǎngxìn / Gwongseon (Guangzhou). Could also be called 梧州 / Wúzhōu / Ngzau
土白 / Tǔbái / Toupak (Guangzhou). Equivalent to the Guigang dialect, but that name isn't any older than 1988
郁林 / Yùlín / Uatlam (Yulin)

Ping group:
Sometimes considered part of the Yue group. This is really a pair of dialects, which are very distinct from each other in addition to the Yue group. In modern times, Yue expansion into Guangxi has influenced Ping significantly, creating hybrid dialects, but this situation postdates the 14th century.

桂北 / Guìběi / Gwaibak (Guangzhou). Could also be referred to as "North Gui".
桂南 / Guìnán / Gwainaam (Guangzhou). Could also be referred to as "South Gui".

Miscellaneous southern dialects:
These dialects, found on Hainan island, don't fit well into any groups.

儋州 Dānzhōu / Daamzau (Guangzhou)
迈 Mài / Mai (Mai)

Gan group:
The Gan dialect group has less internal variation than many others, so I have decided to consider it as a single culture. The area inhabited by Gan people is larger today than it is in my map. This is because during the Red Turban Rebellion, many people in neigbouring provinces died due to the upheaval, and Gan people migrated into Hunan, Anhui, and Fujian. A hybrid Gan-Min dialect exists in Fujian today because of this. I believe that in the 14th century, the Gan people inhabited more of Hubei than they do today, but were later assimilated.
The Kejia people (typically referred to by their endonym Hakka in English) speak a relatively similar dialect to Gan, although this is no grounds for merging them together. It should be noted that in the modern day, there are Kejia communities scattered all over southern China, but in the 14th century, many of the Kejia migrations have not yet occurred.
Within the Kejia dialect group, there is a group who live along the East River in Guangdong who consider the Kejia people to be different from themselves. I have decided to make these people a pair of distinct cultures, even though their speech is technically within the Kejia group. The Shé culture is NOT to be confused with the Shē culture, a non-Han ethnic minority of southeastern China some of whom also live in the East River valley. Today the East River valley is inhabited by many Kejia proper people, but this is a result of a Ming-era second wave of migration.

贛 / Gàn / Gon (Gan)
客家 / Kèjiā / Hakka (Kejia)
蛇 / Shé / Sha (Hailu Kejia)
惠州 / Huìzhōu / Fichû (Taiwanese Kejia)

Xiang group:
The two main divisions of Xiang are New Xiang (which is more similar to Mandarin) and Old Xiang (which has more plesiomorphic differences). It's actually unclear if these dialects have a common origin, and they have a great difficulty in communicating. New Xiang is occasionally considered a Mandarin dialect instead of being grouped with the others, although it would be a very divergent one. There are also some other Xiang dialects that do not fit into the dichotomy, including the Hengzhou dialect, which in particular is quite difficult for other speakers to understand. The Xiang are often called "Hunanese".
The Waxiang people are arguably not Han Chinese, I have included them here since their speech is often considered to belong within the Xiang group.

新湘 / Xīnxiāng / Sinsian (Changsha), or "New Xiang". Could also be called 北湘 / Běixiāng / Besian or "North Xiang".
湘 / Lǎoxiāng / Lausian (Changsha), or "Old Xiang". Could also be called 南湘 / Nánxiāng / Lansian or "South Xiang".
湘西 / Xiāngxī / Sianxi (Changsha), or "West Xiang". Its technical name is 吉漵 / Jíxù / Jisi, but I considered this to feel too modern and arbitrary.
永州 / Yǒngzhōu / Ynzhou (Changsha). Could also be called 南湘 / Nánxiāng / Lansian or "South Xiang".
衡州 / Héngzhōu / Henzhou (Changsha)
瓦乡 / Wǎxiāng / Huaxiong (Waxiang)

Old Sichuanese:
Today people in Sichuan speak various dialects of Mandarin Chinese, but in the 14th century they would have spoken a very ancient and divergent dialect of Chinese. Between the beginning of the Ming dynasty and the beginning of the Qing dynasty, this dialect declined and was absorbed and eventually entirely replaced by Mandarin, due to the region being devastated by warfare and then subsequently repopulated by waves of migrants from the Middle Yangtze Plain. Because this has not happened yet, it is anachronistic for Sichuan to share a culture with Hubei.
Though note this as well, famously, Sichuan historically has been very isolated from the rest of China (蜀道之難難於上青天) and has a strong cultural identity even today, so even if the game was set after the extinction of Old Sichuanese, I would still advocate for Sichuan culture to be its own thing.
I personally consider it likely that Old Sichuanese, due to its long history, had incomprehensible dialects of its own, but it seems that because the language is very poorly recorded, there is no evidence either way. One particular plausible place such a dialect could be would be the Han River Valley in Southern Shaanxi, which as far as I can tell had a common linguistic fate with Sichuan, but is also geographical separated from the Sichuan basin proper. But this is speculation. If it was added to the game, this culture could be called "Hànzhōng".

蜀 / Shǔ / Su (Chengdu). Could also be called 巴蜀 / Bāshǔ / Basu. It could also be anglicised to "Sichuanese".

Yangtze Mandarin:
Southwestern Mandarin and Jianghuai Mandarin, especially their traditional forms, are actually quite different from northern varieties and sometimes considered distinct top-level groupings. During the Ming dynasty, a predecessor of modern Mandarin originating from Nanjing was the equivalent of modern Standard Chinese, being the national prestige dialect and official speech. In fact it is this speech which was the original speech referred to as "Mandarin". On the other hand, the modern Nanjing dialect is more similar to the Beijing dialect than it is to classical Mandarin, and has some characteristic traits of its own that are shared with neither, such as n merging with l (so Nanjing turns into "Lanjin"). As such, from this point on I will dispense with providing a "local" pronunciation in addition to the Standard Chinese one.
Jianghuai and Southwestern Mandarin seem to, as far as I can tell, have diverged from each other relatively soon before the game start date, or possibly a short while after. Southwestern Mandarin itself doesn't really even exist yet in a certain sense, because nearly all of the present-day diversity of this group originates from Hongwu's colonisation of the southwest, and then the later Qing colonisation of the southwest. This would transform it from a handful of speeches found in northern Huguang to a vast dialect family of 260 million people inhabiting 12 provinces.

江淮 / Jiānghuái
泰州 / Tàizhōu. Could also maybe be called 通泰 / Tōngtài
楚 / Chǔ
常德 / Chángdé

Northern Mandarin:
I personally strongly advocate that Zhongyuan shouldn't extend into Shaanxi. Instead, a new culture named Qin or maybe Qinlong should exist there. Even today the Shaanxi-Gansu-Shanxi dialects are a bit distinct from the Zhongyuan dialects proper and similar to each other, and the historical differences between these regions should be respected. Huaihai a distinct culture as well, although this is more subjective.
It's kind of funny for Jiaoliao to be called that, since the "Liao" in its name refers to the fact that in modern times, this dialect is spoken on two peninsulas, the Jiaodong peninsula and the Liaodong peninsula. However, this situation is of recent origin and originates from the Qing dynasty, when many people from Shandong migrated into the depopulated Northeast. The Jiaoliao culture should either be called Jiao, or Jiaodong. It could even maybe be anglicised to "Peninsular", which captures the meaning of the Chinese name while leaving reference to Liaodong ambiguous.
For the same reason, the Beijing culture shouldn't be present in Liaodong either. As for its name, it probably shouldn't be called "Beijing" since the city isn't called that yet. Is current name I personally think is okay as a name since I don't think "Northeastern" came to specifically refer to Guandong until the Qing period. I really don't know what else it could be called, either. Maybe "Yan" or "Ji" although the latter probably should be avoided if we are calling the Hebei-Shandong culture "Jilu".

中原 / Zhōngyuán
淮海 / Huáihǎi
秦 / Qín. Could also be called 秦陇 / Qínlǒng
东北 / Dōngběi, or alternatively 燕 / Yān, or alternatively 蓟 / Jì
河北 / Héběi, 华北 / Huáběi, / 海河 / Hǎihé, / 冀魯 / Jìlǔ (there isn't a super obvious name for this)
晋Jìn

Miscellaneous northern varieties:
Historically, the 14th century is the end of a long period of declining Han Chinese dominance. There are many regions which were colonised by China during the Han and Tang periods that have been under the rule of non-Han dynasties for centuries. However, from what I have read, Chinese populations continued to exist in these regions. None of them exist today, mostly due to warfare and later waves of migration.
This part of my map also contains the most significant "this is not meant to depict the exact extent of ethnically Han regions". I am not saying that Xinjiang is anywhere near as Han as this map would imply, just that there are communities of Chinese there.
The Lan-Yin dialect, which is a culture in the game right now, did not exist prior to the Ming dynasty and Hongwu's colonisation. The old Han inhabitants of Gansu went extinct due to warfare.

辽东 / Liáodōng
涼 / Liáng
西域 / Xīyù
Thank you, very extensive info. We'll take a look at that.
 
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On the topic of religion, I feel like its interesting to keep modern religious studies in mind.


Ignoring the fact that more than half modern Chinese people are not religious (~60%), it appears that 3 out 4 individuals with religious beliefs hold syncretic beliefs (~30% of the total population), with only roughly 10% being "proper" (non-syncretic) followers of a religion. Notably this study does show that there are "true" budhists and "true" daoists in China, although their numbers are fairly small (around 5% for budhists amd 2% for daoists). In a context where irreligion is not as widespread (such as in Project Ceasar) that might have risen to ~12% budhists and ~5% daoists, not huge numbers, but it might still make sense to represent them as religious minorities outside of the syncretic majority (they should ofc be highly tolerated).

Ofc if anyone has better estimates for the period feel free to correct me.
 
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I've noticed some issues with the naming of locations (which others have pointed out in previous replies as well), primarily concerning the use of the name of the county seat (i.e., modern "street (街道)" or "town (镇)" ) for the name of the entire county.

I will first focus on correcting place names mainly in the Sichuan and Guizhou, using historical maps of China from the Ming and Qing dynasties as references, which align with the current base map references. All the name changes I propose are based on the Ming dynasty county-level names or the most historically accurate settlement names.

Specifically, the names might end with "County (县), Office (司), Prefecture (州), or Garrison (卫)," although, in theory, they are of the same administrative level with different functional authorities. Please note that in broader administrative divisions above the county level (i.e., prefecture level), some end with "州," but this "州" is not the same concept as the county-level "州." The suggested names I provided generally do not include generic terms such as "xiàn (县)", "suǒ (所)", "wèi (卫)", etc. However, for county-level "zhōu (州)", I consider the term as part of the proper name to distinguish them from prefecture-level "zhōu (州)".

I've marked all the proposed locations on the map using corresponding numbers. I've also provided both their current names and the suggested new names for easier reference and modification.

1. Pítǒng is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is (郫县).
2. Zhào is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Jīntáng (金堂).
3. Tiānpéng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Péng (彭县).
4. Guànzhōu, though it has a county or prefecture-level name, was downgraded to a county in the Ming dynasty, so the county-level name should be Guàn (灌县).
5. Chóngyáng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Chóngqìngzhōu (崇庆州).
6. Jìnyuán is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Dàyì (大邑县).
7. Fāngtíng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Shífāng (什邡县).
8. Ānchāng is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Ān (安县).
9. Yúnxī is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Yántíng (盐亭县).
10. Tàihéī is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Shèhóng (射洪县).
11. Chìchéng is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Péngxī (蓬溪县).
12. Yuèyáng is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Ānyuè (安岳县).
13. Chónglóng is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is (资县).
14. Yánlíng is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Wēiyuǎn (威远县).
15. Wénlín is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Rénshòu (仁寿县).
16. Fèngmíng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Péngshān (彭山县).
17. I can’t clearly read what is written here, but based on the spelling, it seems incorrect. The Ming dynasty county-level name is Qīngshén (青神县).
18. Yánchéng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Jǐngyán (井研县).
19. Yùjīn is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Qiánwéi (犍为县).
20. Mùxī is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Mùchuān (沐川司).
21. Mǎhú’s location is incorrect. This location did not have an administrative designation in the Ming dynasty. I suggest merging it with the western part of #22 and renaming it Píngyí (平彝司).
22. The name is fine, but its boundaries should be adjusted in coordination with #21.
23. Xuānhuà’s location is incorrect, and the county was abolished after 1373. The name that fits this location better is Yíbīn (宜宾县).
24. Bǎixī is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Qìngfú (庆符县).
25. Wénjiāng is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Gāozhōu (高州).
26. Xùyáng is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Róng (荣县).
27. Ānfù is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Nàxī (纳溪县).
28. Xùyǒng did not become the name of this area until the Republic of China period. It is suggested to change it to Yǒngníng (永宁), as the area did not have a county during the Ming dynasty, but was governed by a minority region administrative agency, Yǒngníng Xuānfǔ Sī, and was later changed to a county in the Qing dynasty.
29. Jìnchéng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Xīchōng (西充县).
30. Nánlóng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Nánbù (南部县).
31. Jīnchéng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Yílǒng (仪陇县).
32. Chéngshǒu is the name of a town, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Yíngshān (营山县).
33. Zhōukǒu is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Péngzhōu (蓬州).
34. Huáyíng did not become a county-level division until 1978. It was first established in the Qing dynasty as Zīmǎ (资马乡). If the idea is not to merge it with other places, the best approach is to change it to Zīmǎ, even though it is not county-level.
35. Nónghuí is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Guǎngānzhōu (广安州).
36. Lúyáng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Lúshān (芦山县).
37. Héshān is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Pújiāng (蒲江县).
38. Méngyáng is the name of a street, while the Ming dynasty county-level name is Míngshān (名山县).
39. Chéngxiāng is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, no county was established in this area. Instead, a minority governance agency called Tiānquán (天全六番招讨司) was set up. In 1913, the area was made a county.
40. Yíngjīng is a misreading caused by confusion between two similarly written characters (荣-荥), leading to this modern name. In the Ming dynasty, it was called Róngjīng (荣经县).
41. Fùlín is the name of a town, and in the Ming dynasty, no county was established in this area either. Instead, a minority governance agency called Lízhōu Ānfǔ Sī (黎州安抚司) was set up. It is suggested to rename it to Lízhōu (黎州).
42. Xīnmián is the name of a street, and it did not become a county until 1951. It is suggested that the southern part of #41 be included and renamed Shàijīngguān. This is a Ming dynasty name, though not a county. In the Yi language, it was called Zyt Mop Luo Kuo.
43. Xīnshìbà is the name of a town, and in the Ming dynasty, no county was established in this area. However, a minority governance agency called Zhènxī (镇西后所) was set up nearby. In the Yi language, the name was Jjiepggurx Galo.
44. Yuèchéng is the name of a town, and no county was established in this area during the Ming dynasty. However, a minority governance agency called Yuèxī (越嶲卫) was established. In the Yi language, it was called Vyt Tuo.
45. Guāngmíng is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, this area did not have a county but had an administrative institution for minority areas, Miǎnshānqiáo (冕山桥后所). The Yi language name is Xit Ddop.
46. Chéngxiāng is the name of the town. There was no place name like this in modern times. During the Ming Dynasty, this area did not have a county but had an administrative institution for minority areas nearby, Níngfān (宁番卫). The Yi language name is Mit Yip Rruo Nuo.
47. Bāpǔ is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, this area did not have a county or any administrative institutions. It wasn't until 1952 that Měigū (美姑县) was established here. The modern Yi language name is Moggu.
48. Jǐnchéng is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, this area did not have a county but had an administrative institution for minority areas, Léipō (雷坡司). The Yi language name is Gatlyp Mopbbo.
49. Xīnchéng is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, this area did not have a county or any administrative institutions. It wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty that Zhāojué (昭觉县) was established. The Yi language name is Lipmu Juojjop.
50. Pǔjī is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, this area did not have a county or any administrative institutions. It wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty that Pǔgé (普格寨) emerged. The Yi language name is Pu Jjyt.
51. Dézhōu is the name of the street. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Déchāng (德昌所). The Yi language name is Dep Cha.
52. Huìdōng did not become a county until 1952. There was no administrative unit in the area during the Ming Dynasty, so the name from the Yuan Dynasty, Jiāngzhōu (姜州), would be more appropriate.
53. Huìlǐ was called Huìchuān during the Yuan and Ming periods.
54. Pānlián is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, it was called Míyì (迷易所).
55. Rùnyán is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, Mǎlǎ (马喇司) was nearby.
56. Gǒngquán is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Gǒng (珙县).
57. I can’t read what’s written here clearly, but based on spelling, it seems incorrect. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Xīngwén (兴文县).
58. The location of Wēixìn (威信司) in the Ming Dynasty was further south than modern-day Wēixìn County, so I recommend expanding this location southward.
59. Wūfēng is the name of the street. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Ānjìng (安静司).
60. Yíliáng was called Guīhuà (归化司) during the Ming Dynasty at the county level.
61. Tāntóu is the name of the township. The county was not established here until 1917. Before that, the earliest known settlement name was from the Qing Dynasty: Yánjǐngdù (盐井渡).
62. Zhěhǎi is the name of the town. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Gǒng (珙县).
63. Hèzhāng was not an established administrative division during the Ming Dynasty. The earliest known name for a settlement in this area is from the Qing Dynasty, called Hēizhāng (黑章). It was only renamed Hèzhāng in 1942.
64. Shǐguàn’s origin is unclear. A settlement named Wùbǔtáng (务卜塘) only appeared in this vicinity during the Qing Dynasty.
65. Píngyuǎn was a name used in the Qing Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, it was called Zhījīn (织金), the same name as the modern county.
66. Qiánxī appeared as a name during the Qing Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the area had Shuǐxī (水西城), though it wasn’t a county-level division.
67. Yángchǎng is a town's name. In the Ming Dynasty, the area had Jīnjī (金鸡驿), though it wasn’t a county-level division.
68. Jīnshā was not established as a county until 1941. In the Ming Dynasty, the area was called Xióngsuǒzéxī (雄所则溪), though it wasn’t a county-level division.
69. Pánzhōu is a name that only appeared in 1909. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Pǔān (普安州/普安卫).
70. Pánshuǐ is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Xīnxīng (新兴所).
71. Huángcǎo is possibly an erroneous name. The Ming Dynasty name was Huángcǎobà (黄草坝), though it wasn’t a county-level division. This is also the name of a modern town in the area.
72. Xìngrén was a name that appeared in 1914 (and should be read as Xīngrén). In the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Xīnchéng (新城所).
73. Ānnán is not incorrect, but it shares the same name with a nearby place (Ānnán Wèi and Ānnán Suǒ). Given naming conventions that omit wei and suo, the two places can’t be distinguished by "Suǒ" or "Wèi." Since this location is also the seat of the nearby Yǒngníng (永宁州), it’s recommended to rename it Yǒngníng.
74. The correct name should be Guānsuǒlǐng (关索岭).
75. Sōngshān is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Kāngzuǒ (康佐司).
76. Ānshùn is the name of a prefecture, and the seat was the same as Pǔdìng (普定卫). It should be changed to Nínggǔzhài (宁谷寨司), which is located southeast of this place.
77. Chángzhài is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Lúshān (卢山司).
78. Pínghú’s origin is unknown. The Ming Dynasty county-level name was Píngzhōu Liùdòng (平洲六洞司).
79. Sānhé is the name of a street, and the earliest known name for the area is Sānjiǎotún (三脚屯) from the Qing Dynasty.
80. Guìdìng first appeared as a name in 1608. The early Ming Dynasty name was Xīntiān (新添司).
81. Yōngyáng is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Cǎotáng (草塘安抚司).
82. Qīngzhèn was a name that appeared in 1687. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Wēiqīng (威清卫).
83. Yǒngjìng is a town's name, and during the Ming Dynasty, the area had Xīfēng (息烽所), though it wasn’t a county-level division.
84. Kāiyáng was renamed in 1930. From the Ming to the Qing Dynasty, it was called Kāizhōu (开州).
85. Bǐngméi is a town's name (also called Bǐngmèi in the Qing Dynasty, but it should be spelled Bǐngmèi). In the Ming Dynasty, there was a nearby administrative division called Xīshānyángdòng (西山阳洞司).
86. Défèng is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Wǔkāi (五开卫).
87. Sānjiāng is the name of a town, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Chìxī Nándòng (赤溪湳洞司).
88. Liǔchuān is the name of a town. The area wasn’t an administrative division during the Ming Dynasty, but during the Qing Dynasty, it was called Qīngjiāng (清江厅).
89. Dānjiāng was not an administrative division during the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, it was called Bāzhài (八寨厅).
90. Xīnzhōu is a town's name, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Xīnglóng (兴隆卫).
91. Shībǐng’s Ming Dynasty county-level name was Piānqiáo (偏桥卫). It was renamed Shībǐng in the Qing Dynasty, so the modern name does not need to be changed.
92. Tāngshān is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Shíqiān (石阡县).
93. Sītáng is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Ānhuà (安化县).
94. Yúquán is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Méitán (湄潭县).
95. Zūnyì, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, had the names Wūjiāngguān / Wūjiāngpù (乌江关/乌江铺). The modern city of Zūnyì is not the same settlement as these.
96. Zhōngshū is the name of a street. In the Ming Dynasty, there was Yǒngzhèn (永镇驿) in this area.
97. Èrláng should be Èrlángbà (二郎垻).
98. Chāngyuán is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Róngchāng (荣昌县).
99. Lónggǎng is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Dàzú (大足县).
100. Yǒngchāng’s Ming Dynasty county-level name was Yǒngchuān (永川县).
101. Bāchuān is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Tóngliáng (铜梁县).
102. Héyáng is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Héchuān (合川县).
103. Jǐjiāng is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Jiāngjīn (江津县).
104. Gǔnán is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Qíjiāng (綦江县).
105. Bānán was not an administrative division during the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, there was Bǎijiépù (百节铺). Note that this place is not the same as the Ming and Qing Bāxiàn (巴县), which refers to the modern city of Chongqing.
106. Chóngqìng was the name of a prefecture, and the county seat during both the Ming and Qing Dynasties was (巴县).
107. Lónghuá is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Nánchuān (南川县).
108. Xiàngkǒu’s origin is unknown. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Wǔlóng (武隆县).
109. Hànjiā is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Péngshuǐ (彭水县).
110. Liǎnghé’s origin is unknown. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Qiánjiāng (黔江县).
111. Zhōngduō’s origin is unknown. During the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Yǒuyáng (酉阳宣抚司).
112. Zhōnghé is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Píngchádòng (平茶洞司). After the 1736 administrative reform, the Qing Dynasty established Xiùshān (秀山县) here.
113. Nánbīn is the name of a street, and during the Ming Dynasty, the county-level name was Shízhù (石柱宣抚司).
114. Míngshān is the name of a street, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Fēngdū (酆都县).
115. Guìxī is the name of a street, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Diànjiāng (垫江县).
116. Wànzhōu was called Wàn (万县) from 1371 to 1997.
117. Hànfēng is the name of a street, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Kāi (开县).
118. Yǒng'ān is the name of a street, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Fèngjié (奉节县).
119. Wūxiá is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Wūshān (巫山县).
120. Yèzhōu is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Jiànshǐ (建始县).
121. Zhúyáng is the name of a street, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Dàzhú (大竹县).
122. Qújiāng is the name of a street, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was (渠县).
123. Nuòjiāng is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Tōngjiāng (通江县).
124. Língjiāng is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Cāngxī (苍溪县).
125. Pǔ'ān is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Jiànzhōu (剑州).
126. Lóngān is the name of a prefecture (a large administrative region), and the county under its jurisdiction during the Ming and Qing dynasties was Píngwǔ (平武县).
127. Lóngzhōu is essentially the same as Lóngān. According to historical maps, this area had no county-level administration during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the Ming dynasty, there was a settlement named Yángliǔ (杨柳乡).
128. Dázhāsì is a temple established in 1663. During the Ming dynasty, the area was called Āxīdòngcù (阿昔洞簇司).
129. Jìn'ān is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Sōngpān (松潘卫).
130. Lúhuā is the name of a town. There was no administrative unit here during the Ming dynasty, but it was called Hēishuǐ (黑水司) during the Qing dynasty.
131. Féngyí is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Màozhōu (茂州).
132. Zágǔ'nǎo is the name of a town, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Bǎo (保县).
133. Mǎěrkāng is a modern name, and during the Ming dynasty, the area's county-level name was Máérzā (麻儿匝安抚司).
View attachment 1204100

References
Tan, Qixiang, ed. (1996a) [1987], The Historical Atlas of China, vol. 7: The Yuan and Ming Dynasty Period (in Chinese), China Cartographic Publishing House.
Tan, Qixiang, ed. (1996b) [1987], The Historical Atlas of China, vol. 8: The Qing Dynasty Period (in Chinese), China Cartographic Publishing House.
The use of the county seat instead of the county name for the locations is intentional, as the locations are intended to be named after settlements rather than after administrative divisions. But thank you for the feedback, we'll take a look at it too.
 
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I feel like Quanzhou location should definitely have more pops, as it was the epicenter of Yuan's foreign trade and naval hub, from where fleets departed to invade Japan and Java. Everywhere I read say it has hundreds of thousands more people than on the current map. Some sources say millions, but I doubt that.

Marco Polo describes the city as the Alexandria of the East, with the Yuan receiving significant revenues from there.


 
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1.ABOUT CULTURE
I think Hui should not exist as a culture. In fact, any Chinese, no matter what dialect he speaks, as long as he is a Muslim, he is called Hui. Therefore, Hui is a religion rather than a culture. In addition, Dongbei and Jiaoliao are names with strong regional characteristics, and at this time, the regions where these cultures are located should not be represented by these two names because these populations have not yet widely migrated to the corresponding areas.

2.ABOUT Religions
I prefer to call Chinese religions Confucianism rather than any other name. This is the official ideology of China, while Buddhism and Taoism are only folk beliefs. I think it would be good to use the EU4 system for religious mechanisms.

3.ABOUT LOCATIONS
It is very strange that many locations use the name of the town instead of the county. Many town names cannot accurately express this location, or may not be an ancient name but a current name. I suggest that the name of the location can refer to the Chinese Historical Atlas written by Tan Qixiang.
4.ABOUT POPULATION
The population censuses of 1351 and 1393 may not have data for every location in many places, resulting in strange population distribution in some areas, population in mountainous areas is larger than that in livable areas. I suggest that for areas without precise data, the proportion of each administrative region in modern times can be used as a reference for allocation, because the county-level administrative divisions in China have not changed much from the Yuan Dynasty to modern times.
5.ABOUT Development
This development map seems more like the situation in modern China. At that time, the development of northern China was actually inferior to that of southern China due to long-term destruction by nomadic tribes. This can also be seen from the population distribution in China at that time, where the population of the northern plains was even not as large as that of the southern mountainous areas. Also, most of Yunnan and Guizhou were probably still under the rule of chieftains at that time, perhaps less developed than other regions in southern China. The southeastern part of China, which was the core area of the former Southern Song Dynasty, deserves a higher level of development compared to other regions in China.
 
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Zen Buddhism is essentially a school within Mahayana/Chinese Buddhism, and it's not even the largest one. However, lots of people think that just using Mahayana Buddhism as the religion paints too broad a brush and wipes out the significant impact of Daoism, Confucianism, and folk religions.

That's why people are arguing for something like the Three Teachings as the name, because very few people of the time would describe themselves as Buddhists, or Confucians, or Daoists, but they would use aspects of all three (combined with their local folk religion) in their religious and personal lives.

Similarly, this religious syncreticism spread to Korea, Vietnam, and Japan in different ways - Korea combined Buddhism and Confucianism with Korean shamanism while Japan combined Buddhism with Shintoism with very little Confucianism.
I have no problem with Three Teachings, but it's probably too distinct from Buddhism in name, and not something rest of the world is familiar with it enough, so developers don't want to make it a completely different religion basically.

Maybe it could be made similar to harmonisation in EU4, but instead of list of harmonised religions, make it a triangle or cube (if we add Chinese folk religion in the mix) in case of China, with each teaching/belief in different corner. The one which is dominant in the society give certain bonuses/maluses, and you have constant competition between them in the society.
 
zhèjiāng Locations.png


I made certain modifications to the map of Zhejiang Areas based on the administrative divisions of the Ming Dynasty, corrected all Location names, and estimated the population of each county based on references from the "History of China's Population" and local county gazetteers, with the hope of helping with the creation of
Tinto Talks.

zhèjiāng Areas:
jiāxīng Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
1jiāxīng776k
2jiāshàn353k
3pínghú167k
4hǎiyán185k
5tóngxiāng209k
6chóngdéshímén(Qing name)331k
húzhōu Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
7wūchéng722k
8chángxīng277k
9déqīng272k
10wǔkāng111k
11ānjí135k
12xiàofēng68k
hángzhōu Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
13qiántáng641k
14hǎiníng299k
15yúháng135k
16fùyáng98k
17xīnchéng37k
18línān131k
19yúqián40k
20chānghuà38k
shàoxīng Provinces:
Locationsname Population
21shānyīn419k
22xiāoshān156k
23shàngyú209k
24yúyáo375k
25zhūjì285k
26shèngxiàn149k
27xīnchāng41k
níngbō/qìngyuán(Yuan name) Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
28yínxiàn322k
29dìnghǎi/zhènhǎi(Qing name)172k
30cíxī231k
31fènghuà208k
32xiàngshān72k
33zhōushān/chāngguó(Yuan name)/dìnghǎi(Qing name)160k
tāizhōu Provinces:
Locationsname Population
34línhǎi269k
35sānmén99k
36nínghǎi193k
37tiāntāi59k
38xiānjū156k
39huángyán218k
40tàipíng227k
wēnzhōu Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
41yǒngjiā127k
42shuāngxī218k
43yuèqīng205k
44ruìān209k
45píngyáng254k
46tàishùn46k
47wénchéng42k
yánzhōu/jiàndé(Yuan name) Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
48jiàndé92k
49shòuchāng34k
50tónglú77k
51fēnshuǐ38k
52chúnān123k
53suìān81k
qúzhōu Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
54xīān143k
55lóngyóu167k
56jiāngshān148k
57chángshān107k
58kāihuà153k
jīnhuá/wùzhōu(Yuan name) Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
59jīnhuá322k
60tāngxī115k
61lánxī292k
62pǔjiāng189k
63yìwū152k
64dōngyáng200k
65yǒngkāng125k
66wǔyì100k
chǔzhōu Provinces:
LocationsnamePopulation
67líshuǐ96k
68jìnyún114k
69qīngtián134k
70jǐngníng43k
71qìngyuán42k
72lóngquán102k
73yúnhé24k
74sōngyáng67k
75suìchāng75k
76xuānpíng37k
 
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The use of the county seat instead of the county name for the locations is intentional, as the locations are intended to be named after settlements rather than after administrative divisions. But thank you for the feedback, we'll take a look at it too.
But in China historically the county seats ARE named after the county name afterall. The "town" that guy is referring to are not actual towns, but rather 4th level admin divisions in China that are usually not stand-alone settlements. It's like saying a hypothetical location in a hypothetical NYC province that's supposed to represent Manhattan being called Downtown instead of just Manhattan
 
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Pantheism(泛神论)or Oriental pantheism(东方泛神论),In Confucianism, there is the concept of "harmony between heaven and man". In Chinese folk culture, there is the "God in heaven", and in the government's ideology, there is the "theory of Mandate of Heaven". All of these are closely related to this.
 
The difficulty with the term Sanjiao is not that it's a Chinese word. For instance, Mandarin for Mahayana is Dàchéng 大乘. I think this would be fine for the Eastern Mahayana in the game. Sanjiao specifically refers to the harmonious practice of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The first two are practiced in Japan and Korea as well, but Taoism was only really practiced in China. Japan has a similar balance of Buddhism, Confucianism and Shinto, and Korean traditionally has a form of Shamanism alongside Buddhism and Confucianism. Even this vastly oversimplifies the matter; rather than parallel practice of 3 religions, it could be seen as religious practice drawing from three distinct traditions, as well as other folk sources. All that being said, Sanjiao could not be used to label religious practice in Japan or Korea, due to its specific reference to Taoism.

I really hope EUV is able to capture these complexities, as I believe the relevant prominence of these religious factors played important historical rolls. There are countless Christian denominations in the game, and I would love to see a large eastern religion group with religions like Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Korean Shamanism, etc, as well as (to fit the game engine) religion labels like Sanjiao or perhaps Chinese Buddhism to reflect certain combinations of these in syncretism. (A system allowing for true, dynamic syncretism would be amazing, but may be impossible to code while failing to capture the flavor of regions like China.) Sanjiao could view Mahayana buddhism as non-heretic for tolerance purposes, for example.
I did the most rudimentary Google search and immediately found a Wikipedia page called Taoism in Korea and Taoism in Japan. Both of these make substantive claims that Taoism was already influential in Korea and Japan in the 600s and 700s AD. I'm curious where this idea that they weren't practiced or influential in Korea or Japan comes from? Maybe you mean they weren't always the ruling ideology and weren't at the time, but from what I understand that's equally true in China, for most its history Taoism was not the most powerful ideology in the country?
However let's ignore all this, let's say these Wikipedia pages and their sources are entire fabrications (you ought to put these pages up for deletion if so). The Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism that you claim, rightfully, were influential in Japan and Korea were also heavily influenced and justified through Taoism. Unless you're proposing that they syncretized in China and then completely separated again when they entered Japan and Korea somehow? Didn't Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism use rituals, vocabularies, understandings of the world and more that came from Taoism?
This is to say I think it's reasonable to say Taoism was influential in Japan or Korea, surely they weren't the main political ideology, but the same is true in China. Anyway, this is about the mixed character of the religions and their practices not whether they were politically the most powerful. It feels odd to me to view Buddhism and Confucianism as inseparable from Taoism in China, but suddenly when Korea and Japan adopt these religious systems all this syncretism disappears? Do the scholars go out of their way to purge the Taoic influences, justifications, theology and everything else when transmitting these religions to Korea and Japan? Why? I'm not a scholar nor an expert, but this has always been my impression from all that I've read over the years and even what I've been reading in these comments.
 
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