Jack of Harts

Free Taiwan. Free China. Republic of China. People call it many names, but the dedicated population of what has effectively become China in Exile now officially call themselves the Free Republic of China. Based in the rich city of Vancouver, and gathering an impressive amount of support from them, they are heirs to a civilization thousands of years old, but anchored in the reality that they need others to survive. That would humble others, and many assumed they would turn into just another charity case in the decades that followed the fall of Asia. But the Free Chinese are a proud people who have rebuilt their lost homeland in a new world and shouldered a greater weight of responsibility than many others ever expected of them.

Vancouver is home to a powerful industrial complex, and it was those factories that made the city a primary contributor towards building the orbital elevator in Palmyra. It was the ultimate tourist trap, imagined by the Star Kingdom of Hawaii, and brought into being with the economic aid of Vancouver. And it was embraced by one of the largest game and film industries on Earth and beyond. Vancouver earned the title Hollywood North centuries ago, and has continued to be a leading contributor in the industry. San Francisco may be famous for its virtual worlds, and anybody with an imagination and a suitable personal assistant can tell a story anyone can enjoy today, but Vancouver specializes in real world filming locations. They have sites all over British Columbia, and numerous studios willing and able to shoot any time of the year. Those who want their entertainment more visceral than any virtual world can match have plenty of sources in Vancouver.

Vancouver is a unique city. First, it is part of Canada and therefore the British Commonwealth. Vancouver is also a charter, founding member of Pacifica. They were hoping to bring Pacifica into Canada and the Commonwealth, but the other cities finally balked in the end. And it was home to one of the greatest concentrations of immigrants from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in the world before the Second Great Depression came upon us all. So when the Chinese hammer came down, and the new Empress of Japan set sail on the last fleet to escape fallen Asia, many ethnic Chinese joined her. Most did not stop in Los Angeles, but passed on to Vancouver. Among them were the last surviving leaders of Taiwan, making them the effective home of Free China. They quickly established a new Republic of China capitol inside Vancouver, with the city’s full support. Which means citizens of Vancouver can be any mix of Canadian, American, or Chinese in ethnicity, culture, or citizenship. They can also be subjects of King Henry of England. To the migraine-inducing agony of constitutional scholars and lawyers everywhere.