Heiban

Heiban (: 海傍; : Hebuan), officially the Monarchical State of Heiban, formerly known as Pelankan, is a country in southwestern Kesh, bordered to the west and southwest by the Iapetus Ocean, to the east and southeast by the South Kesh Bay, and sharing maritime borders with Ramay and South Kesh. Heiban covers a total area of 929,097 square kilometers (358,726 square miles) and has a population of around 99.6 million. The capital and largest city in the country is Gongzhuhua-Urdalapan. Heiban is a unitary semi-parliamentary absolute monarchy.

Heiban is a and  nation, with ties to eastern and southern Kesh, and a history of disputed and alternating rule over the territory dating as far back as the iron and middle ages. The former Nations of Pelankan of present-day Heiban held diplomatic trading relationships with the Chou Empire, from modern-day Kodeshia, before becoming a vassal state of the Zhou Empire at the beginning of the 13th century. As a vassal state, the Nations of Pelankan were forcefully unified under the name of Heiban (Guoyu: 海傍附庸國, tr.: Hǎibàng Fùyōngguó ; Ramayan: Negara Bawahan Hebuan), and ruled by Kodeshi vassals part of the Zhou Dynasty. During the mid 16th century, and following the Qingchenese rebellion, the vassals of Heiban declared themselves independent from the Zhou Empire, officially rendering itself free in 1531. After its newly gained independence, and with the help of former Zhou imperial armed forces stationed in the area, the vassal of Heiban self-proclaimed King of Heiban, and thus started the lineage of the Heibanese Royal Family that extends into the present-day.

Etymology
Heiban (/hɛiːbɑːn/; he-ee-BAN; : 海傍, : Hǎibàng ; : Hebuan), officially the Monarchical State of Heiban (Guoyu: 海傍君主國, tr.: Hǎibàng Jūnzhǔguó ; Ramayan: Negara Monarki Hebuan), formerly known as Pelankan, is a country in southwestern Kesh, bordered to the west and southwest by the Iapetus Ocean, to the east and southeast by the South Kesh Bay, and sharing maritime borders with Ramay and South Kesh.

Etymology of Pelankan
Politically, the name “Pelankan” is a former term used to refer to the collective group of native nations that existed in present-day Heiban prior to Kodeshi arrival. The first recorded instance of usage of the term ‘Pelankan’ dates back to the Iron Age, as part of a written agreement between the different nations in the area, named by historians as the ‘Pelankan Accords’. Linguistically, the word ‘pelankan’ is an ancient variation of the modern-day Ramayan word ‘persatuan’ (meaning ‘union’).

Etymology of Heiban
The name "Heiban" comes from the Guoyu word hǎibàng (海傍, meaning ‘seafront’ ). It is believed this word was chosen due to the area’s location in between two bodies of water. However, certain linguists and historians believe the term 'Heiban' to be only part of a complete name, xīhǎibàng (西海傍; meaning 'western seafront' ). This theory comes from old trade agreements between the Zhou Empire and Heiban written in Classical Guoyu, where the latter is oftentimes referred to as 'Xihaibang'; however, due to the antiquity of the documents and the linguistic differences, it is yet unclear whether or not the prefix 'west-' was part of Heiban's name or a mere location indicator.

Geography
Heiban is located on the western end of the Southern Kesh sub-region between latitudes 07° and 20° South, bordered to the west and southwest by the South Iapetus Ocean, to the east and southeast by the South Kesh Bay, locally known in Heiban as the Bay of Ramay, and to the north by the Nzambeyan states. The country spans over a total area of 929,097 square kilometers (358,726 sq mi), making it the seventh-largest country in Kesh and the seventeenth-largest in Anterra.

Due to the country’s proximity to the equator, Heiban is characterized by tropical climates, particularly those of tropical savanna and tropical monsoon, according to Kaupmann’s Climate Classification.

Landscape
Heiban’s landscape is mostly hilly and sparsely forested, characterized by tropical savannas in the center of the country and tropical monsoons along its southern coasts. The country is essentially shaped like a massive valley, with higher elevation present along the northern and southern borders, with a flatter interior. The highest peaks in the country are specifically located along the northern border with the Nzambeyan States, with Heiban’s tallest point being Mount Yunkawan (雲峰山; Puncakawan) at roughly 1,600 meters (5,249 ft.) above sea level, in the province of Caoban.

Southern Heiban consists of only a few islands large enough to host permanent populations, and several smaller scattered islands, a consequence of the rough and uneven terrain, this is particularly noticeable in the Shengi Peninsula, the largest in the country and home to some of the tallest and flattest terrains in the country. Politically, this region differs from its northern counterpart in both population and level of socioeconomic development, being the wealthiest and most advanced region in Heiban. This concept is attributed by Heibanese scholars the name of “Land Contrast" (土地對比; Kontras Tanah), and reinforces the idea that the country’s landscape acts as the main form of socioeconomic disparity.

When it comes to Heiban’s fluvial system, many courses of fresh water flow into and from Heiban, and into the Iapetus Ocean and the South Kesh Bay, on Heiban’s western, eastern and southern coasts, all of which act as the main spots for urban agglomerations and conurbations, with the best example being the capital of Gongzhuhua-Urdalapan being located along the country’s southern shore near the Zhungatengah River, the widest and most important river in Heiban, running from north to south and dissecting the country into two halves comparable in size. The many rivers in the country feed into several lakes scattered across the country, with the largest of them being Lake Bershai located in western Heiban and considered one of the country’s holiest sites.

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Wildlife and conservation
Characterized by its Buddhist beliefs, the government of Heiban pays significant attention to its environment, and ensures the promotion of green policies in regards to its landscape and wildlife. In 1987, the Ministry of Landscape and Environment was created, followed in 2006 by the Royal Cabinet for Nature and Climate, both with the purpose of advising the government on environmentally conscious political decisions, and promoting nature-friendly lifestyle choices to the general public, such as vegetarianism and veganism, recycling and the use of public transport or non-fossil fueled personal vehicles, like bicycles or electric cars.

In 1993, the former Monarch of Heiban, Queen Wu Bao, through advice from the Ministry of Landscape and Environment, created the first Realm Protected Area in the land surrounding the largest lake in the country, Lake Bershai. This earned the lake and its surrounding area prefectural-level status, while also protecting it from human interference. Today, the Realm Protected Area lies under direct jurisdiction of the central government and is protected by the royal military, with any alteration to the area being prohibited and punishable by law.

Government and politics

 * Main article: Government of Heiban; Constitution of Heiban

Heiban is a unitary state ruled by a  absolute monarchy, comprising eleven and functioning under a semi-parliamentary system of government. The country’s is the Monarch of Heiban, who holds the title of either ; meanwhile, the   is the Royal Council, formed by ten members directly appointed by the monarch and drawn form the Royal Parliament, at the head of which is the Grand Secretariat, a rotative position similar to that of  in a. The Constitution of Heiban, also known as the ‘Supreme Law of Heiban’ (Guoyu: 海傍最高法; Hǎibàng Zuìgāo Fǎis) is and states that all political power is to rest at the hands of the King or Queen of Heiban, while also dividing the Heibanese government into three branches that shall always answer and help the monarch in their time of rulership, these branches are the, the  and the.

Executive

 * ''Main article: Monarch of Heiban; Royal Council of Heiban
 * ''See also: List of Heibanese monarchs

The executive power is vested in the Monarch of Heiban as the head of state, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Protector of the Faith and de jure head of government for life or until abdication. The title of King or Queen of Heiban is hereditary under a system of. The de facto head of government is the Royal Council, a ten-member body of government, appointed directly by the monarch for whom they work as advisors and counsellors. The members of the council will elect a Grand Secretariat amongst themselves, a rotative position with the duty of overseeing government meetings and intervening in debates or ties in voting regarding different political matters. The Royal Council is renovated every five years - time by which all members would have held the position of Grand Secretariat.

Despite acting as the de facto head of government, the Royal Council cannot go against the Constitution of Heiban and will always hold less power than the monarch. In recent years, monarchs have passed executive decisions over to the council, which will then act through the monarch shaping certain aspects of government and politics. Nevertheless, the Monarch of Heiban ultimately holds power unbounded by the constitution, and is the only person in the country who can perform, , pass and laws, call for , and , among several other things.

Upon formation every five years, the Royal Council is then put in charge of appointing the and  of Heiban, whose task is to help run the government by essentially dividing it into specific areas, known as. Like any other government official, the ministers of Heiban answer directly to the monarch and must send weekly reports on their respective fronts; however, by recent convention, the monarch will redirect said reports to the Grand Secretariat, oftentimes without reading them, allowing them to make executive decisions based on said reports.

Legislature

 * ''Main article: Legislature of Heiban; Parliamentary elections of Heiban



The Legislature of Heiban works under a semi-parliamentary system formed by a body known as the Royal Parliament of Heiban that meets in the Palace of Laws (Guoyu: 法宮; Fǎgōng) in the capital of Wangzuo. The Heibanese parliament is tasked with the responsibility of overseeing, suggesting and opposing changes in national politics and laws. Because parliament can’t actually change Heibanese law, as that power is vested in the King being the only person allowed to perform constitutional reforms, its members will work with the Royal Council, specially the Grand Secretariat, as to facilitate the law-making process. This is the case due to recent monarchs rarely taking part in the law-making process, instead entrusting His Majesty’s Royal Council to make the decisions. Nevertheless, for any bill to be passed, it must be.

For parliamentary elections, Heiban is divided into (Guoyu: 縣; xiàn), each electing a single  (or MP), locally known as Guórén (Guoyu: 國人; lit. “State person”), by, and by all citizens over the age of 20. Elections in Heiban are and have a non-fixed ; this means that, despite being advised against it by the Royal Council, the monarch has the power to call elections whenever they see fit, whether it be before or after the six-year term. MPs can run for office a maximum of three consecutive times, and any one of them can be summoned at any time to form the Royal Council.

Judiciary

 * Main article: Judiciary of Heiban; Ladies of Justice of Heiban

The highest form of authority in the judicial branch of government is His Majesty’s Court of Justice; judges for this court are called Ladies of Justice (Guoyu: 女义; nǚyì), of which there are nine, and it is the only position in government inaccessible to men, as stated in the Constitution. Ladies of Justice are granted a and are directly appointed by the Monarch of Heiban to form His Majesty’s Honorable Court (Guoyu: 女义起; nǚyìqǐ), the name by which the Ladies of Justice are referred to collectively. HM Honourable Court is in charge of interpreting, defending and applying all law stated in the constitution, as well as made by the monarch across the entire country, and making sure all  in Heiban follow suit.

The Judiciary of Heiban is a, atop which stands the Monarch of Heiban, followed in the descending order by HM Court of Justice, HM Courts of Appeal, the Province Courts and the Prefecture Courts and the Minor Tribunals or regular courthouses. All courts are classified into two types: courts of inquiry, which hear cases in the first instance, and courts of entreaty, also known as 'courts of last resort', which review specific contested decisions made by the courts of inquiry.

All courts of entreaty can be identified by the words “Her Majesty’s” or “His Majesty’s” (abbreviated to H.M. or HM) in their official names; no court of inquiry may include this designation as part of their name.

Administrative divisions
The Monarchical State in Heiban is divided into 11 provinces (Guoyu: 省, tr.: Shěng ; Ramayan: Kawasan), each divided into eight counties, giving for a total of 88 prefectures (Guoyu: 縣 tr.: Xiàn ; Ramayan: Wilayah), furtherly divided into electoral districts, also known as historical counties.

The provinces of Heiban (Guoyu: 道海傍, tr.: Hǎibàngdào ; Ramayan: Kawasan Hebuan) are the first level of administrative division and the largest subdivisions of the country. The provinces are former federal entities whose borders follow the demarcations of the former houses of the Nations of Pelankan (佩蘭坎民族; Bangsa Pelankan). Each province is administered by a Provincial Seat (省會; Kerusi Kawasan), formed by 3 elected members, 2 members appointed by the grand secretariat and 1 member descendant of the Cardinal Royal Family of their respective province, all of whom, with the exception of the latter, are replaced every 5 years. The provincial seat will act as the executive head of the province, however, being under a unitary system, provinces must abide by the Heibanese Constitutions and do not have sovereignty over their territory. Approximately 74% of the population lives in the southern provinces of Gonbi, Terenyuan and Pengau, which are home to the 4 largest cities in the country.

Economy
As of 2020, the Monarchical State of Heiban had a total nominal GDP of $1.150 trillion, and a nominal GDP per capita of $11,500.

Primary sector
The primary sector of the economy makes up 2.4% of the country’s total nominal GDP, generating up to $27.6 billion. It is mainly focused on the production and export of agricultural goods and mining. The production of permanent crops, in particular tea, nuts, medicinal plants and coffee, are the most important biotic industries in the country; the production of coffee is particularly important to Heiban’s primary sector, having contributed nearly $13.2 billion to the total GDP in 2019. Today, the coffee industry employs an estimated 700,000 rural workers nationwide. Apart from agricultural goods, the mining industry in Heiban has taken precedence over the years, with the extraction and export of gold, as well as the mining of coltan, used nationally for the technology and utilities industries, as well as the manufacturing and exporting of mobile phone parts. This activity generates an estimate of up to $10 billion annually, amounting to nearly 37% of the primary sector’s total GDP revenue. With access to the Iapetus Ocean, and a therefore considerable Exclusive Economic Zone, Heiban has recently put noticeable focus on the fishing industry, however, and due to the government’s heavily pushed vegetarian and vegan agenda, this activity is thoroughly regulated, and even prohibited by the government in certain coastal areas. The fishing industry will, more often than not, hire lower class citizens as middle and upper class citizens have the luxury to turn down job offers in this area due to their beliefs, while lower class citizens don’t. Due to its climate and geographic conditions, Heiban isn’t as well suited for the production of certain foods as other countries in the continent, with the exception of the aforementioned crops. Fruits and vegetables need to be imported from other regions of Kesh or countries in Artemia and Avalonia, more suited for the production of these needs. Heiban also imports most of the metals it needs for its construction, automobile and heavy vehicle industry, such as iron, steel, aluminum and titanium.

Secondary sector
The secondary, or industry, sector makes up 41.8% of Heiban’s total nominal GDP, contributing $480.7 billion to the national economy, and employing nearly 28.9% of the country’s workforce. Heiban. The Heibanese industry sector puts noticeable focus on the construction industry, particularly civil engineering, with mass manufacturing of railways, roads, tunnels, offshore platforms and bridges having grown in importance in recent years, while contributing up to 50% to the industry sector’s total revenue, or nearly 20% to the country’s total nominal GDP in 2019. The automobile and heavy vehicle industry also plays a big role in the country’s economy, generating nearly $194.3 billion in 2020; the fabrication and export of airplane, ship and auto parts in particular is a large source of revenue in this area. Meanwhile, chemical manufacturing has become of paramount importance in the last decade, as the production of pharmaceuticals becomes increasingly tied with the cultivation of medicinal plants and the expansion of research and development in the country. Heiban produces and exports nearly $95.3 billion worth in pharmaceuticals and medicine annually, a number that has been growing increasingly as does the quaternary sector of the national economy. On a lesser scale, the manufacturing of wind turbines and solar panels, specifically destined for export, has taken center stage in the country’s energy industry, though still not comparable to Heiban’s previously mentioned larger industries. Overall, the energy industry contributes a near total of $67.9 billion annually. The main products of the industry sector that Heiban imports are electronics, computers and communication equipment. While Heiban does manufacture its own weapons, nearly 64% of the ones used by the country’s military are imported from countries outside of Kesh. Processed foods are largely imported into the country constantly, particularly those made out of foods that can’t be grown within Heiban.

Tertiary sector
Heiban’s serve sector accounts for 50.1%, or nearly $576.1 billion, of its total economic output as of 2020. Transportation and cargo, medicine, engineering and insurance are all major services provided by the Heibanese government, with large companies in such areas having earned national renown. Heiban has a particularly technologically advanced transport network consisting of high-speed railways, highway, bus routes and air routes spanning most of the territory. Moving around Heiban has been made both easy and accessible for most citizens as a way to promote national tourism and the nationalist ideals of the government. The providing of services like car rentals, public transportation between cities, and railway systems both underground and above ground has been pushed by the government for several decades, and continues to be one of the country’s strongest points. There are several major regional and international airports scattered across Heiban as well, with the largests being the Wangzuo Gong Lan International Airport and Gongzhuhua Sun Shui International Airport. The passenger transport industry in Heiban contributes nearly $296.4 billion to the country’s total GDP. Maritime travel and tourism play a major role in the country’s service sector. Having access to the ocean on all its fronts, Heiban’s major ports, located along the western coast, serve as arrival and departure points from and to Avalonia and eastern Kesh. As for its tourism service, Heiban is home to a few cruise lines, with its two largest offering cruise ship services within the South Kesh Bay, as well as Trans-Iapetus journeys, starting in Heiban and ending in southern Avalonia. Altogether, maritime services, including transportation, tourism and cargo, generate up to $193.7 billion in revenue. Along with these, minor services in Heiban also include hospitality (hotels, teahouses, cafés), architecture and engineering (inspection, surveying, system testing), medicine and veterinary medicine, and maintenance. The main services imported into Heiban are the foodservice, particularly adopting foreign food delivery companies, and international fast food chains. Financial, insurance and real estate services are also brought into the country from abroad.

Quaternary sector
Heiban’s quaternary sector makes up 5.7% of the country’s total GDP, generating up to $65.55 billion in revenue. Its main focus is scientific research and development, which has become increasingly ludicrous as of recent, partially due to growing investments from the elite and upper classes. Though quickly gaining government support through public funding, 61% of the research and development conducted in the country still receives private funds. The main imports from the quaternary sector into Heiban are written and audio-visual materials, such as films, music and video games. This is due to the government’s sensitivity in regards to freedom of speech in the country, disallowing citizens from expressing themselves through certain mediums, particularly books and films.

Banking system
The National Bank of Heiban acts as the central bank, and is in charge of managing the national currency, as well as dictating monetary policy for the state. While the National Bank is institutionally independent from political interference, many of its decisions are swayed by the elite and upper classes of society. The National Bank is in charge of controlling the money supply, managing the country's foreign-exchange and gold reserves, issuing coins and notes, advising the government in financial policy, and regulating and supervising the banking industry. Although the central bank is considered the "lender of last resort", acting as the bank for both the government and other bankers, citizens of the elite and upper class are allowed to deposit their money on a personal account within the National Bank, as opposed to doing so in a commercial bank like the rest of the population, in exchange for a fee inaccessible to those below the upper class*. This is done as a security measure, as commercial banks, particularly in poorer areas, are under the risk of being robbed, meanwhile the National Bank of Heiban employs state of the art security systems and a specific branch of the military in charge of protecting specific government buildings. Apart from the National Bank and the commercial banks across the country, Heiban is also home to the Treasure Palace of Heiban, in charge of printing and producing the coins and notes that are then issued by the National Bank.

Income, wealth and poverty
Heiban is characterized by a notorious wage gap and economic disparity, particularly when urban and rural areas. In wealthier provinces, money is usually easily acquired, as job opportunity is more varied and relatively abundant, with unemployment rates circling 3% in recent years. Meanwhile, poorer regions in the country present higher rates of robbery and armed theft, as well as tax evasion, with reported instances of tax money being stolen while being transported from certain provinces to the central bank. Elite and upper class citizens tend to use their wealth to sway policies in their favor, whether it be by expressing discomfort with certain political decisions through the termination of financial support in departments reliant on private funding, or by contributing large amounts of money on funds for specific scientific research. Financial discrimination has become an increasingly important issue in Heiban, but the government has failed to address and deal with it, while different so-called 'pockets' of extreme poverty, particular in rural areas, grow steadily.

Demographics
According to the latest census, as of 1 January 2020 the population of Heiban was 99.6 million, with an estimated population for 2021 of 101 million, projecting for an annual population growth rate of 0.01%. Almost every person in the country lives in the mainland, while the total population for all islands offshore was 238,054 as of 2020, accounting for only 0.24% of Heiban’s total population. The country’s southernmost provinces hold the largest number of people, with more than half of Heiban’s inhabitants living in just the provinces of Gondi and Terenyuan, both combined accounting for 55.2% of the country’s total population

Population
Most Heibanese citizens live along the southern coast and around river basins, with only a few major cities located in the north of the country. Most cities in Heiban were built around river mouths to act as both ports to international waters, and to have access to the exported goods produced in the interior of the country by transporting them through the river. All ten largest cities in the country have access to the ocean whether it be direct or through rivers.

Ethnicity
In 2020, the Secretary of Population and Census of Heiban issued a statistical report, based on the new questions added to the 2020 Census regarding ethnicity and cultural background, that stated that 56.8% of the population identified as ethnic and linguistically Ramayan, with ties to Southern Kesh and its adjacent regions, as well as full comprehension and usage of the Ramayan language in everyday life. Also as part of this report, 23.4% of the population identified as Guoyu or Kodeshi, with most of them being descendants of the Eastern Keshi migration wave during the 15th and 16th century; these people declared understanding and usage of the Guoyu language in daily life. Lastly, 19.1% of the population, self-identified as Mixed or ‘Heibanese’, with descendance of both Ramayan and Guoyu origin and fluency in both languages; although this number makes up the lowest percentage of the population, it is estimated that the actual number of people with mixed descendance comes up to nearly 48%, however, this extra 28.1% is believed to come from illicit marriages, occasions of rape or unregistered births. A remaining 0.7% is listed as ‘Unknown’ or ‘Other’, with the latter being mostly descendants of immigrants from other nations, primarily Keshi.

Language
[[File:Languages_of_Heiban.png|right|thumb|400px|Officially used languages in Heiban by prefecture.

{{Legend|#80B3FF|}} {{Legend|#FFB380 |}} {{Legend|#AADE87 |}} {{Legend|#FEFFE6 | None (Protected Area)}} ]]

The official language of the State of Heiban is Guoyu, written in the Heibanese Guoyu script, also known as the Hui script, and spoken with a distinctive Heibanese dialect characteristic of the area. Being geographically distant from the Guoyu speaking countries of Kesh, the Guoyu spoken in Heiban adopted loanwords from languages of neighbouring nations. As the language used in trade in Southern Keh, Ramayan is considerably common in Heiban, having become a national language in 2011, with approximately 12% of the population being fluent and 25% being able to understand it in some capacity, particularly in eastern Heiban.

Heiban is a bilingual nation and recognizes two languages as official and valid; Ramayan and Guoyu. Ramayan is the native language of the region, and is the most commonly used language in the country, spoken by about 94.5% of the population. Ramayan is the sole officially used language in 43 prefectures, and the co-official language of an extra 16. The language is also written in the Ramayan script and is a signing language in every prefecture. The Guoyu language was introduced in Heiban in the 14th century as trading relationships grew with Kodeshia, and during the country consolidation as a vassal state in the 16th century, Guoyu became the language used by the rulers of Heiban. After the country’s independence in 1531, the Heibanese monarchy continued to speak Guoyu and the language was made co-official along with Ramayan. Today, nearly 78.4% of the population speaks Guoyu, and it is the only officially used language in 30 prefectures. Guoyu utilizes its own script different from the Ramayan script, however, transliteration has grown common in recent decades, as less people are able to read the Guoyu script, which shows greater complexity than its Ramayan counterpart. Guoyu is the signing language in only 46 prefectures, 16 of which are shared with Ramayan.

Religion
The Constitution of the Monarchical State of Heiban acknowledges and recognizes only one religion as official in the country and that is. The religion was introduced in Heiban during the 20th century through the colonies of the Samot-Seratofian Empire in former East Ramay, present-day South Kesh. Prior to this, the country's common religion was Taoism, brought by Kodeshi rulers during the country's early stages.

is legal in Heiban, however, only citizens born abroad can identify with a religion that isn’t Buddhism, whereas Heibanese citizens are required by law to adhere to the country’s faith or self-identify as, this identification is then added to each citizen’s national ID. Nearly 91% of the country identifies as Buddhist, with 7% identifying as irreligious, and a remaining 2% adhering to other religions - particularly and.

The State of Heiban has what are known as ‘core beliefs’, based on the Buddhist precepts and used to justify certain legal practices in the country; the core beliefs are the following:




 * 1) To abstain from onslaught on breathing beings: This includes the act of  of, ordering or causing someone else to kill another human being, , , , and in recent times it’s been used to promote the practice of  and  nationwide. Loopholes have been built around this belief in order to justify the , which can be dictated by the Monarch of Heiban or the Ladies of Justice. Crimes performed against this belief are punishable with the death penalty.
 * 2) To abstain from taking what is not given: This includes all forms of, , , , , , ,  and . Crimes performed against this belief are punishable with imprisonment.
 * 3) To abstain from misconduct concerning sense-pleasures: This includes, with the legal  being 18 years old. Crimes performed against this belief are punishable with imprisonment or the death penalty.
 * 4) To abstain from false speech: This includes the criminal offense of, , , as well as any form of defamation of the government and its ideology through written or spoken speech. All published material that doesn’t align with the government’s constructed image is banned or censored, and punishable with imprisonment or the death penalty.
 * 5) To abstain from alcoholic drink or drugs that are an opportunity for heedlessness: This includes the consumption and distribution, whether through selling or buying, of .  and  have been excluded from this belief for several decades. Crimes performed against this belief are punishable with imprisonment.

The Monarch of Heiban holds the title of Protector of the Faith and has the job of interpreting and protecting the country's national religion as well as deeming which practices are to be considered moral or immoral. Any religious order given by the Monarch is then reported to the Head Monk, head of the Grand Temple of Qiānliú (千流大庙) and the person in charge of spreading the religious teachings to the rest of the nation. In recent times, the sovereign has used his power as Protector of the Faith to shape and reinterpret Buddhist teachings as a way to justify changes in the Heibanese law, the most recent and well-known example of this is the creation of the aforementioned core beliefs in 1993.

Culture
Heibanese culture is a hybrid mixture of ancient traditions from eastern Kesh and the more recently adopted customs from southern Kesh, all of which have been influenced by the introduction of Buddhism and the government’s ideology. In the present day, Heiban is a self-proclaimed 'Culturally Unified State' as declared by the government. This is due to the work of the country's Royal Guard of Traditions (Guoyu: 皇家傳統衛隊, Huángjiā Chuántǒng Wèiduì), a branch of the military created with the purpose of protecting and reinforcing the practice of Heibanese traditions and customs above all else, as an act of cultural protectionism, and in an attempt to ensure Heibanese culture won't be tampered by the influence of its neighbors.

Art, entertainment and literature
Heibanese people are very traditional and usually have a hard time embracing newer customs and innovations into the country, this stands particularly true with the royal family and the extreme upper class families who view the introduction of newer customs as a threat to the Heibanese nationalism and their ludicrous ways of living. This sentiment is reflected in the different arts, forms of entertainment and literature present in the country.



Dancing, music and painting are the most prestigious forms of art and are held to a higher standard than any other. Every upper and middle class child is expected to learn to play an instrument at some point, children of the royal and extreme upper class in particularly are all taught how to play the national instrument, the Yueqin (Guoyu: 月琴, yuèqín). Dancing and painting, though not as commonly praised as music, are also appreciated nationwide, particularly since both forms of art are available to every citizen regardless of class, unlike certain musical instruments.

Literature has been an intricate topic throughout much of the country's history, as the writing and publishing of literary material was reserved only to the upper class for until fairly recently. Today, though writing has been made available to all citizens, the publishing of books can be a tricky situation in Heiban, particularly since the implementation of Heiban's Core Beliefs; historical and political books that don't align with the government's principles tend to be censored or outright banned, all books under these two literary genres published today either fall in line with the national ideology or act as indirect propaganda for the government. Fictional novels and books that don't touch into the political aspect of Heiban will usually do well and will rarely get censored.

The seventh art, though relatively new, has been gaining traction fast among the Heibanese people and could be considered the only form of modern art to have truly found its way among the country's more traditional and conservative beliefs. However, this appreciation toward cinema is mostly directed toward foreign movies, as the national movie industry remains relatively small and new, and those who aspire to become actors or actresses are usually looked down, since those are still considered 'jobs of last resort' by the older citizens, who grew up valuing manual and intellectual work over a creative one.

All foreign material, particularly books and movies, and songs to a lesser extent, are reviewed by the Ministry of Culture to determine if censorship or a cultural ban are necessary.