[Dragaera] Dragaeran empire compared to China

[Jon Lincicum]

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Martin Wohlert <martin_wohlert at hotmail.com>
> 
> I've been a member of this list for a few years now, and I
> realised that there's a thought I haven't shared with you, neither
> does it seem as if it's been mentioned.
>  
> The Dragaeran Empire feels like a fantasy version of China.
> Well, not culturally (and there's no elves in China either...),
> but geographically it feels like a mirrored version of (historical)
> China, a big empire with just a few civilized neighbors, Elde 
> and Grenaere which could be seen as Japan and Korea. These
> neigbors live under the threat of invasion, but manage to hold it
> off. 
> The East would then correspond to the lands to the west of China,
> viewed as barbarous by the Dragaerans/Chinese. 

China is one of the great historical examples of human empire. 

As such, I have no doubt that there are some deliberate parallels here (The "Grand Canal" certainly seems an obvious parallel to the Chinese analog of the same name).
  
However, there are also parallels with the Roman Empire (esp in regards to political makeup), British Empire (esp. in regards to seafaring and trade), the Greeks (aspects of Warrior Culture in an "enlightened" society) , and many others. 

> Have I hit upon something, or is this just obvious/uninteresting?

Obvious, perhaps. But certainly not uninteresting. At least, I do not find it so.

Majikjon