Demographics of Daehanjeiguk

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The study of the Demographics of Daehanjeiguk includes its population, the habits of its citizenry, and the cultural history of those inhabitants. In all, it is a very complicated subject matter, despite the apparent homogeneity seen by most foreigners in the Han Empire.

[edit] Religion

Many Han people do not express any particular religious preference; instead, many citizens prefer to follow concepts of multiple religions. Relatively few citizens are agnostic, and fewer still are atheist; the religions with the largest followings are Buddhism (26.7%), Christianity [including Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, and others] (24.8%), animism (10.9%), and Islam (8.9%). While many other countries view Confucianism as a religion, Han scholars prefer to qualify it as a social practice concept, as it does not have any particular message requiring the faith of an adherent. Furthermore, religion is not merely the adherence to a strict set of doctrines but a proscribed set of beliefs; hence any individual can claim to be a Buddhist Christian or a Muslim animist, even though particular adherents to said faiths may claim that it is impossible to be one and the other. Religion in the Han Empire is best described as daily beliefs that each person believes, so it is difficult to discern how to qualify religion as other foreigners would perceive, especially where the doctrines of opposing religions may be compatible in some areas.

As a matter of official policy, the Imperial government does not recognize any one religious body as the sole religious doctrine of the Empire, especially since the Empire does not have any official recognition of a legal definition. In the tradition of recognizing only the needs of the Imperial state, the Empire allows people to adhere to any belief that they view as "right" or "necessary", as long as such beliefs do not hinder the progress of the Empire at large. And while the Empire does not maintain any religious recognition, the Empire does realize the power of faith and is often accommodating to people and their beliefs within the limits of the law (especially when it comes to civic duties).

[edit] Ethnicity

Main article: Han (ethnicity)

As stated, every citizen of Han is officially called "Han"; but this does not usually translate directly into a clear distinction of what sort of genealogy any person will have. A "Han" person is more an artificial ethnicity, with its loyalty based in a societal construction rather than any familial relationship. Nonetheless, despite the efforts of centuries of Imperial edicts, people will view themselves according to their familial relations. Most people in the Empire are either of the Korean, Chinese, or Filipino ethnicities. A number will also be Vietnamese, Uyghur, Mongol, or Tibetan. As a result, most people coming to the Han Empire are usually unaware of the ethnic diversity, principally because of cultural differences and Imperial definitions. Although it has been historical policy to suppress nationalist sentiments among the individual national groups, but more recently, the Empire has been more open to individuals exploring their ethnic heritage, as part of a liberalized appreciation for history and tradition.