Zhenian diaspora

Zhenian diaspora (Seomun: 秦國系 僑民, Jinmun: 진국계 교민) is a term given to people of ethnic Zhenian birth or descent who reside outside the territories of Zhenia. Consisting of around 40 million people worldwide, a figure not including the Yinguonese diaspora which are separately counted, the group represents all ethnic groups in the nation, although a vast majority are Dan or Wei in ethnicity. The term does not include those of partial Zhenian ethnicity, who are more likely to identify themselves as non-Zhenian in nature.

History
The Zhenian diaspora worldwide grew in three major waves throughout history - the first during medieval and colonial times, particularly during the along  routes; the second after the unification of Zhenia as a result of the Zhenian Civil War; and the third wave during the 20th century. Different waves shaped different forms of the Zhenian diaspora across different regions.

Wave of colonization
The formation of Zhenian diasporas worldwide met a new age with the Age of Sail during the turn of the 15th century, amid colonization in the Hanmaric Ocean and western Veharia. With the colonization effort to western Veharia spearheaded by Shindan, hundreds of thousands of Shindanese made their way east over the years, mostly by choice and in search of opportunities but some to pay off their debts in. Following the first successful Zhenian expedition along the western Veharian coast by Chang Handeok in 1466 (1056 AC), the Shindan dynasty began to promote the relocation of Zhenians in the Danguk Peninsula across the Hanmaric Ocean at an effort to build up regional presence. The first wave of Zhenian settlers arrived in modern-day Kapuku in 1479, while the first Zhenian settlement in western Veharia around modern-day Florencia was established in 1498.

Overseas communities


The Zhenian diaspora vary in their degree of, interaction with their host nation and surrounding communities: while some Zhenians were assimilated into their host nations and reside among the locals, a significant number of Zhenians formed ethnically Zhenian communities and organizations within the host nation. The existence of Little Zhenias throughout many of the world's major cities is an exemplary case of overseas Zhenian communities, to the degree of Zhenian diasporas forming enclaves within major cities with cultural characteristics unique to Zhenia. Historically developed as centers of ethnic Zhenian population within major cities, many of them developed into cultural enclaves with high ethnic diversity to this day, while often being the base for the ethnic Zhenians' commercial success. Some Little Zhenias in the world's largest cities, including one in Monitava, Kathia, has become a key economic outpost for Zhenian conglomerates and corporations operating within the host nation.

Another defining characteristic of overseas Zhenian communities, mostly observed within Little Zhenia, is the role of Zhenian Wuist temples within Zhenian society. Remaining the most common religion among Zhenians, Zhenian Wuism is one of the defining pivots of Zhenian diasporas. With Zhenian Wuism bearing an additional meaning as 'a pivot to the homeland and its people outside Zhenia', the Zhenian diaspora tend to be more devout than domestic Zhenians in their religion - in 2010, the average attendance rate at Zhenian Wuist temples among the Zhenian diaspora was on average around 91%, nearly double the attendance rate observed within Zhenia. It is not uncommon for Zhenian Wuist priests to perform tasks for the local Zhenian community outside his clerical duties, such as the role of officiant in many Zhenian celebrations as well as leaders of local groups called gye.

The existence of the Geomgye in the host nations of Zhenian communities is also worth noting, although not necessarily a defining characteristic of the Zhenian diaspora. Starting as a criminal organization formed by unemployed Zhenians in what is now Ayeran, the Geomgye eventually grew into a worldwide organization under the leadership of Ma Dongsu the Impaler and his descendants in the late 19th century, as well as the absorption of numerous armed Zhenian vagabonds after the Zhenian Civil War and the transition of the Empire of Zhenia into the Republic. Although it has its roots on armed, organized crime, the Geomgye served a special purpose for Zhenian diasporas outside Zhenia: it provided further protection for local Zhenians against discrimination, hate crimes and revolts, often organizing into vigilantes and guardians of local Zhenian businesses in times of crisis. Many tracts of the Geomgye have now surfaced onto the realm of legality, often being the operators and investors of many Zhenian-owned businesses overseas.

Assimilation
The degree of assimilation of Zhenians into the host nation varies significantly by the host nation, wave of Zhenian immigration and the nature of the local Zhenian diaspora. The general tendency among Zhenian diasporas worldwide, however, is that earlier waves of Zhenians who migrated during the wave of colonization has almost completely assimilated to the nation, while Zhenian diasporas formed by newer waves tend to be assimilated less to the host nation.

Ethnic Zhenians in Florencia are among the most common examples of Zhenian assimilation into the host nation, both voluntarily and involuntarily. As one of the few cases in which all three Zhenian migration waves had arrived, it also displays the formation of unique cultural identities by each wave within the Zhenian diaspora.

Citizenship status
As the Republic of Zhenia recognizes conditional, requiring an oath of non-usage of foreign nationality by age 23 to Zhenians born outside the nation, most second-generation Zhenian immigrants outside the nation retain both Zhenian citizenship and the citizenship of their residing nation if their residing nation approves of dual citizenship; most first-generation Zhenian immigrants outside the nation, however, retain Zhenian citizenship unless naturalized and are considered as , as Zhenian citizenship laws allow for citizenship if the person is born within the nation's boundaries. Foreign-born children under first-generation Zhenian immigrants retain the right to choose their nationality by age 23: their decision to primarily exercise Zhenian citizenship requires an oath of non-usage of foreign nationality, in order to minimize legal loopholes. Until the age of 23, foreign-born Zhenians who reside outside the nation are treated equally and can exercise all rights as Zhenian citizens, like their first-generation counterparts.

Return migration
The Zhenian economic resurgence and industrialization in the later half of the 20th century resulted in a shortage of workers in the 3D job sector (dirty, dangerous, difficult), resulting in a series of immigration policies that eventually allowed for visas to ethnic Zhenians and mixed-race residents in Veharia and other parts of Tarsis. An estimated 7.6 million ethnic Zhenians and mixed-race residents throughout Veharia returned to Zhenia from 1970 to 2000, many of them being from Florencia and central Veharian nations. While the most common cause of return migration for ethnic Zhenians in most parts of the world is employment, some, although mostly from other parts of Tarsis, return to the nation via. The significant increase of ethnic Zhenians and their descendants have brought about complex relationships between Zhenia and their host nations, with many ethnic Zhenian migrants moving back and forth between the two.

A rising trend for ethnic Zhenians returning from Aurora and northern Veharia is involvement in the nation's entertainment sector, due to a relative lack of similar opportunities in their host nation. Many of such entertainers, mostly having been recruited by Zhenian entertainment agencies, undergo similar processes for debut with their domestic Zhenian counterparts.