long guo [Lore] Long Kong

[Dio]

Long Kong - Star of the East

 

Long Kong is a semi-autonomous territory on the western shore of Long Guo.  Much of modern Long Kong’s development has taken place within the last 200 years; far more recent than the multi-millennial history of cities like Huangjing.  In spite of its relative youth, the city has seen phenomenal growth and development and today stands as a shining star on the coast of Long Guo.  Its rapid ascension has attracted the brightest minds and most ambitious hearts from around the world to build its towers, craft its ships, and do business within its halls of commerce.  As a result, Long Kong is a cosmopolitan melting pot of eastern and western culture.

 

For much of Long Guo’s history, the western coast was only sparsely inhabited.  Small villages dotted the coastal ridges mostly populated by isolated clans of Longma.  When the unification began, however, the Emperor’s forces came to the conclusion that they would need to command the coast or be denied the riches of the sea.  Long Kong Island was chosen as the site of a naval fort due to its strategic location at the mouth of the Lu’ma River.  Its commanding view of the river estuary and possession of a protected natural harbor made it a natural choice to safeguard the kingdom from incursions by sea while providing a staging ground for future force projection.  It was these first garrisons that formed the basis for the city of Long Kong.  The fortress proper bears the name Mason's Redoubt, often shortened to just “The Redoubt.”

 

As the Redoubt grew from a small fort into a fortified city with a proper harbor, a network of bridges was constructed to link Long Kong Island with the mainland.  Residential areas grew organically from the harbor facilities and garrison workers’ dwellings and soon a bustling city began to form outside the fortress walls.  In the modern age, Long Kong has less use for the Redoubt itself, though it has become such a fixture of the local culture that the denizens of Long Kong could scarcely do without it.

 

Portions of Mason’s Redoubt have been demolished for dwelling places, businesses, and new structures, but much of it remains functional even after centuries of use.  A local garrison of Guard is stationed there to keep watch over the city.  The city’s administrative structures also find their home among the old fortress walls.  Today, the fortress continues to stand guard over Celestia Harbor, named in honor of Princess Celestia’s personal patronage of the city during Long Kong’s development.

 

Downtown district spans the breadth of the Lu’ma Delta, much of its structure being artificial in nature.  The architecture is a mixture of eastern and western styles, blending native Long Sun history with Equestrian lavishness and a splash of Aquellian verticality.  Downtown is best known for its freewheeling atmosphere and bustling nightlife.  Shops, restaurants, clubs, galleries, and performance venues can be found all across the delta region that forms the heart of Long Kong.  Because of its importance and central location, Downtown boasts its own airport, separate from the one found in Typhoon Quay.

 

New Town is composed of semi-urban sprawl on the north shore of the Lu’ma.  While Downtown is where the denizens and visitors to Long Kong go to play, New Town is where many choose to live.  The most recent development in Long Kong, New Town accommodates many non-native species, including substantial pony and griffon populations.  New Town is further subdivided into Northside, the ground portion of the district, and Typhoon Quay, a cloud-bound portion of the city mostly inhabited by pegasi and griffons.  The Quay is also home to Long Kong’s second airship port.  Beneath the perpetual clouds of the Quay lies the substantial green space of Celestia Park.  New Town sprawl continues up the coastal ridge, gradually tapering off first into small subdivisions, then mansion estates, and finally isolated heritage sites and temples along the crest and leeward side.

 

On the south bank of the Lu’ma lies Port Town.  Port Town is largely industrial, with few dwelling places and storefronts.  Much of Long Kong’s manufacturing, storage, and shipping lies within the industrial grid of the south bank.  A distinct sense of grit lingers in Port Town, reminiscent of the shadows of the industrial smelters in Stalliongrad’s Kuznitza District or Talonopolis’ Base level factories.  Most of the shipping in and out of Port Town is done via the canals carved into the bank that allow easy access to Celestia Harbor, though the skies are also kept clear for those companies successful enough to afford service via airlift contracts.

 

Long Kong is a blend of old and new, of historical reverence and avant-garde panache, of virtue and wickedness.  The bright lights and fabulous sights attract the best of the world, but also those who prey upon them.  The underbelly of the city is rife with organized crime in the form of Long Sun triads, and corruption runs rampant among those whose wealth and power affords them such luxuries.  Though largely confined to the underground, the battle against the triads and their corrupting influence in Long Kong politics is eternal.  Long Kong’s juxtaposition of ancient heritage and modern sensibilities is a reflection of the duality of Long Sun culture and the understanding of balance for which all Long Sun strive.

~A Pocket Guide to Long Kong