Anmi

Anmi-si 안미시
Provincial Capital
The Port of Anmi and the inlet of the Eun River (Eungang)
Nickname:  The Heart of the Southern Coast
Country	Haesan
Administrative District (Province)	Namhae
Founded	c. 150 BCE
Government
• Mayor	Emily Bates (Liberal Democrats)
Area
• Total	550 km2 (214 sq mi)
Elevation	5 m (17 ft)
Population  (2015)
• Total	3,108,679
• Density	5,600/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+7 (CHT)
Website	anmisi.hn

Anmi is a city in Haesan, the capital of Namhae Province and its largest city. Anmi is a key port city, and a major hub for inter-Haesan logistics. With a population of over 3.1 million, Anmi is the sixth most populous city in Haesan. Long a center of resistance to authoritarian regimes, both the Opthelian colonial administration and Haesanite autocrats alike, now the city is a culturally diverse export-oriented manufacturing center designated as a Special Economic Zone.

History

Long a prosperous fishing town, Anmi was the site of major conflicts during the Warring Dukedoms period as the Kim dukedom and Choi dukedom nearly continuously fought for its control after the conquest of the Dukedom of Hwang. Anmi blossomed during the United Dominion of Haesan period, as its key port with access to the major trans-Haesan river system and central location for transporting goods made it the nation's largest market town for agricultural goods and products. Anmi was the eastern terminus of the Namgil, the system of well-graded and heavily policed roads that linked the core southern cities in medieval Haesan. Due to Anmi's status as a market town, it had an abnormally high population density of livestock, leading to it becoming the epicenter of the Great Plague which swept through Haesan in the late 14th century, killing over 1/3 of the cities' population.

In the 15th century during the reign of Empress Min, the city was revitalized and became one of the richest cities per capita in the IDU as land from plague victims was apportioned to the remaining families, leading to a unprecedented windfall. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, the city became one of merchants and artists as an increased demand for foreign imports and scroll artwork and other small luxuries boomed amongst many newly middle class households. In the late 17th century, the city had rebounded to briefly become the second most populous city in Haesan. In 1704, Opthelian ships arrived into Anmi's harbour and forcibly opened the city to trade. In 1732, the Opthelians implemented a formal governorship system against the wishes of local authorities. In 1754, Anmi was formally incorporated into the Suyang Colony, which would then be renamed to the Opthelian Colony of Haesan.

Anmi was the site of many early revolts against Opthelian rule, as policies implemented by the Southern Coast governorship like the so-called Excess Tax and the Property Levy sought to strip Haemi families of their land and wealth. Tensions came to a peak with Cho's rebellion in 1806, when a large, highly organized mob of rioters burned portside Opthelian military barracks, and then set ablaze or otherwise critically damaged an Opthelian ship of the line, two corvettes, and several Opthelian flagged merchant ships loaded up for return the following day. At that point, it was amongst the largest single losses of naval capacity in Opthelian history, and prompted a declaration of martial law. Total military occupation of the city lasted for over four decades, defined by a reign of terror which saw houses ransacked by authorities at will, spot detentions and show trials, often without probable cause, which ultimately resulted in the convictions of over a third of the city's male population, up to 15% at any given time, and outlandish fines handed out to households in order so that they could be seized by authorities. Throughout the period, various protest movements tried to restore freedoms, but they were consistently violently cracked down on.

Anmi was heavily transformed by the change in Opthelian leadership in the mid-19th century. The appointment of Governor Nelson in 1846 with a new mandate to provide greater economic autonomy and modernize the nation in order to abate rising dissent led to the near immediate end of martial law in the city and would ultimately transform it into a manufacturing hub. Anmi had by then been reduced to one of the poorest cities in the south of Haesan due to the violence of the preceding decades, and Nelson made it a national priority to focus on ports, manufacturing capacity, and improved infrastructure, of which Anmi was a core recipient. Civil society was repaired during the Amelian period, where new social norms regarding gender and political discourse enabled the return of a robust intellectual culture.

However, after the assassination of the Duchess Amelia in 1908, as the Opthelian government sought to reassert more aggressive control over the colony, the city once again became a hotbed for resistance to the Opthelian regime. After prominent democracy activist Seo Ji-min was exiled from Suyang for inciting public unrest, she moved to Anmi from where she established a series of Freedom Clubs across the south of Haesan in order to organize independence demonstrations. Anmi was the site of the first major Opthelian retreat from Haesan, where in 1919 the local governors office was forced to close due to political unrest.

While prosperous during the First Commonwealth, Anmi once again became a site of resistance after the April Coup ushered in a military dictatorship. However dissent faded during the first Lagarde administration, as concessions were given and public sentiment remained generally high. During the Great War, Anmi was a site of major military successes, as Haesanite troops ultimately held out advancing Daryan forces for over 5 months during their initial invasion, and the Coalition ultimately retook the city in October 1964. However, as the Daryans retreated across the Eun River they intentionally destroyed much of the city's key infrastructure, and ultimately Anmi was amongst some of the heaviest damaged cities of the conflict. Anmi would once again become a center for protest after the Great War, where citizens regularly marched against both the Maximusian Provisional Government, and the Lagarde and Kim dictatorships. In 1984, government troops opened fire on a crowd of protestors, mostly students, killing 58 and injuring over 300. The event, now known as the Anmi Massacre, is widely credited with accelerating the fall of the dictatorial regime in Haesan.

Anmi was designated a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) by the Pak government in 1987. Since then it has seen an impressive expansion of its population and geographic footprint driven in large part by immigration, primarily from Caxcana, especially the Huenyan subcontinent. The city was an early and aggressive adopter of the Haeanization movement, and was the first city to completely Haeanize its place names and street signs.

Economy

Anmi's economy is defined by export oriented industries, especially heavy manufacturing. Anmi is the center of Haesanite aerospace manufacturing, headquartering Gwangbok Aviation, Haesan's largest aircraft manufacturer and amongst the largest in the IDU. Anmi is also home to Saerom Industries, one of the IDUs largest semiconductor manufacturers, and a key fabricator of of electrical components and circuit boards. Much of Saerom's engineering and R&D also takes place in the Anmi metro area. Anmi is also a major hub for exports as it processes and distributes good from the Eungang Valley region; Anmi's port is the third busiest in Haesan, just behind Hanyeong and Gyeongseong. Anmi is a major rail hub, as a key stop on the Southern Express Line (SEL) and as a terminus of the Central Valley Express (CVX) high speed rail lines. Its primary airport, Anmi Seo Ji-min International Sky Harbour (ANM), is the fourth busiest in Haesan.

Culture

Anmi has historically been an educational hub, and currently the city is home to 29 colleges and universities. The most recognized of those is the University of Namhae, a mid-sized research institution in the prestigious National Conference known for its education in trade, finance, and international business. Anmi's Eunyeol College is generally regarded as one of the best liberal arts colleges in Haesan. Anmi has tended to politically support both institutionalists and internationalists throughout its modern history, following the legacy of Seo Ji-min who is particularly fondly regarded in the city. As a result, the city has produced numerous leaders of both the Liberal Democrats and Moderate Party.

Anmi, long known for its rebellious streak, has one of the most diverse and recognizable street art scenes in the IDU. In 2023, a series of murals, large scale works of graffiti, and other major, generally non-commissioned public artworks in the city were designated as an Architectural National Treasure. Anmi is also the founding place of Namhae calligraphy, a particularly intricate style of scroll painting developed during the 17th century. The practice of Namhae calligraphy is recognized as an Intangible National Heritage, and the Anmi Historical Gallery is home to the largest collection of Haesanite scroll paintings in the world, specializing on Namhae-style artworks both ancient and modern.

Anmi has a proud sporting heritage, with baseball being the most popular sport in the city. The Saerom Anmi Rockets have been amongst the more successful teams in HNL history, winning the Astral Cup as recently as 2023. Anmi FC is the city's premier association football team, which achieved success in the early 2000s in the Commonwealth League, the top flight of Haesanite football. The Anmi Engineers of the Haesan Cricket Tour are one of the most successful club cricket teams in Haesan, with 5 championships since the league's re-founding in 1997.

Notable places

• Anmi Historical Gallery, a modern, recently renovated art museum with the largest collection of painted scroll paintings in the IDU
• Eungang Urban Forest, a series of natural, forested berms with walking trails alongst the Eun River
• Harbourside Mall, the largest indoor shopping center in Haesan with advantageous duty free rates for foreign travelers
• Jeonsanggung, the historic seat of Haesanite governors to the southern coast, a well preserved palace and government complex first built in the 12th century
• University of Namhae, a prestigious research university internationally renowned for its business and finance programs

Notable people

• Amelia Ward, 10th Deputy Prime Minister of Haesan, b. 1969
• Jiseon (Kim Ji-seon), member of Hae-pop girl group B.O.I., b. 1973
• Min Seon-min, football centre-back for AFC Seorin and the Haesanite National Team, b. 1997
• Sabrina Hwang, 8th Prime Minister of Haesan, b. 1975
• Yang Seung-su, 17th century classical master of calligraphy