Xing

Xing is a large empire far to the east of Amestris, across the Great Desert and on the opposite side of the ruins of Xerxes. In reality, the nation of Xing is made up of fifty hereditary clans all under the rule of a single Emperor, who cements his rule by taking the daughter of each clan's chief to be his concubine and bear him an heir.

While this method works to ensure fealty to the Emperor by binding each clan to him by blood through their ruling families, it creates a great deal of contention between the clans as all the heirs compete to inherit the throne. As it stands, it is common for the various heirs and their vassals to make assassination attempts against their royal siblings in order to clear the playing field. In 1914, at the time of the series, there are forty-three heirs (twenty-four princes and nineteen princesses) competing savagely to ascend to the throne held by their father, who is reported to be in failing health. Of the fifty clans only three have been named in the course of the series - the Yao clan (from which Ling, Lan Fan and Fu come), the Chang clan (from which May and Xiao-Mei come) and the Han clan(a man from that clan leads Edward, Breda and Armstrong to the ruins of Xerxes).

Separated from the cluster of western nations by expansive, sandy badlands, Xing's culture and customs vary rather greatly from those in Amestris and its border countries and little information passes freely across the harsh, barren divide in either direction. Warriors of Xing, rather than relying on traditional western means of combat, have developed their own style of martial arts which blends acrobatic skills with melee weapon combat. Additionally, Xingese martial artists appear capable of greatly heightened senses such as sight and hearing as well as the development of a sixth sense that allows them to detect and appraise the presence and flow of life energy as it exists within human souls.

While there is enough to suggest that Xing is not far behind Amestris in terms of technological advancement, common Amestrian practices (such as integrating firearms into automail limbs) are completely unheard of within the empire. However, Xing's own arsenal of specialized grenades is rather impressive, boasting explosive types unknown in Amestris (such as capsicum tear gas grenades and flashbombs). Additionally, while automail itself is rare in Xing, it is possible to attain through certain channels.

While rare, it isn't impossible for travelers from Xing to undertake the harrowing venture to the west. There is talk of a sea route by which immigrants or visitors may reach nations such as Amestris, but the shortest and most direct route is across the perilous desert. Through these routes, there exists a sizable merchant system used to transport literature, weapons and people across, legally or otherwise.

Alkahestry
Another of Xing's unique customs is the practice of the Alkahestry - an alternate type of alchemy. Whereas Amestrian Alchemy claims to have its roots in the energy of tectonic shifts and practices manipulation of matter toward scientifically practical ends as well as a means to military supremacy, Alkahestry operates on the concept of fashioning elixirs and, therefore, is focused on mainly medicinal purposes. The basic principle of Alkahestry is centered on a concept called the "Dragon's Pulse" which speaks of the earth itself having a constant flow of chi (life energy) which flows from the tops of mountains down to the land, nourishing everything is passes with that energy as does blood coursing through the veins. Using this concept, Alkahestrists are capable of a higher level of medical transmutation than Amestrian alchemists - transmitting chi through the pathways of the human body to cure mild ailments as well as minor injuries - and can even project their transmutations over long distances and wide areas by accessing and guiding that current to their own means.

Four hundred years ago, the practices which would give rise to this Xingese alchemy could not be truly called "alchemy" at all, but a series of misguided attempts at mystical healing through the ingestion of various substances. In fact, it is said that three whole generations of the imperial family died from ingesting mercury because they believed that it promoted longevity. It wasn't until a mysterious figure they call "The Philosopher of the West", who had supposedly come from Xerxes, appeared in Xing with his alchemical teachings that Xingese Alkahestry was born - created from a melding of the new teachings and the old metaphysical healing practices.

Trivia

 * Xing can be considered the equivalent of China in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, as people are very skilled in martial arts and have invented portable explosives. In addition, the word "xing" means "star" in Mandarin Chinese, which may be a play on the future emperor Ling's name meaning "dawn".


 * Xing's medicine-based Alkahestry parallels China's early alchemic studies. The Chinese sought after the secrets behind alchemy strictly for healing purposes.