The United Socialist States of Shaojing is a small, safe nation, remarkable for its irreverence towards religion, devotion to social welfare, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 45 million Shaojingians love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The large, socially-minded, outspoken government prioritizes Welfare, with Healthcare, Education, and Defense also on the agenda. The average income tax rate is 52.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The basket case Shaojingian economy, worth 770 billion Huangs a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Cheese Exports industry, with major contributions from Automobile Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Pizza Delivery. Average income is 17,121 Huangs, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The tenet of free speech is held dear, the government awards prizes to television shows featuring stereotype-breaking minority roles, citizens are barcoded to keep track of their movements, and a well-funded social safety net protects the unfortunate. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shaojing's national animal is the sheep, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Shaojing is ranked 254,112^th in the world and 288^th in The Region That Has No Big Banks for Highest Food Quality, scoring 7.37 on the Meeshlin-Starr Index.