Xing

[The Truth]

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, 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.