The Ming are a tall, slender race with sharp humanoid features and bluish skin. They are a very graceful people, and have been likened unto the Eldar, to whom they have a superficial resemblance. This resemblance is in looks only.
The Ming have a very specific family structure. Ming couples mate for life, but Ming young are raised by a foster parent chosen to match the personality of the child and to raise the child to a specific occupation. These foster parents are called Forchukoi.
The Ming retain a very strong religion of the masses, based upon the worship of Mingdragal. Although Mingdragal was once nothing more than a primitive Sun deity, the concept of him as a religious entity has evolved to become a complex and sophisticated theology which emphasizes the ultimate unity of the universe and of all people. The church of Mingdragal exercises a very strong role in Ming society, acting as the legal system of the Ming as well as the center of purely religious life.
The basic Ming philosophy may be summed by the phrase: "Purpose requires Strength." This is the axium upon which all Ming life is built. The Ming will vigorously pursue any objective deemed desirable. As long as an objective continues to seem desirable to the Ming, they will pursue that objective unflinchingly, regardless of the cost.
The Ming Empire is an Empire in name only. Actually, government rests with the Assembly of Twenty, selected by the Assembly of Two Thousand. This latter is an elected body. The Ming have a War Leader, but his political role is symbolic and administrative rather than one of policy setting.
Ming are highly militaristic and believe that the survival of their race is their most important objective. The Ming will advance Imperial objectives persistently, yet they value and seek to protect other races that will ally with them. Even conquered races are shown a great deal of tolerance, in the hopes that the conquered race will in time become one with the Ming Empire.
The Galactic View of the Ming requires that all threats be identified and nullified or removed. This view has been interpreted to encourage expansion, both as a means to gain wealth and raw materials, and to gain knowledge about any neighboring races that might pose a threat. The Ming will always react to any overt threat by eliminating or neutralizing that threat. In the long view, the Ming look forward to all sentient races being included in a universal Empire united against Chaos and the Dark Forces, with all races protected from harm.
The Ming have a unified military command, with subdivisions for the war space fleets, planetary assault forces, system fortifications, and planetary guard forces. All adult Ming serve in the planetary guard force if they are not in one of the more professional branches of the military. The planetary guard force is the basic recruiting ground for all of the other forces, and is made up of part-time soldiers. The professional standing forces are highly trained and highly motivated with the finest weapons and equipment Ming technology can provide.
The Ming have a highly sophisticated Warp technology and highly developed navigational devices. They rely upon fast, maneuverable fleets to defend their space and to explore and colonize new worlds. Their space navy is highly developed, with long ranged ships able to reach all parts of the known galaxy. Much of Ming technology is unknown to the Tech Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Imperium of Mankind. Ming spacecraft move at great distances by warping or folding space. they will disappear at one point to almost instantaneously reappear thousands of light years away.
The Ming homeworlds are outside the Astronomicon, and they have a number of colonized worlds along the Eastern Fringes of the Astronomicon. The Ming have colonized and conquered many worlds in areas where the Imperium of Man is weak. They have made contact with many of the races, such as the Eldar, the Squats, and the Orks. They have made trade and cultural agreements with many of the Squat Leagues to purchase natural resources from them. They have also made non-aggression pacts with several Eldar Craftworlds, but at this time they have not made full allegiance with any of the Eldar worlds or Craftworlds. The Ming have attempted to make peaceful contact with the Imperium of Mankind, but in each instance the Imperium of Mankind has reacted violently, so a state of hostility exists between them. At this time, it has not devolved to all-out war, but it is feared by the leaders of the Ming that it will come to this, as the Imperium of Mankind seems to be a very xenophobic and aggressive entity.
What is unknown to the Imperium of Mankind is that the Ming are a race that is limited in numbers as compared to the vast populations of the Imperium of Mankind. This fact is all that limits the Ming expansion. What is seen by the other races of the known galaxy is a very sophisticated high technology race of unknown size.
The Ming are a long-lived race, but their procreation is limited. If a couple has more than two children, they are considered truly blessed. A Ming child takes 35 standard years to reach adulthood. They are physically matured at age 20 years, but their mental development takes a further 15 years. During this 15 years, the Ming child is intensively trained in the martial arts and in Ming philosophy, besides the general education that it has been receiving since about age 7. It will also during these years be taught its daily profession.
The Ming use robotics to do menial tasks, freeing them for technical, scientific, artistic, militaristic, and philosophical occupation. The philosophy of the Ming calls for every member of society to be a well-rounded individual, trained in both the martial arts and the cultural arts. The martial arts are required for the survival of the race, and the cultural arts are required for the survival of the racial identity, so they are considered to be bound together in the daily life of the Ming.