The modern city of Hadrapur is situated 120 kilometers from the original city, a vast complex of temples established by a local king in the late 12th century. From the 13th to 15th century, the steadfast and wise stewardship of a line of noble successors ensured the prominence of the city in the Southeast Eurasian region. The old city was abandoned after a neighbouring kingdom sacked it sometime in the 15th century.
 
In the 19th century, the region experienced a revival of sorts when pirates established a settlement in what is now the modern city of Hadrapur.
 
During the Eurasian War, Hadrapur was an open city and became a haven for refugees. After the war's end, most of the refugees decided to make Hadrapur their new home. The city's business leaders, self-made exiles from their enemies in the Chinese Domains, took advantage of this source of cheap labour and built the foundation for a strong mercantile and industrial city-state.
 
The rapidly growing metropolis was in the international spotlight when the Hadrapur Treaty was signed there to end the Siberian Conflict. Long after the last tank battle, covert operatives from the Commonwealth of Petrovin and the Chinese Domains still wage a cold war in the urban landscape of Hadrapur.
 
The denizens of the modern, high-tech city of Hadrapur can boast of their high standard of living, which is ranked among the top in Asia and comparable to many of the cities in the Western world. Hadrapur is always at the forefront of computer and communications technology. In the past decade, the infrastructure for this wired-city was funded and built by a partnership between the government and the corporations. A portion of personal taxes pay for public access terminals, and all citizens are issued ID cards, which can be used for a variety of services.
 
The Government's economic and tax policies create a financial climate that is favourable to the corporations. This is not surprising since an oligarchy of mercantile power blocs have dominated the political scene since the Eurasian War.
 
Many multi-national corporations have established or moved their Asian headquarters to Hadrapur. The city is already home to two major corporate arcologies and another is being constructed offshore.
 
Government and corporate subsidies have staved off the effects of the dot com crash that afflicted high tech centers elsewhere in the world. These measures cannot last forever.
 
As a transportation and economic center, Hadrapur is vulnerable to the drug trade. Law enforcement officials and some interest groups are urging the government to grant the police extraordinary powers. There is also a campaign to create well-equipped SWAT units to conduct regular searches, raids, and seizures. However, these proposed changes would be futile since corporate property is off-limits to state law enforcement. The transnational companies provide their own security.
 
Chinese (Mandarin), Malay, and English are all official languages. Today, the 4.6 million inhabitants of Hadrapur are fluent in at least two if not all three tongues.