THE TAIPING REBELLION

One of the bloodiest civil wars in history

The Taiping Rebellion was one of the most violent and important events in the history of China. It was led by Hong Xiuquan, an ethnic Hakka, who had failed the civil service exam several times. After falling sick, he claimed to have a number of visions of heaven and believed that he was the son of God and the younger brother of Jesus Christ, and that it was his duty to overthrow the Manchu Qing dynasty and reform China.

Hong began preaching his ideas across the province of Guangxi and his friend and follower, Feng Yunshan, founded a new religious group, the God Worshippers’ Society, which particularly attracted peasants who were suffering from famine. Hong joined the God Worshippers himself and the Society expanded, with Hong eventually referring to himself as ‘The Taiping King.’

In 1850, the Society declared the formation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, marking the beginning of the rebellion, which eventually spread across the lower and central Yangtze region. Three years later, the rebels successfully captured the city of Nanjing, which they established as the new Taiping capital. Next, The Taiping rebels set their sights on capturing Beijing, but they did not succeed.

In 1864, Hong was found dead and it remains unclear whether he committed suicide or was murdered. A month later, Nanjing was eventually captured by Qing forces after 11 years of Taiping occupation. Ultimately, the Taiping Rebellion resulted in the deaths of – at least – an estimated 20 million people. Even though the Qing dynasty won, it was left extremely weakened by the rebellion and it is considered a factor in the dynasty’s collapse less than five decades later.