TAIPING REBELLION. - Anti-Manchu revolutionary movement that arose and unfolded under the two emperors Xianfeng (1850-61) and Tongzhi (1861-1875). The revolt was begun and led by a certain Hung Hsu-tsien (1813-63), a Hakka from the vicinity of Canton, a failed and discontented bachelor, formerly in the service of Protestant missionaries.

Reading certain discourses on the Bible, he became convinced that he was the second son of God, and therefore the younger brother of Jesus Christ; he baptized himself, and, with a friend, went to Kwangsi to preach to the Mao Tse savages (1844). The new gospel promised every good thing on earth and in heaven, and its followers would all escape a furious cataclysm that was in view. The visionary had success, and in a short time managed to form a formidable army, which took possession of several large cities in the valley of the Blue River. Nanking was taken in 1853, made the capital of the Empire of the T. and held for eleven years. They nearly reached Peking. This revolutionary movement, which aimed at the conquest of China in order to dethrone the Manchu emperors, threatened China precisely while the latter was engaged in the second war against England (1856-60). In 1860 the situation was very grave, when Prince Kung, brother of the emperor Xianfeng (d. 1861), by a shrewd maneuver knew how to take advantage of the new European-Manilese army formed by the two American adventurers Ward and Burgevine, urged on by the great merchants of Shanghai, having it officially recognized by imperial decree of 16 Apr. 1862. It was this "ever victorious" army that, joined with some imperial troops, succeeded in retaking the cities that had already fallen into the hands of the rebels and, under the command of Gordon, who succeeded Burgevine, ended the campaign with the capture of Nanking (July 1864). The revolt had lasted fourteen years, had spread to twelve provinces, had ruined more than six hundred cities. Hung Hsu-tsien had committed suicide the month before.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: W. Callery and J. Ivan, History of the T. insurrection, London 1853; H. Egmont Hake, Events in the T. rebellion, ibid. 1891; H. Cordier, Hist. génér. de la Chine, IV, Paris 1920, p. 31 ff.

Giovanni Battista Tragella

@incollection{ec11_t_ai_p_ing_rivolta_dei, author = {Tragella, Giovanni Battista}, title = {T'Ai P'Ing, rivolta dei}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XI}, pages = {1705--1706}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/t-ai-p-ing-rivolta-dei} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Taiping Rebellion

About this entry