Mid-Century Rebellions
 Taiping Rebellion ( 太平天國 ) (1851-1864)
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 Christian inspired
Nian Rebellion ( 捻軍起義 ) 1851-1868
 Bandit groups
 Muslim Rebellions (1862-1873)
 Panthay Rebellion (Southwest)
 Xinjiang (Northwest )

Taiping Origins
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Hong Xiuquan (1813-1864) Heavenly King
“Hakka” ( 客家 ) “guest family” vs. Original Inhabitants ( bendi )
Failure as scholar
“Good Works to Exhort the Age” (1832) Liang Afa
 Issachar T. Roberts, American Baptist Missionary
God Worshippers Society vs. Secret Societies and Brotherhoods
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Triads, Heaven and Earth Society
Millenarian movements

Thistle Mountain Base
 Militarization
 Ten Thousand Followers
 New Leaders:
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Yang Xiuqing 楊秀清 (God the Father) Eastern King
Xiao Chaogui 蕭朝貴 (Jesus) Western King
 Wei Changhui 韋昌輝 Northern King
 Shi Dakai 石達開 (Wing King)

Heavenly Kingdom (Taiping Tianguo)
March North 1850-51

Nanjing: “New Jerusalem”
 Revolutionary Movement?
 Egalitarian society
 Primitive communism
 New Civil Service Examination
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Bible and Hong’s exegesis
 Arrival of Hong Rengan, 1859
 Attempt reform

Taiping Tianguo (1851-1864)
 Declare Taiping Tianguo 1/11/1851
 Direct challenge to imperial legitimacy
 No gambling, alcohol or opium
 25 Person Units
 Segregate sexes
 Common treasury
 Equality for women

Taiping Weaknesses
 Internal Power Struggles
 Failure of northern campaign
 Lack of coordination with other rebellions
 Radical Ideology
 Hakka ethnicity

Suppression of Taipings
 Zeng Guofan 曾國藩
 Scholar/gentry support
 Local Militias
 Western support
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Weapons/loans
Defense of Shanghai
 Mercenaries
Zeng Guofan

A Proclamation Against the
Bandits
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Zeng Guofan: “The most extraordinary crisis of all time for the Confucian teachings”

Provincial Leaders
 Zeng Guofan (1811-1872)
 Organized Hunan Army to suppress Taiping
 Li Hongzhang (1823-1901)
 Organized Huai Army to suppress Nian
 Zuo Zongtang (1812-1885)
 Suppressed Muslim Rebellion

Nian Rebellion ( 捻軍起義 )1851-1868
 Roving Bandit Gangs in
North China
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Yellow River Flood
1851
Mobile warfare, armed horsemen (30-50 thousand)
Zhang Luoxing leader of
Nian
Li Hongzhang ( 李鴻章 ) led suppression
Li Hongzhang

Muslim Rebellions (1862-1873)
 Panthay Rebellion
 Han – Muslim antagonism
 Northwest Rebellion
 Inspired by Sufism
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 Siege warfare
Zuo Zongtang
左宗棠 led suppression of both
Muslim
Zuo Zongtang