The Taiping Revolution

1850-1864

After the Opium War, foreign capitalists invaded China wantonly. The Manchu emperor was corrupt and traitorous, people's privation grew more acute day by day and the national crisis deepened gradually. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement ( THKM) was a large scale anti-feudalism and anti-invasion peasant's revolutionary movement which was formed in the background of such an era.

This revolution, lasting 14 years, covered more than half of China and was the greatest peasant's uprising in the History of China.It was led by Hong XiuQuan , it's aim was to form a Christian style people's paradise called the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

The THK founded a peasant's regime. Theoretically and systematically, it presented many advanced policies that directly lashed Confucius' and Mencius' ideas.

Hong Xiuquan (1814-1864) came from a poor peasant family in Hua County, Guangdong. Since he was poor, he understood what hardship meant. He failed 3 times at the Imperial Examinations and saw in a dream that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ. This led him to believe that his mission was to free hina from Manchu rule. He started the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement (Taiping meaning peace and tranquility)and came up with the 3 principles, which were 1.All land belonged to the people.2.crops would be stored for deficient areas, 3. Women enjoyed the same satus as men. As a result, the THK attracted a large number of peasants.

Hong Xiuquan, Feng Yunshan and their peers staged an armed uprising in Jintian village in Li County,Guangxi provinceon 11 January 1851. The following year, the Taiping Army broke through the Qing Army's encirclement and charged out of Guangxi, entered Hunan and advanced towards Hubei. Throughout the journey, the TPA killed Manchu officials, landlords and local tyrants, burnt farm bonds and distributed things to poor people. As a result, they earned the enthusiastic support of the masses.

After capturing 3 towns in Wuhan in January 1853, the TPA proceeded eastwards along the Valley of Yangtze River.It soon captured Nanjing on the 19th of March.

On the political-system aspect, The THK founded military and social organisations which had a strict discipline and which earned the people's support.It drew up a household register, offered protection, checked bad people and consolidated order.

When the TPA came, they forced landlords to reduce rents, issue farm certificates to tenant peasants , restricted landlords to collect rents, satisfying the basic requirements of the peasants.

The THK also advocated equality between men and women. It abolished feudal mercenary marriages, banned foot-binding and prostitution.

The Taiping Revolution was the largest scale peasant's uprising in the modern history of China.It was in confrontation with the Qing Government for more than 10 years and dealt a heavy blow to the Manchu regime and feudal system.


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