The Taiping Rebellion


 * Recap of last lecture
 * EXTRATERRITORIALITY: Criminals were tried according to laws of their own country
 * Weakens the sovereignty of the Qing
 * Most-Favored Nation clause: any agreement between the Qing & the British are extended to all nations

The Socio-Economic Context

 * Population Problems
 * Population doubles to 300 million over the 18th - 19th Century
 * By mid 19th Century -> 450 million
 * Causes were peace, prosperity
 * Food production rose dramatically
 * This brought more people into service in Agriculture

Frontiers

 * New lands settled and cultivated by this population boon
 * Drive for new land becomes a push for de-forestation
 * Which de-settles the soil and causes erosion, flooding, mudslides
 * Population boon continues, poor become semi-enslaved to wealthy patrons
 * Frontiers become settings for great unrest

Government Problems

 * Increase in political competition among government posts
 * Government posts did not increase along with population
 * Government also began selling some positions
 * Men with highest-level degrees were not necessarily going to earn high level positions
 * Illegal positions such as "tax farmers" also emerged

Taiping Rebellion

 * Originates in 1840's in Gounzhi province
 * A frontier state, with lots of
 * Conflict between "original" (punti ren) settlers and "guest" (Hakka) settlers

Hakka/Punti Ren

 * Punti Ren claimed the best land in valleys
 * Hakka thus forced to claimed less fertile land in the highlands
 * This sets up great conflict between the two factions

Hong Xiuquan (1812 -

 * A Hakka birth from neighboring province
 * Literate
 * Tried repeatedly to take Civil Service exam
 * Fails twice at 14 / 23


 * Then meets a missionary
 * Hands him a religious text "Good Thoughts to Rule the Present Age" written by Liang Afa
 * Text discusses Christian God (Jehovah) at length, glossing over Christ and discussing need to cleanse population of sin
 * Not clear when Hong reads this


 * Has a physical/nervous breakdown
 * Dreams that he ascends to Heaven and is given a sword by a golden-bearded man
 * Told by this man to exterminate the demons in China
 * Meets his elder brother (Christ?)


 * Later becomes enraged, and begins to espouse modified Christianity


 * Fighting "Demons" means fighting Buddhist, Daoist, and local idols and dieties
 * Encourages his followers to worship the "one true god"


 * Travels around with early convert: "Feng Yunshan"
 * Installs Christianity in Hakka families using Hakka families connections
 * Organized into systems of lodges


 * Chinese officials begin to investigate and grow critical of "god-worshipping" society


 * "Army of God" about 20,000 gathered to a small town
 * Denounced the Qing Dynasty as "demons"
 * Government troops sent but defeated
 * January 1851 -> "Army of God" wins

Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace

 * Proclaimed by the "God-Worshippers" as their independent kingdom as autonomous
 * Mission becomes to overthrow the Qing
 * The demons -> are the Manchus who are now the Qing, but are not Chinese
 * Came up with new land distribution system to be established after their expected victory
 * Society would be divided into units of 25 families with local surplus held between them


 * Hakka women had historically enjoyed great freedom as those who worked in the fields, and did not have foot-binding
 * The Taiping thus were made semi-autonomous in this society
 * Women could be soldiers
 * Gender division occurred -> men & women divided into dormitories
 * Publishing activities -> published bibles

The Taiping Advance

 * With their discipline and organization, they manage to march UP to Nanjing
 * Capturing the City
 * 1853 -> Delcares Nanjing as the Taiping capital
 * Hong now shares power with many different (supposedly subordinate) kings

Undoing

 * The government slowly loses power and ability
 * Unravels in power dynamic squabbles
 * Ppl other than Hong claim to "see" God in Visions


 * Yang Xiuqing -> claims visions
 * Claims to be a re-incarnation of Holy Ghost


 * Hong has a King kill Yang
 * Does so, but also kills 20,000 (!!!) of his followers
 * This makes Hong fear this King, so he has the king killed too
 * Massive purges continue, undermining unity of the "God-followers"


 * Also had a hard time selling their religious views to new conquests
 * Women were threatened by the unbinding of their feet and suggestion that they should be sent into the field