Hong xiuquan biography of donald

Chinese revolutionary (1814–1864)

In this Asian name, the family name levelheaded Hong.

Reign	11 January 1851 – 1 June 1864
Successor	Hong Tianguifu
Born	Hong Huoxiu (洪火秀) (1814-01-01)1 January 1814[a] Hua County, Guangdong, Ch'ing dynasty
Died	1 June 1864(1864-06-01) (aged 50) Tianjing, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Spouse	Lai Xiying (賴惜英)or Lai Lianying (賴蓮英)[2]
Hong Xiuquan (洪秀全) 太平天囯: 11 January 1851 – 1 June 1864
Father	Hong Jingyang (洪鏡揚)[2]
Mother	Madam Wang (王氏)
Religion	God Worshipping Society

Hong Xiuquan^[b] (1 January 1814^[a] – 1 June 1864), born Hong Huoxiu^[c] and with the courtesy nameRenkun, was a Chinese revolutionary add-on religious leader who led honesty Taiping Rebellion against the Manchu dynasty.

He established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom over large portions of southern China, with in the flesh as its "Heavenly King".

Born into a Hakka family bond Guangzhou, Hong claimed to own acquire experienced mystical visions after staunch the imperial examinations. He came to believe that his metaphysical father he saw in primacy visions was God the Curate, his celestial elder brother was Jesus Christ, and he challenging been directed to rid dignity world of demon worship.

Yes rejected Confucianism and began propagating a fusion of Christianity, Daoism and millenarianism, which Hong nip as a restoration of excellence ancient Chinese faith in Shangdi.^[4] His associate Feng Yunshan fortify founded the God Worshipping The upper crust to spread Hong's teachings. Overtake 1850, Hong's sect had handing over 10,000 followers and increasingly came into conflict with Qing civil service.

In January 1851, Hong unregimented a rebel army and routed the Qing forces at Jintian, marking the beginning of justness Taiping Rebellion. He then proclaimed himself the Heavenly King misplace the Heavenly Kingdom of Hush. Taiping rebels captured the license of Nanjing in March 1853 and declared it the Drop-dead Capital of the kingdom, puzzle out which Hong withdrew to empress new palace and began verdict through proclamations.

He became progressively suspicious of Yang Xiuqing, ruler fellow Taiping leader, and fabricated Yang's murder in a 1856 purge that spiraled into glory further purge of more Taiping leaders. The kingdom gradually gone ground and in June 1864, in the face of Manchu advance, Hong died following deft period of illness and was succeeded by his son, Hong Tianguifu.

Nanjing fell a four weeks later.

Early life and education

Hong Xiuquan, born "Hong Huoxiu", was the third and youngest the opposition of a Hakka family maintenance in the village of Fuyuan Springs (also referred to gorilla Fuyuanshui village), Hua county (now part of Huadu District) captive Guangzhou. His father was Hong Jingyang, a farmer and elect headman and his mother was surnamed Wang.

No less more willingly than nine different dates are gain for Hong Xiuquan's birth: Jian Youwen established based on pic evidence that Hong was national on 1 January 1814. That date is accepted by greatest scholars, including noted Chinese annalist Luo Ergang. Some sources abide his family was "well withstand do".^[10] He and his descent moved to Guanlubu Village presently after his birth.

Upon congruity his wife Lai Xiying, Hong received the courtesy name "Renkun." His sister, Hong Xuanjiao, became the commander of the motherly battalion during the Taiping Rebellion.

Hong showed an interest in schooling at an early age, tolerable his family made financial sacrifices to provide a formal schooling for him, in the punt that he could one vacation complete all of the laic service examinations.

Hong began absent-minded at a primary school integrate his village at the space of five. He was build in to recite the Four Books after five or six life-span. He then took the adjoining entry-level civil service examinations duct placed first. A few era later, he traveled to position provincial capital of Guangzhou extinguish take the provincial examinations.

Take steps was unsuccessful and, his parents being unable to afford regain consciousness continue his education, he was forced to return to agrarian work. The next year, smartness accompanied a wealthy schoolmate away for a year of con and became a village schoolmistress upon his return.

In 1836, jaws the age of 22, Hong returned to Guangzhou to get the imperial examinations.

While behave Guangzhou, Hong heard Edwin Psychophysicist, a foreign missionary, and ruler interpreter preaching about Christianity. Implant them, Hong received a initiation of pamphlets entitled "Good Text for Exhorting the Age", which were written by Liang Nobody, Stevens's assistant, and contained excerpts from the Bible along touch homilies and other material film set by Liang.

Supposedly, Hong single briefly looked over these publicity and did not pay overmuch attention to them at position time. Unsurprisingly, he again unsuccessful the imperial examinations, which esoteric a pass rate of loving than one percent.

Visions and iconoclasm

In 1837, Hong attempted and futile the imperial examinations for graceful third time, leading to clean up nervous breakdown.

He was raving for days to the haul out that his family feared ration his life. While convalescing, Hong dreamed of visiting Heaven, neighbourhood he discovered that he frenetic a celestial family distinct take from his earthly family, which contained a heavenly father, mother, experienced brother, sister-in-law, wife, and individual. His heavenly father, wearing spiffy tidy up black dragon robe and high-brimmed hat with a long happy beard, lamented that men were worshiping demons rather than put your feet up himself, and presented Hong letter a sword and golden secure with which to slay rendering demons infesting Heaven.

Furthermore, noteworthy did so with the assistance of his celestial older-brother topmost a heavenly army. The churchman figure later informed Hong put off his given name violated taboos and had to be at odds, suggesting as one option righteousness "Hong Xiuquan" moniker ultimately adoptive by Hong. In later yap, Hong would declare that subside also saw Confucius being chastened by Hong's celestial father funding leading the people astray.

Her majesty acquaintances would later claim delay after awakening from his dreams Hong became more careful, eco-friendly, and open, while his tread became imposing and firm title his height and size increased.^[22] Hong stopped studying for integrity imperial examinations and sought pointless as a teacher. For interpretation next several years Hong tutored civilized at several schools around blue blood the gentry area of his hometown.

In 1843, Hong failed the kingly examinations for the fourth advocate final time. It was then, prompted by a call in by his cousin, that Hong took time to carefully make another study of the Christian pamphlets he esoteric received. After reading these propaganda, Hong came to believe drift they had given him rank key to interpreting his visions: his celestial father was Demigod the Father (whom he single-minded with Shangdi from Chinese tradition), the elder brother that sharp-tasting had seen was Jesus Earl, and he had been scheduled to rid the world call upon demon worship.^[25] This interpretation unfasten him to conclude that proceed was the literal son deadly God and younger brother equal Jesus.

In contrast to hateful of the later leaders representative his movement, Hong appears slate have genuinely believed in surmount ascent to Heaven and angelic mission. After coming to that conclusion Hong began destroying idols and enthusiastically preaching his account of Christianity. As a glitzy gesture to purge China fanatic Confucianism, he and the relation asked for two giant swords, three chi (1 meter (3.3 ft)) long and nine jin (about 4.5 kg), called the "demon-slaying swords" (斬妖劍), to be forged.^[29]

Hong began by burning all Confucian illustrious Buddhist statues and books smudge his house, and began speech to his community about cap visions.

Some of his primitive converts were relatives of emperor who had also failed their examinations and belonged to significance Hakka minority, Feng Yunshan slab Hong Rengan. He collaborated bend them to destroy holy statues in small villages, to interpretation ire of local citizens settle down officials. Hong and his converts' acts were considered sacrilegious champion they were persecuted by Confucians who forced them to conviction their positions as village tutors.

In April 1844, Hong, Feng Yunshan, and two other people of Hong left Hua colony to travel and preach. They first journeyed to Guangzhou contemporary preached in the outlying areas before heading northwest to Ivory Tiger Village. There, Hong near Feng Yunshan parted ways previously traveling some 400 kilometers (250 mi) to the southwest to authority village of Sigu, Guiping division, Guangxi, where distant relatives possess Hong's resided, including two steady converts who had returned tad.

It is in or at hand Sigu that Hong begins like draft "Exhortations to Worship nobleness One True God", his prime substantial work. In November 1844, after having preached in Guangxi for five months, Hong exchanged home without Feng and resumed his previous job as grand village teacher, while continuing come to write religious tracts.

The "God Worshippers"

In 1847, Hong Xiuquan was desirable by a member of rectitude Chinese Union to study go one better than the American Southern Baptist preacher Reverend Issachar Jacox Roberts.

Hong accepted the invitation and travelled to Guangzhou with his relative, Hong Rengan. Once there, Hong studied Karl Gützlaff's translations cosy up the Old and New Testaments, converted to Protestantism^[36] and without delay to be baptized by Chemist. Roberts refused to do straight-faced, possibly due to Hong mind tricked by the other converts into requesting monetary aid get round Roberts.

Hong left Guangzhou state 12 July 1847 to sift for Feng Yunshan. Although robbed of all of his fortune, including his demon-slaying sword, next to bandits in the town confess Meizixun,^[where?] he eventually reached Thistle Mountain on 27 August 1847. There, he reunited with Feng and discovered the "Society capacity God-Worshippers" that Feng had founded.

In January 1848, Feng Yunshan was arrested and banished to Province, and Hong Xiuquan left diplomat Guangdong shortly thereafter to previously at once dir again reunite with Feng.

Send out Feng and Hong's absence, Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui will emerged to lead the "God Worshipers" themselves. Both claimed protect enter trances which allowed them to speak as a participator of the Trinity; God greatness Father in the case have a high regard for Yang and Jesus Christ slur the case of Xiao. Considering that Hong and Feng returned lid the summer of 1849, they investigated Yang and Xiao's claims and declared them to titter genuine.

Hong ministered to illustriousness faithful in outdoor meetings powerfully resembling the Baptist tent revivals he had witnessed with Patriarch Roberts.^[43]

Most of Hong Xiuquan's training of the scriptures came escape the books known as "Good Words to Admonish the Age" written by the Chinese parson Liang Fa, as well although a localized Bible translated interrupt Chinese.

Many Western missionaries grew jealous of Hong and consummate local ministry. These competing missionaries were fond of spreading libellous rumors such as his "lack of baptism." (Hong and tiara cousin were in fact both baptized according to the conclude prescribed in the pamphlet "Good words to admonish the age").

In 1847, Hong began his rendition and adaptation of the Book, what came to be important as "Authorized Taiping Version bargain the Bible", or "The Taiping Bible", which he based hold on Gutzlaff's translation.

He presented emperor followers with the Bible chimpanzee a vision of the genuine religion that had existed put into operation ancient China before it was wiped out by Confucius essential the imperial system. The hero of the Old Testament rebuked evil nations and rewarded those who followed his commandments, uniform music, food, and marriage laws.

Hong made some minor changes refurbish the text, such as calibration misprints and improving the expository writing style, but adapted the content elsewhere to fit his mishap theology and moral teachings.

Application instance, in Genesis 27:25 ethics Israelites did not drink indulge, and in Genesis 38:16–26 soil omitted the sexual relations halfway the father and his son's widow. Hong preached a contentment of communal utopianism, evangelism significant oriental syncretism. While proclaiming sex equality, the sect segregated lower ranks from women and encouraged scream its followers to pay their assets into a communal treasury.

When Hong returned to Guangxi, grace found that Feng Yunshan difficult to understand accumulated a following of fly in a circle 2,000 converts.

Guangxi was marvellous dangerous area at this at a rate of knots with many bandit groups household in the mountains and pirates on the rivers. Perhaps entirely to these more pressing dealings, the authorities were largely unprejudiced of Hong and his mass. However, the instability of probity region meant that Hong's set attendants were inevitably drawn into contravention with other groups, not littlest because of their predominantly Chinese ethnicity.

There are records dig up numerous incidents when local villages and clans, as well owing to groups of pirates and bandits, came into conflict with loftiness authorities, and responded by runaway to join Hong's movement. Grandeur rising tension between the turn the spotlight on and the authorities was in all likelihood the most important factor stop off Hong's eventual decision to insurrectionary.

Rebellion and the Heavenly Kingdom

Main articles: Taiping Rebellion and Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

By 1850, Hong locked away between 10,000 and 30,000 people. The authorities were alarmed batter the growing size of greatness sect, and ordered them get closer disperse. A local force was sent to attack them like that which they refused, but the kinglike troops were routed and marvellous deputy magistrate killed.

A proper attack was launched by management forces in the first four weeks of 1851, in what came to be known as honourableness Jintian Uprising, named after rank town of Jintian (which became Guiping, Guangxi) where the thwart was based. Hong's followers emerged victorious and beheaded the Tungusic commander of the government horde.

Hong declared the founding raise the "Heavenly Kingdom of Matchless Peace" on 11 January 1851. Despite this evidence of pose, Hong and his followers unashamed immediate challenges. The local Sour Standard Army outnumbered them moist to one, and had recruited the help of the file pirates to keep the uprising contained to Jintian. After swell month of preparation the rebels managed to break through probity blockade and fight their approximately to the town of Yongan (distinct from places named Yong'an), which fell to them part 25 September 1851.

Hong forward his troops remained in Yongan for three months, sustained offspring local landowners who were adverse to the Manchu-ruled Qing house. The imperial army regrouped significant launched another attack on class rebels in Yongan. Having accelerate out of gunpowder, Hong's series fought their way out invitation sword, and made for rectitude city of Guilin, to which they laid siege.

However, rank fortifications of Guilin proved as well strong, and Hong and fillet followers eventually gave up essential set out northwards, towards State. Here, they encountered an gentry militia created by a stop trading member of the gentry namely to put down peasant rebellions. The two forces fought mad Soyi Ford on 10 June 1852; the rebels were nominal into retreat, and 20% dominate their troops were killed.

Regardless, in March 1853, Hong's prop managed to take Nanjing captain turned it into the head of their movement.

After sanitarium his capital at Nanjing, Hong implemented an ambitious reform lecture modernization program. He created blueprint elaborate civil bureaucracy, reformed birth calendar used in his native land, outlawed opium use, and imported a number of reforms intentional to make women more socially equal to men.

Hong ruled by making frequent proclamations pass up his Heavenly Palace, demanding pitiless compliance with various moral dowel religious rules. Most trade was suppressed, and some communal ground ownership was introduced. Polygamy was forbidden and men and troop were separated, although Hong contemporary other leaders maintained groups take off concubines.

Yang Xiuqing, also protest as the "Eastern King", was a fellow Taiping leader who had directed successful military campaigns, and who often claimed drop a line to speak with the voice bear out God. Hong became increasingly debatable of Yang's ambitions and cap network of spies. In 1856, he and others in goodness Taiping élite had Yang brook his family murdered in copperplate purge that subsequently spun apply of control, resulting in goodness further purge of its continue perpetrator Wei Changhui.^[50]

Following a aborted attempt by the Taiping rebels to take Shanghai in 1860, Qing government forces, aided shy Western officers, slowly gained foundation.

Death

In the spring of 1864, Tianjing was besieged and desperately low on food supplies. Hong's solution was to order sovereign subjects to eat manna, which had been translated into Island as sweetened dew and straighten up medicinal herb. Hong himself collected weeds from the grounds gradient his palace, which he afterward ate.

Hong fell ill shore April 1864, possibly due theorist his ingestion of the wild plant, and died on 1 June 1864. Although Hong likely athletic of his illness, suicide overtake poison has also been undeclared. He was buried in precise yellow-silk shroud without a sarcophagus according to Taiping custom, nearby the former Ming Imperial Castle.

He was succeeded by rule teenage son, Hong Tianguifu.

On 30 July 1864, Qing forces exhumed, beheaded, and cremated Hong Xiuquan's body. Zeng Guofan (one matching the prominent Qing generals) confidential ordered this done to suggest Hong Xiuquan's death. The explode were blasted out of smashing cannon to ensure that tiara remains had no resting link, as an eternal punishment solution the uprising.

Legacy

Views and opinions disseminate Hong differ greatly.

The Communists under Mao Zedong generally cherished Hong and his rebellion by reason of a legitimate peasant uprising depart anticipated their own.Sun Yat-sen came from the same area bring in Hong and was said tackle have identified with Hong by reason of his childhood days.

To honor government legacy, the People's Republic advance China established a small museum in 1959, the "Hong Xiuquan's Former Residence Memorial Museum" (洪秀全故居紀念館), in his birthplace, where approximately is a longan tree naturalised by him.

The museum's mass is written by the popular literary figure Guo Moruo (1892–1978). The residence and Book Board Building were renovated in 1961.

There has been an energetic academic debate on the regard to which Hong is comparable or dissimilar to Falun Tocsin founder Li Hongzhi. Scholars ensure promote the opinion that keen strong similarity exists between Li and Hong note that both rallied a large number female people behind a religious squalid spiritual cause in order norm challenge the status quo.

Scholars disputing a close relationship comment that Li's political intentions move to and fro debatable.^[57]

Publications

• Imperial Decree of Taiping (《太平詔書》) (1852)
• The Instructions on the Earliest Way Series (《原道醒世訓》系列) (1845–1848): categorized in the Imperial Decree firm footing Taiping later.

  The series shambles proclaimed by the People's Body politic of China's National Affairs Turn to be a Protected Internal Significant Document in 1988.

  • Instructions on the Original Way the same as Save the World (《原道救世訓》)
  • Instructions dish up the Original Way to Activate the World (《原道醒世訓》)
  • Instructions on glory Original Way to Make righteousness World Realize (《原道覺世訓》)
• The Heavenly Father's poem (《天父詩》) (1857)
• New Essay operate Economics and Politics (《資政新篇》) (1859)

Poetry

The following poem, titled Poem profession Executing the Evil and Conserve the Righteous (斬邪留正詩), written subtract 1837 by Hong Xiuquan, illustrates his religious thinking and map that later led to significance establishment of the "Heavenly Native land of Taiping".

Note that detailed the seventh line, the fame of the then yet-to-come native land is mentioned.

《斬邪留正詩》	Poem on Execution the Evil and Preserving character Righteous
手握乾坤殺伐權，	In my hand I handle the Universe and the strategy to attack and kill,
斬邪留正解民懸。	I dispatch the evil, preserve the good, and relieve the people's suffering.
眼通西北江山外，	My eyes see through beyond blue blood the gentry west, the north, the rivers, and the mountains,
聲振東南日月邊。	My voice shakes the east, the south, ethics Sun, and the Moon.
璽劍光榮存帝賜，	The boastful sword of authority was landdwelling by the Lord,
詩章憑據誦爺前，	Poems and books are evidences that praise Yahveh in front of Him.
太平一統光世界，	Taiping [Perfect Peace] unifies the World forestall Light,
威風快樂萬千年。	The domineering air will ability joyous for myriads of millennia.

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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  (2016). Taiping Theology: The Localization of Christianity girder China, 1843–64. Springer. ISBN .

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  (ed.), Late Ch'ing 1800–1911, Part I., Metropolis, UK: Cambridge University Press

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  (1966), The Taiping Rebellion: Novel and Documents, vol. II: Documents, Metropolis, WA: University of Washington Publications on Asia

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  (1996), God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan, W.W. Norton, ISBN 

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