Taiping Rebellion: A History from Beginning to End

by Hourly History

Discover the remarkable history of the Taiping Rebellion... Free BONUS Inside! In 1837, Hong Xiuquan failed the notoriously difficult exam to gain entry to the Chinese Civil Service and suffered a nervous breakdown. In a weakened state, he had visions which he later interpreted to be messages from God, telling him that he is the younger brother of Jesus Christ and, therefore, the second son of God. By 1850, Hong had built an army, challenged an empire, and plunged China into the bloodiest civil war in human history, one that lasted fourteen years and cost more lives than the First World War. This is the story of Hong Xiuquan’s Taiping Rebellion, of his “Heavenly Kingdom,” and the death and destruction that came with it. Discover a plethora of topics such as The Visions of Hong Xiuquan Fighting the Xiang Army Coups within the Taiping Kingdom The Reforms of the Shield King The Ever-Victorious Army The End of the Taiping Death by a Thousand Cuts And much more!So if you want a concise and informative book on the Taiping Rebellion, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Asia

131 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2021

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

The largest ethnic group of people in China are the Han Chinese.  Generally, they ruled China.  However, in 1644, the Manchu people (a minority) became rulers.  They were considered to be foreigners, but the Chinese allowed themselves to be ruled by these foreigners.  This is because the Chinese believe that heaven had chosen the Qing (Manchus) Dynasty to rule over them.  The "Mandate from Heaven" is terribly important in China.

There is another ethnic group, even smaller than the Manchu, considered to be even more inferior than the other groups.  "Hakka" means guest people (or migrants).  Treated as outsiders, their farming people grew poorer and more desperate.  The Taiping Revolution was a massive civil war waged between 1850 and 1864 by a cult-like group called the God Worshipping Society.  They were a Christian group led by a self-proclaimed prophet Hong Xiuquan.

They captured Nanjing (a Chinese capital from time-to-time) and renamed it Tianjing, 'the Heavenly Capital,' by Hong. In other words, Hong was claiming the 'Heavenly Mandate' for his side.  Once that place was secured, they planned to take the rest of China and overthrow the Manchus. 

Over 20 to 30 million Chinese were killed during the revolution.  This is considered to be the deadliest civil war in history.  Had the British and French not entered the fray, the Qing Dynasty might not have won.

[Anjalica · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very interesting; I learned something new. It was worth the read for me.

[John Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting

I read this book on the heels of reading Rutherfurd's book, China. It filled in some important details. I recommend this if you are interested in Chinese history.

[Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taiping Rebellion: A History from Beginning to End (History of China)

The fall of the Ming Dynasty 1644 they were mostly from the Chinese Han population.

They were conquered by the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, a foreign ruler, that lasted until around 1917 + - and modern day China.

The Taiping Rebellion lasted for a few decades, 20,000,000 to 30,000,000 people were killed, mostly for naught. A deadly, nonsensical rebellion with little to no gain, except to the foreigners, Britain, French, possibly the Russians, opening up trade routes.

The book is a quick read, I give it three stars on a generous day. It did explain the rebellion in very broad terms, it was bloody and brutal.

Overall worth understanding

Favorite quote in the book:
“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.” —Confucius

[David Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The what if rebellion

The Taiping rebellion was the deadliest civil war in the recorded history of the human race. The actual number of casualties is impossible to calculate but is said to be somewhere between 20 and 30 million people.

When compared to the American Civil War with casualties of 100,000 both ending in 1864.

The human suffering is unimaginable with civilian atrocities. It’s an insult to be called human.

[George Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good if concise history of the Taiping rebellion. While of course unable to give the amount of detail that would be available in a longer more in depth book, this gives a great overview of the Rebellion and I learned a lot about a period I did not know much about.

[literaryleftie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight to the point

I love history. And I love to learn about all of it, so it was nice to read something concise because I often find my mind wandering l

[Mr Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A too brief account of a bloody civil war

Too shallow an account to be of any real value to a historian, needs much more expansion and elaboration of detail.

[Nelson riveros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chinese wars

What an impressive chapter of Chinese history. I had never known of such horror caused basically by a religious belief. Much suffering which could have been avoided.