TAIPING REBELLION

1850 – 1864

At the cost of tens of millions of lives, southern China engaged in a large-scale revolt against the ruling Manchu Qing dynasty, the last dynasty of China. A young, unemployed man named Hong Xiuquan, who claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ, had singlehandedly established a Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace, also known as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, in Nanjing. From there, he inspired a whole army of supporters who were soon sent to conquer the Qing Dynasty and establish him as emperor.

The rebellion, and the subsequent uprisings that were incited by it, was the deadliest civil war in human history with a death toll of 20 million civilians and army personnel. However, it was also a watershed moment in Chinese history as the country turned to modernity and decentralization.