Jintian Uprising
Jintian Uprising | |||||||
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Part of the Taiping Rebellion | |||||||
The Jintian Uprising Site in the village of Jintian in Jintian Town, Guiping is where Hong Xiuquan and his followers officially launched the Jintian Uprising. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Qing dynasty | Taiping Heavenly Kingdom | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Zhou Fengqi Li Dianyuan Iktambu † | Hong Xiuquan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
7,000+ | 20,000+ | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,000+ | Unknown |
Jintian Uprising | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | |||||||
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The Jintian Uprising was an armed revolt formally declared by Hong Xiuquan, founder and leader of the God Worshippers, on 11 January 1851 during the late Qing dynasty of China.[1] The uprising was named after the rebel base in Jintian, a town in Guangxi within present-day Guiping. It marked the beginning of the Taiping Rebellion.
Background
[edit]In 1843 Hong Xiuquan, Feng Yunshan and Hong Rengan founded the Emperor Worshipping Society (
Preparations
[edit]Around 1849, a famine broke out in Guangxi and the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) rose in rebellion against the ruling Qing dynasty.
In February 1850, a local corps passed through a number of God Worshipping villages and threatened to kill the converts.[2] In response, Feng Yunshan began to call for open revolt by the God Worshippers.[3] In July 1850, the God Worshippers' leaders directed their followers to converge in Jintian and quickly amassed a force of 10,000–30,000 people.[4] In preparation for an uprising, Hong organized these men into military formations, each led by commanders with military ranks: a marshal (
The Qing imperial army in Guangxi was not particularly strong, with only about 30,000 troops, and was occupied with suppressing the Tiandihui's rebellion. Hong Xiuquan and his followers were able to build their forces without being noticed by the government.
Opening moves
[edit]In the 12th lunar month of 1850, Li Dianyuan (
The uprising
[edit]On the 11th day of the first lunar month of 1851, which was also Hong Xiuquan's birthday, the God Worshipping Society proclaimed the uprising at Jintian, declaring the formation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.[5]
Five rules for its military were stated:
- Follow orders
- Men and women are to be segregated during movement
- Do not commit any mistake
- Be fair and harmonious
- Cooperate and do not withdraw during battle
The rebels changed their garments, kept their hair long (the men previously had to wear their hair in a queue in accordance with Qing law), and tied a red cloth around their heads. On the 13th day, they headed to Dahuangjiangkou (
Subsequent clashes
[edit]As the rebels moved southeastward, Tiandihui rebels totaling more than 2,000 led by Gen. Luo Dagang (
The rebels withdrew under the cover of darkness on the night of the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month to East Village (
At the battle of Du'ao Ridge (
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Michael, F.H. and C.-l. Chang. The Taiping Rebellion : History and Documents, Volume 1: History. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1966. p.91
- ^ Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 37 (1966)
- ^ Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 37 (1966)
- ^ Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 39 (1966)
- ^ Li Shi. Military History of the Qing Dynasty. DeepLogic. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
External links
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