#326 - Taiping 3: The Image-Breakers
From The History of China by Chris Stewart
April 21, 2026 · 36 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the rise of the God-Worshippers under Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan and their defiance against local authorities in the Taiping Rebellion.
The God-Worshippers of Thistle Mountain, under the dual leadership of Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan, had gone from being a quirky, backwater oddity... to, by 1847, a real local headache. When they get bold enough to deface a local temple, the law finally takes action to end their machinations. Yet they emerge from this early crucible unbroken... harder, better, faster, stronger... and even weirder than they went in. Time Period Covered:1847–1849 Major Historical Figures:Hong Xiuquan, prophet and Heavenly King [1814–1864]Feng Yunshan, chief evangelist and architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852]Wang Zuoxin, local licentiate and militia leader [fl. 1847]Lu Liu, God-Worshipper [d. 1848]Yang Xiuqing, Eastern King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]Xiao Chaogui, Western King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]Qiying, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi [1787–1858] Major Sources Cited:Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si InsurrectionKuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly KingdomSpence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly…
People in this episode
Host: Chris Stewart
Topics covered
- Taiping Rebellion
- Hong Xiuquan
- Feng Yunshan
- God-Worshippers
- local law enforcement
- temple defacement
Keywords
- Taiping Rebellion
- Hong Xiuquan
- Feng Yunshan
- God-Worshippers
- local temple
- 1847-1849
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection, Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion, Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom, God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan
More episodes of The History of China
- #332 - Taiping 9: Heaven Is A Place On Earth · June 8, 2026 · 38 min
- #331 - Taiping 8: Kingdom Come · May 31, 2026 · 43 min
- #330 - Taiping 7: Beneath the Walls of Changsha · May 23, 2026 · 34 min
- #329 - Taiping 6: River of Souls · May 16, 2026 · 37 min
- #328 - Taiping 5: The Way Ahead · May 8, 2026 · 53 min
- #327 - Taiping 4: The Heavenly Kingdom · April 28, 2026 · 40 min
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