<<< Go Back >>>

5 Mid-century Rebellions – Taiping Rebellion

Taiping Rebellion: 1850-64

Nian捻Rebellion: 1851-68

Moslem回教Rebellion: 1855-73

Tungan (Dongan) 東干rebellion: 1862-78

Causes:

Social and Economic background:

Population pressure:

1660 — 100million ® 150million

1800 — 300million

1850 — 400million

little increase in farmland

effects:

fragmentation分裂 ® income decreased

land price increased ® landlordism

tenants佃農, farm labourers

ready materials for rebellions

Growing tax burden:

gentry ® peasants

surtaxes + extra fees + corruption

influence of foreign trade

unfavourable trade balance ® outflow of silver ® taxes increased

influx of foreign goods ® handicraft industries

Opening of treaty ports

trade declined at Guangzhou because of the opening of Shanghai

Piracy海盜 along Guangzhou suppressed ® Guangxi ® lawlessness

Natural calamities: 1840s; 1850s

flooding, droughts, famines饑荒

no relief, fund embezzled濫用

Social Conflict in the south

Hakka客家 (Charcoal makers燒碳者) vs natives

Political Background:

Administrative weaknesses.

corruption, bribery

1821-50: Dau-guang – do nothing policy

1851-64: Xian-feng – no interest in state affairs

selling of offices

fund misused

Military decline:

Bannermen ® Green Standard Army ® Local militia

Opium War

Loss of prestige:

Defeat in war

Cantonese militia disbanded解散 ® Weapons retained

Racial background:

anti-manzhuism

spread of religion – ideas of brotherhood

‘Though the causes were manifold, the most significant causes was China’s dependence on an economy which was almost entirely agricultural’ How far is this statement applicable to the outbreak of the Taiping Rebellion?

Introduction

Taiping Rebellion? 1850-64

The causes were manifold – political, socio-economic, military, racial causes.

most significant – agricultural economy

Causes were manifold:

Administrative weaknesses

Military decline

Loss of prestige

Racial conflict

Social conflict between Hakka and natives

　

Agricultural economy:

Create socio-economic problems.

Dynastic cycle:

Peace ® population increase ® disorder

Small increase in farmland + no industry to absorb the labour

No other taxes ® peasants had heavy tax burden

Handicraft industry as subsidiary sources of income ® foreign trade had effects on handicraft industry

Fortune easily affected by natural disasters

Conclusion:

Statement is applicable.

a theocracy政教合一:

religion + civil + military administration

cultural and society interwoven

basic document: The land system of the Heavenly Kingdom天朝

Economic reforms:

Sources:

Chinese tradition, Pre-Confucian books, e.g. Ritual of Zhou周禮

Prastised by Wang Mang, Wong An-shi

Contents:

No private ownership (private communism)

Equal distribution of farmland:

all over 16: 1 share

under 16: 1/2 share

Practise:

not widely practised because people were uncooperative

not equally distributed

Unity of military and civil administration:

government – civil + military

source: Ritual of Zhou + Ming general Qi Ji-guang戚繼光

content:

soldiers: farmers

military officers = civil administrators

in unit of 25

Unity of culture and religion:

religion – vs ancestor – worship拜祖先, destroyed idols偶像, temples, church

culture:

vernacular writing = plain language with punctuation

Theses題目 in examination = Bible, proclamation

candidates: men + women

Social reforms:

women were regarded as the equal of men:

civil services exam.

officials

soldiers

social welfare

calendar

no foot-binding, prositutions倡妓

monopoly一夫一妻制promoted

marriage on individual desire

no slavery, infanticide殺女嬰, gambling, opium, alcohol

Administrative control: 6 boards六部

Foreign sympathy: 1853

bad Sino-western relation

Christianity colour + discipline

Neutrality: 1853-1860 – ‘Wait and see’ Policy

Foreign intervention: 1869-1864

reasons:

disappointed with Taipings

2^nd Treaty Settlement 1860 ® improved relations

causes of intervention:

1860 – Rifle Squadron in Shanghai

1862 – Ever victorious Army常勝軍in Shanghai

intervention in Suzhou, Hangzhou, 1863

From success to failure:

1850-53: success

After 1853: settled in Nanjing – decline in 1856 (internal dis-sessions)

1864: Hong committed suicide – suppressed by Zeng, Li

Huai Army, Hunan Army:

1852 – Zeng Guofan曾國藩organised a local militia

= Hunan Army湖南軍( Xiang Army湘軍)

1862 – Li Hongzhang organised Hual Army淮軍 (Anhui安輝Army)

Strategic blunder:

concentrated on forward movement

settled in Nanjing – no advancing northward

no destroying the two camps

no capturing of Shanghai + Jiangsu

good relations with powers were absent

Low quality of leaders:

from lower classes

revolution was too complicated

political incapacity

irresponsible destruction

Failure in political leadership:

1856: internal strife

after 1856: Li Xiu-Cheng (Loyal King忠王)

1859: Hong Yen-gan仁玕 (Shield King干王)

　

Inconsistencies in life:

Concubines vs. Monopoly

Vast wealth vs. Communism

Confucian孔子 and Mencius孟子 books were read

Foreign assistance: to the Manzhu

1860-62: defence of Shanghai

Contributions:

foreign trade revenue

technology + training of Army

Failure to ally with secret societies

Similarities: anti Manzhuism

Differences: idol-worship, restoring Ming

Mistakes:

member renounced idol

not join Triad Society

Small Sword Society小刀會 – a Triad offshoot

Ideological factor:

Attacked tradition – national movement ® sectarian outburst

Time factor:

Cultural unfavourable intellectual situation ® Taipings = Cultural enemy

　

Improvement of Sino-western relations after 1860

Tongzhi Restoration同治中興 – reforms

Anti- Manzhuism had been slowed down

Eight points in the note

　

Religionalism: decentralisation

political disintegration

central ® provinces­ (provincialism省或主義, regionalism地域主義) e.g. Zeng, Li, Zuo.

Manzhu ® Han Chinese ­

Military Legacy遺留

Hunan, Huai Army = private armies (forerunners of warlords軍閥)

Lijin: finical power­

1853: inland transit due

effects:

disrupted national economy

temporary tax relief

financial power of provincial leaders­

A source of inspiration:

Taiping remnants – joined Heaven and earth society

Dr sun – 3 people’s principals三民主義 (socialism)

Physical damage:

16 provinces

land disrupted

20-40 million died

National economy:

Taxes could not be collected

Foreign inspectorate of customs:

1853 – officials fled from Shanghai ® foreign services

1854 – foreign inspections of customs

1858: extended to other ports

　

Would you regard the Taiping Movement as just another ‘Traditional rebellion’? Justify your view.

Marxist historians:

ideas – anti-feudal peasant revolution

– forerunner of Communist revolution

Why?

landlordism + Pauperisation – causes of Taiping Rebellion

object:

political: overthrowing government

economic: reforms of land system

Therefore, not a religion revolution – external form only

Jen Yu-wen’s簡又文refutation of Communist interpretation:

ideas – not anti feudal, no class struggle, not a peasant revolution

not anti feudal:

feudalistic in ideology, personal aspiration, social altitude, political establishments

not class struggle:

4 professional groups only – no class distinction or consciousness (意識)

not a peasant revolution:

a war of peasants vs. Peasants

no pride in being peasants: demotion to peasants

land system not well practised

A religious, social, ethnic revolution:

religious – Christianity

social – revolution of poor peasants vs. Landlords

ethnic – to overthrow Manzhu

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

‘The scholars preferred Manzhu rule on traditional lines to Chinese rule by heterodox rebels.’ Explain the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion in the light of this statement.

Economic reforms

Cultural reforms all threatened Confucianism

Social reforms

Forming of Hunan Army and Huai Army:

Had a mission – defending Chinese tradition

Taipings = cultural enemies

Conclusion:

Internal weaknesses + its final suppression