The History of the Taiping Revolution

Book excerpt: The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty. It was led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having claimed to have received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ. About 20 million people died, mainly civilians, in one of the deadliest military conflicts in history Augustus Frederick Lindley (Lin-Le to his Taiping soldiers) was a Royal Navy officer who, along with his wife Mary, joined the 1860 Taiping reform movement in China. He trained Taiping soldiers using modern techniques, and Mary became a sniper. In 1863, Lindley returned to the UK. In 1866 he wrote and published this book (Ti Ping Tien Kwoh: OR The History of the Taiping Revolution, including a narrative of the author's personal adventures).