#332 - Taiping 9: Heaven Is A Place On Earth

The Heavenly Host arrives at last before the walls of the South Capital. What follows is not a battle so much as a verdict – rendered in powder, fire, and seven days of smoke and blood. A city is taken, renamed, and remade in the image of a kingdom the likes of which the world has never seen before. This is the story of the Becoming that finally arrived; of the current that finally found its place to pool... and what it cost to stop.

Time Period Covered:
Mar. 1853 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864]
Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]

Qing Dynasty:
The Xianfeng Emperor, Aisin Gioro Yizhu [1831–1861]
The Nanjing Manchu Garrison [est. 1645; d. 1853]

Major Sources Cited:
Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.

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