The History of China

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  #346 - Taiping 23: Friends From Afar 11.09.2026 41мин

  The Loyal King does everything right. He writes ahead to Shanghai to announce he's coming – as a friend! And only for the Qing parts of the city! His standing orders: no firing on the foreigners, you get your head chopped off. He even signs off wishing them all good health until he can meet them in person. It's returned unopened. As is the second one. And so, in the third week of August 1860, an army marching under orders not to shoot back spends 5 days being shelled outside the walls of a city they thought friendly… all culminating with the French burning the suburbs to the ground, with everyone still inside. And those soldiers holding that wall on the Qing’s behalf? They're the rear echelon of an expedition sailing north to burn down the dynasty's capital.Time Period Covered:June-Aug. 1860 CE Major Historical Figures:The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Rengan, the Shield King (Gan Wang), Prime Minister [1822–1864]Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King (Zhong Wang) [1823–1864] The Qing:Xue Huan, acting Governor of JiangsuWu Xu, the Shanghai DaotaiYang Fang, banker; head of the merchant syndicateHe Guiqing, cashiered Governor-General of Liangjiang [1816–1862] The Foreigners…At Shanghai:Frederick Bruce, British Minister to China [1814–1867]Thomas Taylor Meadows, acting British Consul at Shanghai [1815–1868]Frederick Townsend Ward, commander, Shanghai Foreign-Arms Corps [1831–1862]Thomas Francis Wade, first British Inspector of Customs at Shanghai [1818–1895]Horatio Nelson Lay, British Inspector of Customs from 1855 [1832–1898]Savage, English coastal pilot in Taiping service [d. 1860]In the North:James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, British High Commissioner; Frederick Bruce's elder brother [1811–1863] Major Works Cited:Fairbank, John King. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast: The Opening of the Treaty Ports, 1842–1854.Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement.Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I–III.Murphey, Rhoads. Shanghai: Key to Modern China.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.Twitchett, Denis, and John K. Fairbank, eds. The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10: Late Ch'ing, 1800–1911, Part 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #345 - Taiping 22: Heaven Below 04.09.2026 43мин

  For a thousand years, Suzhou and Hangzhou stood as synonyms for the next best thing to Heaven itself. Well... that was before 1860. As of now, Hangzhou is a fire-gutted ruin, and Suzhou is next on the target list. But the army that does the most damage… is not the invader. The Taiping arrive to find the dirty work done ahead of them, by the very Qing forces assigned to defend the great southern city, and a vast number of the city having decided to "take matters into their own hands." As such, when a party of missionaries sails upriver from Shanghai to find out just what happened to Suzhou, they'll have to wade through a literal riverful of the dead. Time Period Covered:May-Aug. 1860 CE Major Historical Figures: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Hong Rengan, the Shield King (Gan Wang), Prime Minister [1822–1864]Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King (Zhong Wang) [1823–1864] The Qing:The Xianfeng Emperor [1831–1861]He Guiqing, Governor-General of Liangjiang [1816–1862]Xu Youren, Governor of Jiangsu [d. 1860]Zeng Guofan, Governor-General of Liangjiang (from June 8, 1860); commander, Hunan Army [1811–1872]Ma Dezhao, Qing commander The Foreign Missionaries:Joseph Edkins, London Missionary Society [1823–1905]Jane Edkins, his wife [1841-1863]Griffith John, Welsh Congregationalist missionary [1831–1912]James Legge, London Missionary Society, Hong Kong [1815–1897] Major Works Cited:Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement.Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I–III.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #344 - Taiping 21: Borrowed Things 29.08.2026 38мин

  The stealth troops successfully sneak past the enemy lines in dead men's coats. The false flags planted on the hillside fool the city guard. The front gate assault diverts, while the sappers around back bring the walls down. I love it when a plan comes together, every single piece locking in like perfect clockwork... Except… it wasn't really the plan. The city that fell was never the objective – it was merely a diversion… a diversion that would leave 60,000 dead within a week. Time Period Covered: 1860 CE Major Historical Figures: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Hong Rengan, the Shield King (Gan Wang), Prime Minister [1822–1864] Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King (Zhong Wang) [1823–1864] Li Shixian, the Attending King (Shi Wang) [1834–1865] Chen Yucheng, the Brave King (Ying Wang) [1837–1862] The Qing: The Xianfeng Emperor [1831–1861] He Chun, Imperial Commissioner, Jiangnan Daying [d. 1860] Zeng Guofan, acting Governor-General of Liangjiang; commander, Hunan Army [1811–1872] Zhang Guoliang, commander, Jiangnan Daying [1822–1860] Zhang Yuliang, commander of the Hangzhou relief column Xu Yuren, Governor of JiangsuMajor Works Cited:Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement.Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I–III. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #308.5 - Zheng Yi Sao, Pt. 3: The Tiger's Mouth 23.08.2026 35мин

  Please check out this entire series-arc, re-written, expanded, & re-recorded as of Aug 2026:- Ep. 306: Dead Men Tell No Tales: https://megaphone.link/ARML5251369441- Ep. 307: Murders & Acquisitions, Mostly: https://megaphone.link/ARML6215286599 - Ep. 308: The Shadow State: https://megaphone.link/ARML7890860851 Bottled up in Tung Chung Bay, subsisting for three weeks on caterpillars & boiled rice, the largest pirate fleet in the history of the world meets six Portuguese ships and the arithmetic that finishes it. What follows is the biggest criminal amnesty the world had yet seen, and a question very few pirates ever get to ask themselves: what does a cutthroat do with retirement? Time Period Covered: 1809–1844 CE Major Historical Figures: Red Flag Confederation: Zheng Yi Sao (AKA Ching Shih, née Shi Yang), Commander of the Red Flag Confederation [1775–1844]Zhang Baozai (Cheung Po Tsai), Fleet Commander of the Red Flags, later Qing navy vice-commander at Penghu [1783–1822]Guo Podai, Commander of the Black Flag Fleet [178?–181?]Mei Ying, a captive of the Red Flag Fleet [d. 1809] Qing Empire: The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan) [r. 1796–1820]The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]Bailing (Zhang Bailing), Governor-General of Liangguang [1748–18??]Sun Quanmou, Provincial Fleet CommanderZhou Feixiong, physician of MacauWu Yaonan, government official [fl. 1810–1840]Lin Zexu, Viceroy of Liangguang [1785–1850] Portuguese Empire: Miguel José de Arriaga Brum da Silveira, Ouvidor of MacauCaptain José Pinto Alcoforado de Azevedo e Sousa, Commander of the Macau FlotillaGonçalves Carocha, pilot British East India Company: Richard Glasspoole, second mate of the Marquis of Ely [1788–1846] Major Sources Cited: Andrade, Tonio. The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History. Antony, Robert J. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China. Glasspoole, Richard. A Brief Narrative of My Captivity and Treatment Amongst the Ladrones (1809); see also Owen Rutter, ed., Mr Glasspoole and the Chinese Pirates (Golden Cockerel Press, 1935).Leonard, Jane Kate. “Maritime China in Transition, 1750–1850,” in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part 2: The Ch’ing Dynasty to 1800. Murray, Dian H. Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790–1810. Van de Ven, Hans J. Breaking with the Past: The Maritime Customs Service and the Global Origins of Modernity in China. Yuan Yonglun. Jing hai fen ji (靖海氛記, 1830), translated by Karl Friedrich Neumann as History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea, 1807–1810 (London, 1831). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #343 - Taiping 20: The Guest & the Host 21.08.2026 35мин

  Li Xiucheng thinks the plan is pointless. He said so out loud, to his superiors… and lost. So of course, it’s him tasked with leading it out the gate. He is, after all, the Loyal King. And so 6,000 soldiers cross the river in the dark through the only path still open to them, every one of them clad in the uniform of a dead enemy. Nobody stops them. Nobody even looks twice. 150 miles southeast there's a city that has no idea they’re coming for it, and it’s not even the city they’re really after. Time Period Covered:1859 – 1860 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Hong Rengan, the Shield King, Gan Wang [1822–1864]Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King, Zhong Wang [1823–1864]Chen Yucheng, the Brave King, Ying Wang [1837–1862]Li Shixian, later the Attending King, Shi Wang [1834–1865]Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Qing Empire:The Xianfeng Emperor [1831–1861, r. 1850–1861]Zeng Guofan, founder and commander of the Hunan Army [1811–1872]He Chun, Manchu general, commander of the Great Southern Camp [d. 1860]Zhang Guoliang, general of the Great Southern Camp [1810–1860]Dexing'e, commander of the northern camp Major Works Cited:Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang, The Taiping Rebellion: History and DocumentsPlatt, Stephen R., Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil WarSpence, Jonathan D., God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #342 - Taiping 19: Approved In the Margins 15.08.2026 52мин

  A man disguised as a peddler stands on the bank of the Yangtze watching a British fleet go past, and tries to hitch a ride to Nanjing. He's been trying to reach the rebel capital for 6 years now, and this is the closest he's gotten. He’s told “no” … again. So he picks himself up once more and just keeps walking. He’ll get there eventually. And once he does, within three weeks he’ll be made the Shield King – the 2nd most powerful man in the Taiping Kingdom… on paper, at least. Time Period Covered:1858–1859 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Hong Rengan, the Shield King [1822–1864]Chen Yucheng, the Brave King [1837–1862]Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King [1823–1864]Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Great Britain:James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin [1811–1863]Thomas Francis Wade, interpreter [1818–1895] Missionaries & Observers:Theodore Hamberg [1819–1854]James Legge [1815–1897]Karl Marx [1818–1883] Great Qing:The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]Magistrate Tan of Huangmei Major Works Cited:Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection.Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I, II & III.Oliphant, Laurence. Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's Mission to China and Japan in the Years 1857, '58, '59.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #341 - Taiping 18: Titles of the Dead 08.08.2026 42мин

  In the Heavenly capital of Nanjing, a government that’s now mostly murdered has to be restaffed… somehow. And so their old titles are simply dusted off and re-distributed who whoever’s still left standing. Meanwhile, the men out actually running the war have learned that there’s no use in waiting for the paperwork or permission… neither are coming. They hold their own conference, swear their own oath, and decide to prosecute the war on their own from here on out, regardless of what Nanjing might think about that arrangement. Time Period Covered:1857–1858 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Chen Yucheng [1837–1862] Li Xiucheng [1823–1864] Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Meng De'en, Chief of Staff [d. 1861] Li Shixian [1834–1865] Yang FuqingWei Jun Lin Qirong, commander of Jiujiang garrison [d. 1858] Wu Dinggui, commander of Sanhe garrison Great Qing: The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861] Zeng Guofan [1811–1872] Zeng Guohua [1822–1858] Zeng GuobaoHu Linyi [1812–1861]Zhang Guoliang [1810–1860] Hechun [d. 1860]Dexing'e (Duxing'a) Li Xubin [1818–1858] Major Works Cited:Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I & II.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #340 - Taiping 17: Out of Kings 02.08.2026 49мин

  The Heavenly Kingdom, having recently killed kings three and four of its founding five – and misplaced the fifth – attempts to solve its acute leadership shortage. To that end, the Heavenly King turns to his own blood, promoting his brothers – both military novices – and handing supreme military authority to the upjumped royal harem-staffing administrator. Meanwhile, up his own backwater Jiangxi creek, the one man of Great Qing capable of destroying the rebels is finally handed a paddle by his enemies’ infighting... and promptly goes home to bury his father. Two governments, two indispensable men, and one season in which both of them simply choose to walk away.Time Period Covered:1856–1857 CE Major Historical Figures:TaipingHong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]Hong Renfa, the Peace King [d. 1864]Hong Renda, the Blessings King [d. 1864]Meng De'en, Chief of Staff [d. 1861]Chen Yucheng [1837–1862]Li Xiucheng [1823–1864]Yang Xiuqing, the East King [d. 1856]Wei Changhui, the North King [d. 1856] NienZhang Luoxing, Lord of the Alliance [1811–1863]Li Zhaoshou [d. 1881] QingThe Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]Zeng Guofan [1811–1872]Zeng Guohua [1822–1858]Hu Linyi [1812–1861] Major Works Cited:Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I & II.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #339 - Taiping 16: At Sixes & Sevens 27.07.2026 47мин

  The Taiping's greatest summer curdles into its bloodiest autumn. Two months after the East King demands to be crowned Hong Xiuquan's equal, three of his brother-kings converge on Nanjing with an army he never sees coming.By dawn, the man who once spoke with the voice of God is a head on a pole in the street. Yet the purge doesn't end there: it swallows thousands, devours the men who ordered it, and costs the Heavenly Kingdom its foothold on the Yangtze before the year is out – all without a single Qing soldier's help.Time Period Covered:Dec. 1853–Sep. 1856 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King [1814–1864]Yang Xiuqing, East King [c. 1821–1856]Wei Changhui, North King [d. 1856]Qin Rigang, Yan King [1821–1856]Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]Xiao Chaogui, West King [d. 1852]Feng Yunshan, South King [d. 1852]Hu Yihuang, Yu King (deposed) Qing Dynasty:Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang/Hunan Army [1811–1872]Xiang Rong, Nanjing S. siege camp commander Nanjing [d. 1856]Tuoming'a, Yangzhou commander 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.Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #338 - Taiping 15: The Summer of 10,000 Years 19.07.2026 40мин

  The Taiping Army is riding high. Having finally broken two massive, three-year-long sieges over the course of a single summer, ultimate victory seems within their grasp. Yet, that taste of triumph acts like blood in the water. The lifting of the sieges removes the one thing that had been holding this fractured movement together: sheer external pressure. For three years, the East King has been rehearsing one demand: the same title as the Heavenly King. Absolute recognition, absolute parity - the promotion he believes he's duly owed. Now with the pressure off, he's willing to do anything to get it, even summon the voice of God Himself.Time Period Covered:Dec. 1853–Sep. 1856 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856]Wei Changhui, the North King [d. 1856]Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856]Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]Xiao Chaogui, the West King [d. 1852]Feng Yunshan, the South King [d. 1852]Hu Yihuang, the deposed Yu King Qing Dynasty:Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872]Xiang Rong, Qing commander of the southern siege camp at Nanjing [d. 1856]Tuoming'a, Manchu commander at Yangzhou 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.Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #337 - Taiping 14: Tears Enough to Swell the River 13.07.2026 42мин

  Three months after the biggest win of his life, Zeng Guofan tries to drown himself.Again.His fleet gets ambushed, split in half, & set ablaze by a 23-year-old nobody bothered to worry about – right up until he became the guy everybody worried about. The reward for surviving all that? A "promotion" in-name only... with no province, no funds, no friends, and a bureaucracy that somehow finds the – time mid-civil-war – to mock him personally. He loses his flagship, his files, his seal of command, and even a friend. And all the while, a much bigger disaster is assembling itself in Nanjing, completely without his input...Time Period Covered:Dec. 1854–Apr. 1856 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856]Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856]Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]Lin Qirong, Taiping commander of JiujiangLuo Dagang, Taiping commander of Meijiazhou and Hukou Qing Dynasty:The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872]Taqibu, Manchu commander of the Xiang Army's land forces [d. 1855]Peng Yulin, co-founder of the Xiang Army's naval forces [1816–1890]Hu Linyi, Xiang Army commander, later Governor of HubeiChen Qimai, Governor of JiangxiTao Enpei, Governor of Hubei [d. 1855]Zuo Zongtang [1812–1885] 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.Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Audio Backing Courtesy of:TabletopAudioCLS Productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #336 - Taiping 13: The Order of Caps and Shoes 07.07.2026 42мин

  Zeng Guofan goes to war to defend a fixed universe – and nearly drowns proving how unfixed his own place in it actually is. Across a single year, Hunan's most unlikely general brutally finds out that he is indeed no warrior, and consequentially must rebuild a river fleet from nothing... all while the Taiping's own capital is spared only my a mix-up with the date. By December, the Yangtze has changed hands – and a nervous throne has just learned exactly how dangerous a loyal army, and the man who built it, can become... and exactly how briefly gratitude lasts. Time Period Covered: Feb. – Dec. 1854 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856] Wei Changhui, the North King [1823–1856] Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856] Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Qing Dynasty: The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861] Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872] Taqibu, Manchu commander of the Xiang Army's land forces [d. 1855] Peng Yulin, co-founder of the Xiang Army's naval forces [1816–1890] Zhang Shoulin, aide who pulled Zeng Guofan from the Xiang River at Jinggang 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. Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #335 - Taiping 12: The Man In Hunan 30.06.2026 37мин

  While the Northern Expedition dies in the freezing mud of Shandong, the Taiping's second strike — the Western Expedition — turns its sights on the provinces they've already ridden through on the Yangtze, a kingdom to go with their new Heavenly Capital. But waiting for them in Hunan is a man unable to ride a horse, or command an army... who will nevertheless set about constructing their ultimate doom.Time Period Covered:May 1853 – February 1854 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Hu Yiguang, commander of the Anhui column, Western ExpeditionLai Hanying, commander of the Jiangxi column, Western ExpeditionShi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [c. 1823–1864]Qing Dynasty:The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861]Jiang Zhongyuan, governor of Anhui [1812–1854]Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872]Tang Jian, Neo-Confucian scholar and Zeng Guofan's mentor [1778–1861] 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #334 - Taiping 11: The Spear of Heaven and the Winter Wolf 23.06.2026 31мин

  The Taiping Army commits to one of its most audacious acts yet – an assault on the Qing throne itself, a thousand miles north in Beijing. To reach it, it will launch its great Northern Campaign: a single spear-throw that, if its aim holds true, might end the entire war before the teeth of winter bite down.Time Period Covered:May 1853 – March 1855 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Lin Fengxiang, co-commander of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]Li Kaifang, co-commander of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [c. 1823–1864] Qing Dynasty:The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861]Prince Senggelinqin [c. 1811–1865]Other:Theodore Hamberg, Swedish missionary, Hong Kong; author of the first European account of the Taiping [1819–1854] Major Sources Cited:Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #333 - Taiping 10: All Things In Common 15.06.2026 39мин

  Finally pooled and stilled at Nanjing, in the afterglow of victory, the Taiping reflect on what they’ve become, and what they’ve yet to accomplish. In the cold light of the morning after, though, dreams do not equal result, nor clouds a working constitution. And as the world begins to take note and come knocking, the question hanging over it all remains: what will come next? Time Period Covered: Spring–Summer 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]Xiao Chaogui, West King, signing from beyond the grave [d. 1852]Fu Shanxiang, first & only female zhuangyuan of the examination [fl. 1853; dates uncertain]Lin Fengxiang, general of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]; The Women's Army of the Heavenly Kingdom [org. 1851]Qing Dynasty: Zeng Guofan, Confucian official, founder of the Xiang (Hunan) Army [1811–1872]Great Britain:Sir George Bonham, Governor of Hong Kong & plenipotentiary to China [1803–1863]Thomas Taylor Meadows, consular interpreter [1815–1868]Cmdr. Edmund Gardiner Fishbourne, HMS Hermes [1811–1887]Abroad: Karl Marx, correspondent, New-York Daily Tribune [1818–1883] 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #332 - Taiping 9: Heaven Is A Place On Earth 08.06.2026 37мин

  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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #331 - Taiping 8: Kingdom Come 31.05.2026 42мин

  The Heavenly Host marches north out of Hunan. Ahead of them lies the spine of China itself – the mighty Yangtze; maker and breaker of dynasties. The trading capitals strung along its southern bank glimmer like beads on a thread. They have and continue to transform, to build a fleet, a state. Now they will find out what it’s all been leading toward. This is the story of the Kingdom In Motion, and the river that carried it east. Time Period Covered: Nov. 1852 – Mar. 1853 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]Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [1823–1864] Qing Dynasty:The Xianfeng Emperor, Aisin Gioro Yizhu [1831–1861]Chang Liangji, Governor of HubeiQian Jiang, the jiansheng from Zhejiang who pitched reform and walked Major Sources Cited:Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #330 - Taiping 7: Beneath the Walls of Changsha 23.05.2026 34мин

  The Heavenly Host has arrived at the great provincial capital of Hunan - Changsha. The mighty bastion that will prove to be the first city on the long march north that simply refuses to fall. For two months in late 1852, the largest army the Taiping has yet fielded throws everything it knows at these walls... but the city endures. This is the story of the underground war fought by nameless men in the dark Time Period Covered: Oct. – Dec. 1852 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] Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852] Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863] Qing Dynasty: Luo Bingzhang, Governor of Hunan [1793–1867] Zeng Guofan, Commissioner of Local Defence for Hunan [1811–1872] Major Sources Cited: Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #329 - Taiping 6: River of Souls 16.05.2026 36мин

  The army that marches north out of Quanzhou in June 1852 is not the same one that left Jintian 18 months prior. It has left its prime architect in an unmarked grave, massacred the city that killed him, and crossed into the unknown territory of Hunan. At Daozhou, for the first time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom starts speaking to Empire at large, calls upon brotherhood to honor their blood-oaths, & dares name the emperor himself a demon. It's beginning to get real, and all roads - it seems - lead toward Changsha... Time Period Covered:June – October 1852 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]Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]Wei Changhui, North King [1823–1856]Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863] Qing Dynasty:Luo Bingzhang, Governor of Hunan [1793–1867] Other:Lan Chengzun, Yao tribesman, White Lotus chieftain [fl. 1836]Lei Zaihao, Yao chieftain [fl. 1847]Li Yuanfa, Han Triad rebel leader [fl. 1849] Major Sources Cited:Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  #328 - Taiping 5: The Way Ahead 08.05.2026 53мин

  The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has been proclaimed — but proclamations don't feed armies. As such, its Divine Host will enjoy all of 11 days before sheer arithmetic forces them back onto the road. What follows is eight months of movement through the hills and river valleys of Guangxi: not quite a military campaign, not quite a refugee march. When they finally stop, it will be inside the walls of a city called Yong'an - "Eternal Peace." There, for the first time, the blueprint of the kingdom they have been promising can at last be seen in outline. Kings will be named, & time itself will be reordered... But the walls keep closing in, and ahead - always ahead - is the only path left. Time Period Covered:Jan. 1851 – June 1852 Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864]Feng Yunshan, South King, Architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852]Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]Wei Changhui, North King [1823–1856]Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]Luo Dagang, pirate-turned-general [fl. 1851–1853] Qing Dynasty:Saishangga, Imperial Commissioner [fl. 1851–1852]Xiang Rong, Qing General [d. 1856]Ulantai, Qing General [d. 1852] Major Sources Cited:Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection.Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices