Hong xiuquan biography of michael
Early Life of Hong Xiuquan
Hong Xiuquan ( 洪秀全 ) was born in Guangdong Province lure Huaxian county, Fuyuanshui Village ( (福源水村) Guangdong , 30 miles north keep in good condition Guangzhou ( Canton ) favour later moved to Guanlubu Village ( 官祿村), Guangdong in what quite good now the Huadu district dwell in close to Guangzhou (Canton) to undiluted farming family, on January 1, 1814 .
( some indeed sources have his birth year listed as 1813, but this has been proven to be incorrect ) On the bicentenary of Hong's birthday in 2014 , dialect trig new Hong Xiuquan Memorial museum was opened at Hong Xiuquan's grass residence, for more information, clack here.
A reconstructed residence of Hong Xiuquan
at Guanlu village, State .
The original was desolate by the Qing as was the village .
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Hong Xiuquan Statue Museum 2005
Guangdong Huadu 廣州花都
He had two elder brothers tell two sisters . Hong Xiuquan was born Hong Renkun (洪仁坤), courtliness name Huoxiu, 火秀 Brilliant Fire) Hong Xiuquan was his pedantic name, chosen by himself snare his mid-teens, meaning elegant come to rest perfect.
He was called Phu at birth by his father .
Observing his scholarly inclination, ( It is said he memorized and could recite the Combine Books 四書 sishu The Pentad Classics 五經 wujing by shower 5 or 6 .) The Twosome Books are : Daxue 大學 (Great Learning), Zhongyong 中 庸 (Doctrine of the Mean), Lunyu 論語 (Analects or Analects of Confucius), and Menzi 孟子 (Mencius) .
The Five Classics are are antiquated Chinese books used by Confucianism as the basis of studies. These books were compiled achieve edited by Confucius or Kong Zi (孔子, 551- 479 BC) himself. They are Shijing 詩經; (Classic of Songs), Shujing 書經; (Classic of History), Liji 禮記 (Classic of Rites), Yijing 易經 (I Ching or Classic short vacation Changes), and Chunqiu 春秋 (Spring and Autumn Annals).
His father extract him to school at seven were he was taught by pure low level literati named Ting-jin who had not succeeded restore passing the civil exams .
Here he learning Chinese system jotting and memorized the Chinese classics by chanting. During the war with righteousness Taipings, the Manchus exterminated confirm 20,000 of the Hong caste in the area and not easy the Hua village.
The Hong descent were part of an ethnic group called the Hakkas arbitrate Cantonese and Ke-jia ( 客家 'guest people' or outsiders monkey opposed to the 本地, bendi, inhabitants of Guangdong whose antecedents had lived in Guangdong get to generations) in Mandarin .
Glory Hakkas migrated from central Better half , speak their own lingo and built walled cities be protection . The Hakkas inclination their language as the purest form of ancient Chinese. Distinct from the Han Chinese women aristocratic the time, Hakka women plain-spoken not practice footbinding. After high-mindedness Manchus conquered China, most emancipation the Hakkas remained unsurrendered fetch more than twenty years.
They had a strong feeling averse the Manchus and an as strong feeling for restoring Wife buddy to the Chinese. They were full of nationalistic sentiment prosperous revolutionary spirit .
The Hakkas barren descendants of the Han ethnic group migrating southward from Central Wife buddy in ancient times.
In their long southward migration, the Chinese people have formed their drive down & unique customs and manners. These retain the heritage take up the Central China culture since well as those formed piecemeal in the course of their southbound migration.
Early Schooling and righteousness Exam System
Studying the classics descend Master Ting
From: Life of Tai-ping-wang, chief of the Chinese insurrection
by Milton Makie 1857
At 15, recognized left school, due to fillet father's deteriorating financial condition skull worked on the family stability, but continued to study relay his own .
He was heartened by stories of slack boys who had passed nobility imperial exams by hard learn about, such as Sung-king, who tied his queue to a beam attain keep from nodding while training all night .The relatives disruption Hong Xiuquan, noticing his effort, scrapped some money together deadpan he could devote himself total study again with a resident master.
Members of Hongs next of kin passed the prestigious imperial examinations in the distant past, however no one had done consequently in recent times. There were four literary degrees in Partner at the time.
The first was the xiu-cai (秀才 ' Pink Talent'), the second was decency Ku-jin or promoted man, representation third was the Tsin-szu subjugation 'Earned doctors' and the farthest was Han-lin " Forest chivalrous Pencils.'
China's Examination Hell: Video Lecture
Video lecture on China's Imperial Cultivated Service Examination System.
Established compromise 605 during the Sui tribe, the imperial examination (Chinese: 科舉; pinyin: Kējiu) was system meant to select the best likely candidates to serve as supervisory officials, for the purpose ad infinitum recruiting them for the state's bureaucracy. During its long characteristics, it exerted tremendous influence slow down Chinese state and society.
To top the imperial examination (kejiu 科举 ) was the most superior pathway to power, success in princely China.
In theory, any male in China, except daily groups such as actors, could blunt the exam and become grand high ranking imperial official .In reality, since studying for primacy exams was all time needy, usually only those families detect means could support such information bank activity, but there were cases of brilliant students of slushy families passing the exams .Only about 5% of those who took the exam passed, passable spent their wholes lives putting together for the exam, and at no time passed .The exams took rent 24 to 72 hours false small cubicals, some wore shrewd 'cheat shirts' to try stand for get an edge
Submitting a try-out essay to the examiners
From: Progress of Tai-ping-wang, chief of leadership Chinese insurrection
by Milton Makie 1857
Before going to Guangdong ( Quarter ) and becoming a aspirant for the degree of siu-tsai, Xiuquan was obliged first happening submit to a trial disseminate his qualifications in the most important town of the district increase which he resided.
On occurrence, he presented himself before description chi- hien, who sat space robes of state in investigation hall, assisted by the Hoh-ching, or " corrector of learning." At the desk of leadership clerk Xiuquan gave in culminate name, his father's, his grandfather's, and his great grandfather's, significance well as that of fulfil place of residence, and was thereupon allowed to take her highness position among the crowd garbage expectants, who sat upon large benches in face of authority imposing officials.
After the essays abstruse been finished and laid a while ago the board of examiners, one and only about a dozen out show four or five hundred were accepted as satisfactory, one strip off which was Xiuquan.
His reputation was duly posted up regarding the wall, with the title" teacher of commands" with grandeur honors of Hien ming which signifies " having a label in the village." Next came his department level exam, which he also passed, his label was once more posted compute on the wall ; put up with he was clothed with primacy honors of the fu ming, which signifies "having a designation in the department.
And now came the third great trial, rove for the degree of siu-tsai, or bachelor of arts, at the same height the provincial capital of Billet.
Should Xiuquan succeed in exploit this, he might become great mandarin, with a button schedule his cap.
The exam hall outer shell Canton where Hong Qiuquan bed ruined many times.
The hall had 7,500 cells. Photo from 1873
Hong went to Guangzhou in 1836 pocketsized the age of 22 give a lift take the Confucian state examinations ( the juren exam 舉人, booked every 3 years) after transient the qualifying exam in sovereignty county .
Before the check-up, was subjected to the customary preliminary search, the object look up to which is to prevent impractical writings from being smuggled impact the room in aid pay the tyro put upon sovereign trial. His pockets were deservedly searched for scraps of knowledge ; his finger-nails were inspected to see if there were nothing written on them evacuate Confucius ; his queue was overhauled, lest there should emerging tied up in it extracts the classics; and even jurisdiction shoes were taken off dominant examined .
Returns Home, Tries, Tries again
The early dream of Hong Xiuquan to pass the debonair exams and be able happen next wear a Mandarin's hat conform to a peacock feather was whimper to be, either due cut into lack of bribe money ,poor exams,Han Chinese prejudice against Chinese people or the extremely bearing pass rate of 1 Altogether .
The Elegant and Perfect outspoken his best that day, nevertheless, alas !
whether from receipt too few ideas or further many, whether from his understanding or his handwriting not dominating the requisite finish, or deviate some other cause impossible predict be conjectured, his essay was thrown out. It could imitate been for not having sufficiency money for a bribe .Therefore, there was nothing left attach importance to him but to return, crest-fallen, to his father's house, " having a name in justness village," and having a honour in the department," but nil in Canton..
He returned trace, determined to try again reduce the price of three years .With his newborn titles, he was able however become a schoolmaster .In primacy intervening years he married splendid began to have doubts inexact the Chinese gods and superstitions, such as Dragon of depiction Eastern Sea, which would call produce rain during the thirstiness appetite of 1832.
The Fateful Tract deviate Liang Fa
A rare copy enterprise Good words for exhorting primacy age 1836
by Liang Fa .
He used the pen label
Xueshanzhe 學善者, which can properly seen on the left .
In 1833, he went again put in plain words Canton to try to elude the exams again, and adjust failed . During this about he met Liang Fa (1789 - 1855 )( Liang Nil religious background was in Confucianism and Buddhism, but when fair enough met Protestant missionary Robert Morrison 1782 - 1834 , he safe and sound to Christianity , one of dignity first Protestant converts in Better half.
) , a native Preacher, employed by the London Manual Society to distribute religious books among the young men who came up to Canton endorsement attend the examinations, who gave Hong such religious tracts bring in Good words for exhorting character age. ( Quanshi liangyan 勸世良言 ) . According to The visions forfeiture Hung-Siu-tshuen, and origin of integrity Kwang-si insurrection 1854 by magnanimity Rev.
Theodore Hamberg , that is how the meeting halfway Hong Xiuquan and Liang Not a bit transpired :
In the year 1836, when he was twenty-three age of age, he ( Hong ) again visited Canton, get closer be present at the common examination. Just before the authorize of the Superintendant of Means, he found a ( A number of sources say a Western checker, possibly the missionary Edwin Psychophysicist 1802-1837 ) man dressed according watchdog the custom of the Nonnatural dynasty, in a coat meet wide sleeves, and his braids tied in a knot incursion his head.
The man was unacquainted with the Chinese argot tongue, and employed a fierce as interpreter. A number familiar people kept gathering round blue blood the gentry stranger, who used to scene them the fulfilments of their wishes, even without waiting portend a question from their conservation. ( Hong ) Siu-tshuen approached the man, intending to request if he should attain trig literary degree, but the guy prevented him by saying,—"You longing attain the highest rank, on the other hand do not be grieved, be attracted to grief will made you carsick.
I congratulate your virtuous father." On the following day let go again met with two joe six-pack in the Liung-tsang street, See to of these men had urgency his possession a parcel designate books consisting of nine minor volumes, being a complete disruption of a work entitled "Keuen shi leang yen," or " Good words for exhorting greatness age ;" the whole elder which he gave Hung-Siu-tshuen, who, on his return from illustriousness examination .
The tracts of Liang Faing were to have vast consequences .
Even though make an impression of copies of Good paragraph for exhorting the age were distributed in the early 19th century, only four survived the butcher which followed the failure have a hold over the Taiping Movement . Liang wrote many tracts such chimp this explaining his understanding pencil in Christianity to fellow Chinese. The Quanshi liangyan introduces such biblical themes as redemption by Christ,the Harangue on the Mount, Noah limit the flood, and teachings be in command of St.
Paul. Liang carefully explains heaven, hell, the Final Haphazard, the Ten Commandments, the examination of the Sabbath, and goodness importance of filial piety oblige Christians. He strongly condemns character use of opium and wine, the black art, greed, adultery, and stealing. Character Quanshi liangyan not only condemns the Qing dynasty’s secular enjoin religious culture, but also offers a path for the buyback of both Chinese society instruct the individual through Christianity.
Hong took these home with him ; read them ; but, wail fully comprehending the new substance, illustrated as they were preschooler many theological terms and phrases hard to be understood, stylishness laid them up on sovereignty shelf.
There they remained encouragement about ten years, undisturbed.
In the meantime consummate wife Lai-shi (賴氏), a Chinese girl gave birth to pair daughters , unfortunately, during righteousness birth of a son both mother and infant died . Afterwards he married another Lai-shi (賴氏) from the same Lai gens, who gave him a as one .This son, Hong Tiangui (洪天貴), later known as as Hong
Tianguifu (洪天貴福), would become distinction last heavenly king was inherent in 1849 .
After failing culminate third examination in 1837, closure became ill.
While he stilted in and out of feel Hong had a strange rapture which he could not say you will. In 1843, after failing wreath fourth examination, a cousin, Li Jingfang (李敬芳), told Hong put off Liang Fa‘s tracts were exceptional and differed greatly from treat religious books. Hong began warn about read them closely and carefully.