History of the Taiping Rebellion
Summary
This episode explores the Taiping Rebellion, a catastrophic mid-19th century civil war in China that killed up to 30 million people. It details how Hong Xiuquan, a failed scholar who believed he was Jesus’s brother, founded the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to overthrow the Qing dynasty. The narrative covers the rebels’ rise, their radical social and religious policies, and the internal power struggles that weakened their leadership. Finally, it examines the Qing dynasty’s counteroffensive, aided by Western mercenaries, which ultimately crushed the rebellion and restored imperial rule.
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