The leaders of the Taiping Rebellion were the Hong Xiuquan and his brothers.
Hong Xiuquan was born in Guangdong, China in 1814. His father died when Hong Xiuquan was a child, leaving him to be raised by his mother and extended family. As a young man, he studied for the Confucian civil examinations, a tough and highly competitive series of examinations for which only the best and brightest students could hope to pass. Despite studying very hard, Hong Xiuquan failed the examinations in 1836 and 1844. This made him very depressed and despondent, and it was during this time period that he was influenced by Christianity, which was starting to take hold in China. He eventually converted, and soon his teachings began to spread.
At this point in his life, Hong Xiuquan had been exposed to a set of prophecies contained within a Chinese version of the bible, which compelled him to lead a revolutionary struggle against the foreign Qing dynasty government and the local Chinese families that supported them. In 1847, Hong officially declared himself to be the brother of Jesus Christ and called himself the “Heavenly King” and proclaimed a new kingdom, theTaiping Heavenly Kingdom (also known as the Taiping Rebellion). He gathered together an army of followers and began a campaign of raids and uprisings throughout southern and central China.
His brothers, Yang Xiuqing, Feng Yunshan, Wei Changhui, Yang Guochao, and Hong Rengan, were integral to the success of the Taiping Rebellion. Yang Xiuqing was an influential strategist and advisor to Hong Xiuquan, often offering insight on ways to carry out the rebellion and staying focused on the cause’s ultimate goal. In fact, he wrote the Taiping Laws, which were designed to be a governance code for the new kingdom. Feng Yunshan was a strong military commander and was responsible for leading several successful campaigns throughout central China. Wei Changhui was another important military strategist and commander, and was responsible for leading the rebellion’s forces in the fight against the Qing regime. Yang Guochao and Hong Rengan were also influential members of the rebellion’s inner circle, offering advice and counsel to Hong Xiuquan and aiding in the decision-making process.
Together, these brothers and their leader, Hong Xiuquan, became known as the “Seven Loyal and Righteous Generals”. Although the Taiping Rebellion eventually fell apart and ended in defeat, these seven brothers were incredibly influential in shaping the strategies and battles of the conflict. They remain an important part of Chinese history and are still remembered today as some of the most powerful and influential revolutionaries in the country’s history.