The History of China

Latest Episodes:

#342 - Taiping 19: Approved In the Margins Aug 15, 2026

Show notes

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.

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#341 - Taiping 18: Titles of the Dead Aug 08, 2026

Show notes

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 Fuqing
Wei 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 Guobao
Hu 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.

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#340 - Taiping 17: Out of Kings Aug 02, 2026

Show notes

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:
Taiping
Hong 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]

Nien
Zhang Luoxing, Lord of the Alliance [1811–1863]
Li Zhaoshou [d. 1881]

Qing
The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]
Zeng Guofan [1811–1872]
Zeng Guohua [1822–1858]
Hu Linyi [1812–1861]

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#339 - Taiping 16: At Sixes & Sevens Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

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.

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#338 - Taiping 15: The Summer of 10,000 Years Jul 19, 2026

Show notes

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

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#337 - Taiping 14: Tears Enough to Swell the River Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

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 Jiujiang
Luo 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 Hubei
Chen Qimai, Governor of Jiangxi
Tao 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:
TabletopAudio
CLS Productions

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#336 - Taiping 13: The Order of Caps and Shoes Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

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.

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#335 - Taiping 12: The Man In Hunan Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

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 Expedition
Lai Hanying, commander of the Jiangxi column, Western Expedition
Shi 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]

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#334 - Taiping 11: The Spear of Heaven and the Winter Wolf Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

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.

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#333 - Taiping 10: All Things In Common Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

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]

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