The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom lasted ten years and left tens of millions dead or displaced. China’s finest political minds, along with nearly all its military and financial resources, were consumed by the conflict. As the author tries to trace the religious fervor in Hong Xiuquan’s heart, he also reflects on a question: Some people believe with all their hearts that they have a mission to make everything “newly created in wondrous beauty, so that the people of Heaven may marvel.” They give little thought to the consequences. Could this be the great tragedy of history? The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and Hong Xiuquan are familiar subjects, and scholars have extensively studied and discussed them. Jonathan Spence did not set out to write a complete history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Instead, by presenting a clear, orderly account of events, he sought to understand Hong Xiuquan’s inner world and trace the logic behind his actions.