We have to mention that Hong Xiuquan, the leader who founded the first religious organization in history in his sleep, in his sleep, has a jaw-dropping extravagance in his lifestyle. It is recorded that he had 1,168 wives, ate at least 880 delicacies every day, slept on a luxurious eight-foot-long dragon bed, and even the night pot used at night and the bathtub used for bathing were made of pure gold. He was the initiator of this far-reaching Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement.
Hong Xiuquan, whose real name is Huoxiu, was born in 1814 in Fuyuanshui Village, Huaxian County, Guangdong Province. He excelled in his studies during his childhood, and the elders in his family had high hopes for him to excel in the dynasty selection examination, but unfortunately, Hong Xiuquan failed to take the imperial examination three times in a row, and finally had to become a rural private school teacher in his hometown. It was not until 1837 that he fell ill and woke up in a coma for many days after failing in the third imperial examination. From then on, he began to claim that he had dreamed that the emperor had asked him to subdue demons. Immediately after suffering a fourth defeat in the imperial examinations, he began to unabashedly declare himself the second son of God and the younger brother of Jesus, and instead focused on the missionary cause, while putting forward the great slogan "All the world, share the peace and prosperity of the world."
In 1847, after studying the Bible in Guangzhou, Hong Xiuquan began to break his faith. In the same year, his cousin Hong Rengan and fellow villager Feng Yunshan engaged in missionary work in Guangxi, and honored Yang Xiuqing as the representative of God's will, Xiao Chaogui as his heavenly brother, and Hong Xiuquan as the leader of the sect. Thanks to their active promotion and careful organization, the membership of the Church of God grew rapidly, reaching more than 10,000 at one point.
Then, in 1850, Hong Xiuquan and others seized the opportunity of the Tiandihui uprising and the plight of the famine in Guangxi, mobilized all the congregations to sell their wealth, and gathered in Jintian Village, Guiping County, Guangxi Province to begin rigorous military training. On Hong Xiuquan's 38th birthday, they solemnly swore an uprising at Rhino Ridge, officially designated this place as the base of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and canonized the commanders of the five major armies. All the soldiers had to shave their hair, tie their red ties, and march from Jintian Dongshan and the mouth of the Dahuang River to Yong'an City. As the main opponents of the Qing ** on the battlefield, the Eight Banners and the Army Battalion Soldiers, due to serious corruption, their combat effectiveness once fell into a trough, so that the general Li Xingyuan died of wounds and illness in the army after many fierce battles, which led to the failure of the siege plan.
After this victory, the strength of the Taiping army was like a bamboo, and in just two years, it swept through most of China and successfully occupied Nanjing. In 1853, Hong Xiuquan decided to establish Nanjing as the new capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and changed its original name to Tianjing. In addition, he also promulgated and implemented the famous "** field acre system" and implemented a comprehensive supply system policy, so that more and more people joined the Taiping army camp. More importantly, he demanded that men wear short haircuts, women should break the habit of binding their feet, and strictly prohibit smoking, alcohol, extramarital affairs, and gambling, so as to eliminate the breeding of social vices.
However, with the rise of the Taiping Rebellion, the Western powers also began to take a keen interest in this emerging power. They were particularly concerned about Hong Xiuquan's position on the unequal treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty. In response to the overtures from the British, they hinted at their willingness to provide assistance in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's efforts to destroy the Qing Dynasty, but the only quid pro quo was that the two sides would divide the world equally after the victory. However, Hong Xiuquan resolutely responded that he would rather fight until the last minute than pay for a compromise, and firmly denied all unequal treaties.
In the years that followed, the Taiping army continued to attack, and their combat footprint spread throughout Chinese mainland. However, fate made people, and the sudden outbreak of the Tianjin Incident completely changed the direction of the situation. At that time, Yang Xiuqing, the king of the East, took advantage of the pretext that God's will came to the world to force Hong Xiuquan to crown him as long live. Faced with such pressure, Hong Xiuquan had no choice but to order Wei Changhui, the king of the north, to lead the army back to the capital, and to kill Yang Xiuqing and his entire family. The core commander of the Taiping Army has now become a victim in the complicated struggle. After Wei Changhui was killed, the general Shi Dakai led his troops out of Tianjing. In order to consolidate his leadership position, Hong Xiuquan began to canonize all the princes, a total of as many as 2,700.
However, the years were merciless, and soon the decline of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was irreversible. After a long siege, in 1864, after holding on for two years, Tianjing City finally fell into a situation surrounded by enemy troops, and Hong Xiuquan could no longer wait for the news of God's blessing in Nanjing, but closed his eyes forever and died at the age of 51.