Xiuquan

Xiuquan is a Chinese masculine given name, typically rendered in pinyin as Xiuquan. The name is most prominently associated with Hong Xiuquan (1814–1864), the founder of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and leader of the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing dynasty.

Hong Xiuquan was born into a Hakka family in Guangdong and initially pursued the imperial examinations. In the 1830s he experienced a series of visions he believed were divine revelations, leading him to preach a millenarian form of Christianity and to organize a new religious-political movement. In 1851 the Taiping movement proclaimed the establishment of the Heavenly Kingdom, with Nanjing as its capital, and began implementing radical social reforms, including land redistribution and campaigns against opium and certain traditional practices.

The Taiping Rebellion grew into one of the largest civil wars in world history, lasting for about a decade and a half and drawing in millions of followers. It severely destabilized southern China and strained Qing resources, contributing to significant population loss and regional upheaval. Qing forces, aided by regional armies and foreign powers at times, eventually defeated the movement. Hong Xiuquan died in 1864 during the conflict, amid the collapse of Taiping leadership.

The rebellion had lasting effects on late imperial China, weakening the Qing state and influencing later reform currents. It remains a major event in Chinese history, noted for its scale, its religious elements, and its radical calls for social change.