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Article: God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.
- Article from:
- Journal of Social History
- Article date:
- June 22, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Journal of Social History. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In 1837 Hong Xiuquan, unsuccessful aspirant to the lowest examination rank and from a Hakka ethnic background, had a vision that lasted several days and nights. In it he obtained a mission from God to destroy all demons from the surface of the earth and to save mankind. Hong also learned that he was the Younger Brother of Jesus Christ. In 1843 he had once again failed the examinations, and from then onwards he devoted all his energies towards interpreting his vision and carrying it into practice. This proved to be very difficult in his native county thirty miles north of Canton, so he and his earliest supporter Feng Yunshan moved to Guangxi province to proselytize further ...