Society of Little Swords
The Little Swords Society was a secret society that dared to revolt against the Qing Dynasty during the Taiping Rebellion in Shanghai and kept the city under their control from 1853 to 1855. The secret society initially acted independently, but in the course of the rebellion it submitted to the authority of Taiping ruler Hong Xiuquan . The rebellion in Shanghai was finally put down by the Qing government with the support of French troops.
background
As early as the 18th century, the Qing dynasty , which established a dominance of the Manchuaristocracy over the Han state people in its system of rule , was shaken by several revolts. Secret societies, including the Tiandihui ( Society of Heaven and Earth ), formed outside of the Manchu State , which questioned the Qing rule. From 1850, the Taiping Rebellion led to an uprising by a Christian - messianic sect, which in its course encompassed large parts of southern China. In 1852, Tiandihui rebels, under the command of Zhou Lichun, took over Qingpu County in response to military collections . In the course of time, several other circles joined the uprising, coordinated by the secret societies. In March 1853 the Taiping conquered Nanjing and made the old imperial city their capital.
Uprising in Shanghai
Encouraged by the success of the Taiping Rebellion, the secret societies in and around Shanghai united in the summer of 1853 to form the Society of Small Swords. They chose Liu Lichuan , a worker from Guangdong Province , to be their leader. Newcomers from the Fujian province played the leading role in the secret society, along with a few Shanghai dealers and factory owners.
On September 7, 1853, the forces of the secret society started the uprising against the Qing rule in Shanghai. The rebels were able to quickly take the city, leaving the foreign settlement area untouched. The rebels were also able to drive the Qing troops out of Qingpu , Baoshan , Nanhui and Chuansha counties . After the seizure of power, the secret society established its own government, which initially leaned on the Ming dynasty, which was ousted by the Qing . Ultimately, however, Liu Lichuan swore allegiance to Taiping ruler Hong Xiuquan . The rebels tried to win over the urban population through a three-year moratorium on taxes and grain deliveries. The administration also tried to introduce its own currency. Within the secret society there was a power struggle between the Guangdong and the Fujian wing of the movement, which eventually led to a split.
The Qing State's military response came in a counterattack under the orders of Xu Naizhao . The government troops quickly managed to regain control of the area around Shanghai. Zhou Lichun was killed in the fighting for Qingpu. However, with the help of the population loyal to them, the rebels managed to assert the city against the Qing. In July 1854, the newly appointed governor of Jiangsu , Jierhanga , made a diplomatic attempt to pull the foreign forces in Shanghai, who had secured the international settlement, to the government's side. The western states agreed to the cooperation and received as a concession a joint administration of customs duties in the port of Shanghai.
Together with the foreign troops, the Qing military erected fortifications that cut off the rebel retreats from the rest of the city. On January 6, 1855, French ships supported an attack by the Qing military on a Little Swords base north of Shanghai. On February 17, 1855, the rebels who remained in the city attempted a breakout, which failed. The leader of the secret society Liu Lichuan was killed in the attempt to break out. A few insurgents were able to escape the Qing and join other Taiping formations. By March 1855, the city and the surrounding area were pacified from the perspective of the Qing troops.