Wei Changhui

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Wei Changhui ( Chinese  韋昌輝 , Pinyin Wéi Chānghuī , W.-G. Wei Chʻang-hui ) was the northern king of the Taiping uprising .

Life

Before the uprising

Wei Changhui was named Wei Cheng as a child. He came from a wealthy family in Jintian, Guiping , Guangxi , and owned both land and a pawn shop. His family always made sure that Jiantin Market was a safe place for the "worshipers". In the early days of the movement around 1840, Wei was converted to Christianity by Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan . In the summer of 1848 Wei took a brotherly oath with Hong Xiuquan, Feng Yunshan, Yang Xiuqing , Xiao Chaogui , Shi Dakai, and Jesus Christ .

Role in the Taiping Kingdom

In the Taiping Uprising, Wei assumed the role of general from the beginning. On December 4, 1851, Hong appointed Xiuquan Wei King of the North, Lord of the 6,000 Years. As soon as the Taiping captured Nanjing , Wei began organizing the defense of the area and arranging for Nanjing's food supplies.

Tianjin battle and death

After the failed attack on Tianjin , Yang Xiuqing (the "Eastern King") soon began to humiliate and threaten Wei in order to consolidate his own power. Shortly before accepting a title in a similar position to Hong Xiuquan, Yang Wei sent Shi Dakai and Qin Rigang to separate provinces. Hong sensed treason in Yang and alerted the three generals to return immediately. Wei returned to Nanjing on September 1, 1856 with three thousand men, where he met Qin Rigang, who had already arrived. In consultation with Hong Xiuquan and his allies, the two generals decided not to wait for Shi Dakai. They and their troops immediately stormed Yang's palace and killed him before he could escape. Then they also executed his family and followers in his palace despite promising Hong that only Yang would die. After this act, 6,000 of Yang's supporters remained in Nanjing. Hong and his generals discussed that they would trap this one. Hong pretended to arrest Wei and Qin Rigang and invited Yang's followers to watch them beat up. However, once the majority of Yang's followers were in the courtroom, the beatings were suspended and Yang's followers were locked in the halls. The next morning they were all systemically killed. The killings of Yang's supporters continued over the next three months.

Shi Dakai arrived in Nanjing in October and sued Wei for the excessive executions. Wei, in turn, assumed that Shi was a traitor. Following a warning that he might be murdered next, Shi fled Nanjing the same day he arrived. During the night, Wei and Qin Rigang Shi's home and slaughtered his family and entourage. Shi then raised an army of 100,000 men and demanded the heads of Wei and Qin. Wei ordered Qin to stop Shi's advance and started a plot to imprison Hong Xiuquan. However, Hong Xiuquan was able to thwart these plans and had his bodyguard killed Wei. Qin was lured back and killed shortly afterwards.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Franz H. Michael: The Taiping Rebellion: History. 1966: 38.
  2. ↑ Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 112, 125, 223
  3. ↑ Jen Yu-wen: The Taiping Revolutionary Movement 1973: 40-43.
  4. ↑ Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 146.
  5. ↑ Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 143.
  6. ^ Jen Yu-wen: The Taiping Revolutionary Movement 1973: 218.
  7. ↑ Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 223, 236.
  8. ↑ a b c Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 237.
  9. ↑ a b c Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 242.
  10. ↑ Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 242-43.
  11. ↑ a b c Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 243.
  12. ↑ Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 243-44.
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son 1996: 244.

literature

  • Yu-wen Jen: The Taiping Revolutionary Movement. Yale University Press, New Haven CT et al. 1973. ISBN 0-300-01542-9
  • Rudolf G. Wagner : Reenacting the Heavenly Vision. The Role of Religion in the Taiping Rebellion (= China Research Monograph. Vol. 25). University of California Press, Berkeley CA 1982. ISBN 0-912966-60-2
  • Lu, S .: Pei wang Wei Ch'ang-hui. 1988.
  • Art. Wei Changhui In: Tz'u hai 1965.
Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Wei is the family name here, Changhui is the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Wei, Changhui
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 韦昌辉 (Chinese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Leader of the Taiping Uprising
DATE OF BIRTH 19th century
DATE OF DEATH 19th century