A man disguised as a peddler stands on the bank of the Yangtze watching a British fleet go past, and tries to hitch a ride to Nanjing. He's been trying to reach the rebel capital for 6 years now, and this is the closest he's gotten. He’s told “no” … again. So he picks himself up once more and just keeps walking. He’ll get there eventually. And once he does, within three weeks he’ll be made the Shield King – the 2nd most powerful man in the Taiping Kingdom… on paper, at least.

Time Period Covered:
1858–1859 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Hong Rengan, the Shield King [1822–1864]
Chen Yucheng, the Brave King [1837–1862]
Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King [1823–1864]
Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]

Great Britain:
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin [1811–1863]
Thomas Francis Wade, interpreter [1818–1895]

Missionaries & Observers:
Theodore Hamberg [1819–1854]
James Legge [1815–1897]
Karl Marx [1818–1883]

Great Qing:
The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]
Magistrate Tan of Huangmei

Major Works Cited:
Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection.
Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I, II & III.
Oliphant, Laurence. Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's Mission to China and Japan in the Years 1857, '58, '59.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.

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