The Taiping Rebellion’s Massive Death Toll

“Did you know one of the deadliest wars in human history wasn’t World War I or II?

It was the Taiping Rebellion. In mid-1800s China, the Qing Dynasty was collapsing under

corruption, poverty, and foreign pressure. Millions were starving, and rebellion was

inevitable. Then came Hong Xiuquan—a failed scholar who claimed he was the brother of Jesus

Christ. His radical vision promised equality, land reform, and the destruction

of the old order. Desperate peasants followed him by the millions. In 1851,

Hong founded the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, rejecting Confucian tradition,

promoting women’s rights, and declaring holy war on the Qing. His armies swept