Platt - Autumn in the heavenly kingdom: China, the West, and the epic story of the Taiping Civil War

AUTUMN IN THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM

ALSO BY STEPHEN PLATT

Provincial Patriots: The Huanaese and Modern China

First published in hardback in the United States of America in 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

First published in Great Britain in hardback, export and airside trade paperback and e-book in 2012 by Atlantic Books, an imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd.

Copyright Stephen Platt, 2012

The moral right of Stephen Platt to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardback ISBN: 978-0-85789-766-4
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-85789-767-1
E-book: 978-0-85789-769-5

Printed in Great Britain

Atlantic Books
An imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd
Ormond House
2627 Boswell Street
London
WC1N 3JZ

www.atlantic-books.co.uk

For Francie and Lucy

Blessed are the peacemakers:

for they shall be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:9

IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT

X IANFENG , emperor of the Qing dynasty

P RINCE G ONG , Xianfengs half brother

Y EHONALA , a concubine of Xianfeng, later Empress Dowager Cixi

W ENXIANG , a grand councillor

S ENGGELINQIN , a Mongol bannerman and general

G UO S ONGTAO , a Chinese official

Z HANG G UOLIANG , a former bandit, general of the Green Standard

H E C HUN , a general of the Green Standard

W U X U , the daotai of Shanghai

X UE H UAN , governor of Jiangsu province

TAIPING REBELS

H ONG X IUQUAN , the Heavenly King

H ONG R ENGAN , Hong Xiuquans cousin, the Shield King and prime minister

L I X IUCHENG , the Loyal King

L I S HIXIAN , Li Xiuchengs cousin, the Attending King

C HEN Y UCHENG , the Brave King

T AN S HAOGUANG , the Esteemed King

S HI D AKAI , the Wing King

G AO Y ONGKUAN , the Receiving King

THE PROVINCIAL ARMIES

Z ENG G UOFAN , commander in chief of the Hunan Army

Z UO Z ONGTANG , a general in the Hunan Army

B AO C HAO , a Sichuanese commander in the Hunan Army

D UOLONGA , a Manchu cavalry commander in the Hunan Army

L I H ONGZHANG , Zeng Guofans student, commanding general of the Anhui Army

C HENG X UEQI , a turncoat from the rebels, commander in the Anhui Army

OTHER CHINESE

Y UNG W ING , a graduate of Yale University in the class of 1854

Y ANG F ANG , a Shanghai banker, patron of the Ever-Victorious Army

Y ANG C HANGMEI , Yang Fangs daughter, married in 1862 to Frederick Townsend Ward

BRITISH

In Government

L ORD P ALMERSTON , prime minister

L ORD R USSELL , foreign secretary

W ILLIAM G LADSTONE , chancellor of the Exchequer

C OLONEL W ILLIAM H. S YKES , member of Parliament for Aberdeen, Scotland

Diplomats and Consular Officials