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Taiping Rebellion.com 1850-71 |
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Taiping Rebellion.com 1850-71 |
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Defeat of the Kanyang Idol 1844
Hong Xiuquan and followers destroying the evil Kan yang idol About that time, it was reported to him that, in the department of Xiuquan, there was a very famous idol, by the name of Kan-wang-ye. During his life, this Kan had been an inhabitant of the department, and had been extremely addicted to the arts of geomancy. When, then, it was told him one day by a magician, that a " bloody burial" would be followed by great prosperity in his family, he immediately went home, and killing his own mother, caused her to be buried in the spot marked out by the compasses. The promised prosperity actually followed ; and, after a life spent in dissipation, the profligate was worshiped as a demon. Great was the dread which fell upon all the The wardens were even afraid to sleep in the temple ; and whenever they entered it to light the lamps and burn incense, they beat the gong to prevent Kan-wang- ye from appearing to them. Whoever said a word against him was sure to be instantaneously seized with bowel-complaint, the course of which could be stayed only by acknowledging the power of his god- ship— at least, such was the popular belief. But when Xiuquan heard of this delusion, his anger was aroused, and he said, " This is the kind of demons I used to exterminate when my soul was wandering in heaven." Then, taking with him Yun-san, Wang-ngi, and a few others, he set off for the temple of Kan-wang-ye. At the end of the second day they reached it. On approaching the place, they beheld a number of small temples, scattered over a hillside, with one principal building near the summit.Siu-tshuen stopped a moment to contemplate the beauty of the scene ; then, silently praying to God, advanced into the terrible presence of Kan-wang-ye. This was found to be a huge wooden deformity, about ten or twelve feet high, with gilded head and feet. But not fearing his gilt godship, and having bound, hand and foot, the few priests in attendance, Xiuquan took a stick, and smote him in the face. Thereupon, Xiuquan and his friends threw down the image, broke it in pieces, rent its robes, and destroyed the sacrificial vessels of the temple. This task of holy indignation successfully accomplished, the party withdrew ; and, escaping pursuit, arrived safely at Thistle-mount. This daring feat was immediately noised abroad through the district, and a large reward was offered for the apprehension of its perpetrators, but it was afterwards withdrawn, when the demon, speaking by the mouth of a small boy, of whom he had taken possession, said : " The destroyers of idols are sincere men ; you are not able to hurt them ; be content with repairing ray image." The reputation of Xiuquan was greatly increased by this action ,his fame scarcely less augmented by a prophecy, published at that time, respecting another celebrated shrine, called, " The temple of the six caverns The temple of the six caverns." This sacred establishment consisted of several small, but beautiful stalactite caves in the mountains, the entrances to which were ornamented with great care by means of various hanging plants, and festoons of flowers, as well as by the usual trees, gardens, and buildings. But as its groves and caverns had been prostituted to forbidden pleasures, Xiuquan wrote a satire upon it, wherein he reproved the loose morals of the people, and declared that the time would speedily arrive, when the images of the temple of the six caverns would be destroyed, as had been that of Kan-wang-ye. And lo ! In a few weeks after, an army of white ants, so destructive in that country, invading the temple of the six caverns, devoured its entire wood- work, and ate up all the idols. Death of Xiuquan's Father Shortly after this his father died calling his children and his grandchildren around his bed, said : " I am now ascending to heaven ; after my decease you must not call any Buddhist priest, nor perform any heathen ceremonies, but merely worship God, and pray to him." Siu-tshuen mourned sincerely for his father ; and when his friends, pointing to his hair and beard, which had been allowed for some time to grow long, said he must have foreseen the death which had called him to mourning, he did not undeceive them. But the fact was that he had secretly resolved no longer to shave his head, as for the space of two hundred years his countrymen had been compelled to do. in token of submission to their conquerors, the Tartars. Xiuquan remained at home nearly a year, mourning for his father, and teaching the Christian doctrines, as he had opportunity caused to be distributed among the heads of families in his . clan five wooden rods for the chastisement of wickedness, each one having inscribed on it the particular crime it was to be used for punishing. The inscriptions were these : " 1. Beat the adulterers. 2. Beat the female seducers. 3. Beat the disobedient to parents. 4. Beat thieves, robbers, and gamblers. 5. Beat all vagabonds plotting evil.-' Such proceedings as these plainly show that Siu- tshuen was beginning gradually to carry out into acts the conviction, that he had been commissioned by God to destroy the power of wickedness and idolatry in the world, and was fast preparing him- self to take the lead not only of a militant sect, but of an armed insurrection.
.The Taiping movement had grown larger, with a large number of Hakka converts fleeing the attacks of some of the hill tribes of Guangxi .It became obvious to Xiuquan that soon he must come into conflict with the Manchu government and he began organizing his following in military units and raiding nearby market towns for supplies . The unopposed march of the Taiping insurgents from the northern mountains of Guangxi toward Guangdong alarmed the people of Guangzhou, and the viceroy , Siu Kwang sin,of the two Guangs (Guangxi and Guangzhou was compelled to take action .By August the activities had attracted the attention of the imperial authorities, troops were sent against it with the purpose of breaking it up . Gov Yeh entered Guangxi with about 5,000 troops which were ambushed in the mountains and frequently defeated .The emperor in Beijing, sent comminssoner Lin Zexu, whose actions in burning the English opium chests had started the Opium War .However, he died on the way to Guangxi |
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