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1862 BCE
1862
The "Ever Victorious Army," led initially by American Frederick Townsend Ward and later by British Charles Gordon, begins operations against the Taiping rebels. -
January 11
Hong Xiuquan formally established the Taiping Heavenly King. He believed that private property should be abolished and communal wealth to share should be created. -
January 11
The Jintian Uprising marks the beginning of the Taiping Rebellion. -
March 19 1853
Taiping forces capture Nanjing, which becomes the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and is renamed Tianjin. Hong and his followers in the society of god worshippers took over the naming in 1853. They diverted their attention to capturing Beijing. -
August 9th 1856
Internal conflict leads to the Tianjing Incident, where Yang Xiuqing, a key leader, is assassinated. Who was an important leader in the rebellion and due to power struggles with the withdrawal of Hong Xiuquan from public affairs. -
December
The Taiping forces attempt to capture Shanghai but are repelled. The Qing troops led by Empress Dowager Cixi fought back alongside the support from Western powers. -
1864
Nanjing falls to Qing forces, effectively marking the end of the Taiping Rebellion. Hong Xiuquan dies, and the remaining Taiping territories quickly fall. "After lingering illness, he committed suicide in June 1864" page 737. The rebellion finally came to an end and changed the Chinese history forever.