The Heavenly Kingdom's Policies
The rebels announced social reforms, including strict separation of the sexes, abolition of foot binding, land socialization and "suppression" of private trade. In religion, the Kingdom tried to replace Confucianism, Buddhism and Chinese folk religion with a form of Christianity, holding that Hong Xiuquan was the younger brother of Jesus. Troops were nicknamed "Longhairs", because they sported a traditional Confucian hairstyle which was different from the Qing queue. Qing government papers refer to them as "hairy rebels" (simplified Chinese: 发贼; traditional Chinese: 髮賊, pinyin: fàzéi).
Within the land it controlled, the Taiping Heavenly Army established a theocratic and highly militarized rule. However, the rule was remarkably ineffective, haphazard and brutal; all efforts were concentrated on the army, and civil administration was non-existent. Rule was established in the major cities and the land outside the urban areas was little regarded. Even though polygamy was banned, Hong Xiuquan had numerous concubines. Many high-ranking Taiping officials kept concubines as a matter of prerogative, and lived as de facto kings.
Read more about this topic: Taiping Rebellion
Famous quotes containing the words heavenly, kingdom and/or policies:
“But this rough magic
I here abjure, and when I have required
Some heavenly musicwhich even now I do
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, Ill break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
Ill drown my book.”
—William Shakespeare (15641616)
“Our nada who art in nada, nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada but deliver us from nada; pues nada. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee.”
—Ernest Hemingway (18991961)
“To deny the need for comprehensive child care policies is to deny a realitythat theres been a revolution in American life. Grandma doesnt live next door anymore, Mom doesnt work just because shed like a few bucks for the sugar bowl.”
—Editorial, The New York Times (September 6, 1983)