As one of the bloodiest conflicts in China history, the Taiping Rebellion ( 太平叛乱 ) was a clash between the forces of Imperial China and those inspired by self-proclaimed mystic named Hong Xiuquan (洪秀全), who was also a Christian convert who had claimed that he was the new Messiah and younger brother of Jesus Christ. The rebellion is named after the revolutionaries' name Kingdom of Heavenly Peace ( 太平天国 ) , which lasted as long as the revolution.

Hong Xiuquan gathered his support in a time of considerable turmoil. The country had suffered a series of natural disasters, economic problems and defeats at the hands of the Western powers, problems that the ruling Qing dynasty did little to lessen. Anti-Manchu sentiment was strongest in the south, and it was these disaffected that joined Hong. The sect extended into militarism in the 1840s, initially against banditry. The persecution of the sect was the spur for the struggle to develop into guerrilla warfare and then into full-blown war.

The revolt began in Guangxi ( 广西 ) Province. In early January 1851, a ten-thousand-strong rebel army routed the Imperial troops at the town of Jintian ( 金田起义 ) . The Imperial forces attacked but were driven back. In August 1851, Hong then declared the establishment of the Heavenly Kingdom of Taiping with himself as absolute ruler. The revolt spread northwards with great rapidity. 500,000 Taiping soldiers took Nanjing in March 1853, killing 30,000 Imperial soldiers and slaughtering thousands of civilians. The city became the movement's capital and was renamed Tianjing ( 天京 ) .

The rebellion's army was its key strength. It was marked by a high level of discipline and fanaticism. They typically wore a uniform of red jackets with blue trousers and grew their hair long. Large numbers of females serving in the army were also a unique feature amongst 19th century armies.

The fighting was always bloody and extremely brutal, with little artillery but huge forces equipped with small arms. By 1856, the Taiping armies numbered just over 1 million. Their main strategy of conquest was to take major cities, consolidate their hold on the cities, then march out into the surrounding countryside to battle Imperial forces. These corps were placed into armies of varying sizes. In addition to the main Taiping forces organised along the above lines there were also many tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of pro-Taiping groups that fielded their own forces often not as well organised. Socio-economically the Taipings came almost exclusively from the lowest classes. Many of the southern Taiping troops were former miners, especially those coming from the Zhuang. Because of very few Taipings, even in the leadership caste, came from the imperial bureacracy, a theocratic and highly militarised rule was established within the land that they controlled.

The rule mainly contain the following aspects: The subject of study for the examinations for officials changed from the Confucian classics to the Christian Bible. Private property ownership was abolished and all land was held and distributed by the state. A solar calendar replaced the lunar calendar. The society was declared classless and the sexes were declared equal. It was the first Chinese regime ever to admit women into examinations. Foot binding was banned. Monogamy was promoted. Other new laws were promulgated including the prohibition of opium, gambling, tobacco, alcohol, polygamy, slavery, and prostitution.

Ranked below the King of Heaven (天王), Hong Xiuquan (洪秀全), the territory was divided among provincial rulers called kings or princes, initially there were five — the Kings of the Four Quarters and the King of the Yi. Of the original rulers, the West King and South King were killed in combat in 1852 and after four years, the East King was murdered by the North King, and the North King himself was subsequently killed.

At its height, the HeavenlyKingdom encompassed much of south and central China, including Nanjing, with the northwards extent reaching Tianjing. But it did not include any major port, isolating the kingdom from external support. The capture of Nanjing marked something of a high-water mark for the kingdom. The Taipings marched on toward Beijing but were forced to turn back after stiff resistance from military forces.

The impetus of the movement suffered greatly as Hong withdrew from active control of policies and administration in 1853. The Taipings failed to get unanimous support for their rebellion because of their hostility to many long-standing Chinese customs and certain Confucian values. This and their peasant mannerisms encouraged the gentry, the landed upper class, to side with the Imperial forces and their Western allies. Following a setback near Beijing most expansion was thereafter westwards, with most fighting being to maintain their hold in the Yangtze valley. But from 1860 the kingdom's fall was rapid.

An attempt to take Shanghai in August 1860 was repulsed by western forces. Imperial forces were reorganized under the command of Zeng Guofan ( 曾国藩 ) and Li Hongzhang ( 李鸿章 ) . The Imperial reconquest then began in earnest. By early 1864 Imperial control in most areas was well established, Hong declared that God would defend Tianjing, but as the Imperial forces approached in June he took poison.