Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 09-08-04 22:12
The youth of Hong Xiuquan
洪秀全少年時
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Hong Xiuquan was the founder of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (太平天國1851AD to 1864AD) with its capital in the present day city of Nanjing (南京市) of Jiangsu province (江蘇省).
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龍潛海角恐驚天,---Long2 qian2 hai3 jiao3 kong3 jing tian,
暫且偷閑躍在淵.---Zhan3 qie3 tou xian2 yue4 zai4 yuan.
等待風雲齊聚會,---Deng3 dai feng yun2 qi2 ju4 hui4,
飛騰六合定乾坤.---Fei teng2 liu4 he2 ding4 gan kun.
By Hong Xiuquan in 1843AD
In the spring of the 23th year reign of Emperor Dao Guang (道光皇帝), 1843AD Hong Xiuquan went to the city of Guangzhou (廣州) to sit for the public examination the fourth time. He failed again. He took a boat home. Standing in the baot and seeing the rolling waves (滾滾的浪花) he composed the above poem. The poem is about his giving up of sitiing the public examination and resolving to overthrow the Qing Government.
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There were only about four hundred people, who were all Hakka, in the village of Guanlubu (官祿佈村) in Hua county (花縣) which was about thirty kilometers north of the city of Guangzhou (廣州), the provincial capital of Guangdong province (廣東省). Majority of the residents of the village bore the surname Hong (洪). There were only six houses in front of the village, but behind the village there were two other rows of houses with narrow lanes and in the third row on the west side of the village was the humble dwelling [http://chungyn.webhop.net/guanlubu.jpg]
which belonged to the of parents of Hong Xiuquan.
Before the village and in front of the houses there was a large pool of muddy water, where all the dirt and refuse of the village was carried down by the rain. The muddy water formed a rich supply of water for manuring in the fields. The smell from the water was awful to those people who were unaccoustomed to Chinese agricultural economy. The village school was situated on the left hand side from the village near the side of this stinky pool. Boys from the village studied their Chinese classic in this school, with the hope of rising from their present humble status to the highest dignities in the Empire.
In the twelve moon of the 17th year reign of Emperor Jiaqing (嘉慶皇帝) in1812AD Hong Xiuquan was born in a village called Fuyuanshui (福源水村) in Hua county. He was named Renkun (仁坤). Shortly after his birth his family moved to live in in the village of Guanlubu. When he reached the age of manhood, he was given another name Huoxiu (火秀). When he went to school he adopted Xiuquan (秀全), "Elegant and Perfect', as his literay name.
The two elder brothers of Hong Xiuquan laboured with their father in cultivating their paddy-fields. Besides the rice fields the Hong family also planted vegetables in a patch bordering the rice fields. The Hongs was a self sustaining family, possessing two buffaloes, besides some pigs, dogs, and poultry, which were generally included in a Chinese farming establishment. The young Hong Xiuquan soon developed an extraordinary capacity for study and was sent to school when he was seven years of old. For five or six years he attended the village school where he studied the Four Books (四書), the Five Classics (五經) and the Thirteen Classics (十三經). Later he read for himself the History of China, and the more extraordinary books of Chinese
literature, all of which he very easily understood at the first perusal. He soon gained the favour of his teacher as well as of his own family members who felt proud of his talents, and surely hoped that he would in course of time attain the degree of Jin-shi (進士 Imperial Graduate), or even become a member of the Han-lin academy (翰林學士), from which the highest officers were selected by the Emperor, and thus by his high status reflect a lustre upon his whole family. Several of his teachers gave him free tutions. Although some of the schools he visited were at a great distance, and the financial position of his family was unsound, yet, in order that he might continue his studies, they rejoiced to bring him provisions. Several of his relatives even shared their clothing with him. His old father loved to talk with his friends about the talents of his youngest son. His face brightened whenever he heard any one singing his son's praises. He would invite the speaker to his house for a cup of tea, or even a bowl of rice. He would continue his favourite topic of discourse with the friend.
When Hong Xiuquan was about sixteen years of age, due to the poverty of his family, he discontinued his studies. He assisted in the field labour, or led the buffaloes to graze upon the mountains. It was regretted by all that Hong Xiuquan's studies should thus be discontinued.
In the following year a friend, same age as Hong Ziuquan, invited him to study with him as a fellow-student for one year. This friend of Hong Xiuquan hoped to procured some benefits from being associated with such a talent, like him. After this period was over the relatives and friends of Hong Xiuquan regretted that his talents should be wasted in manual labour in the fields. They therefore engaged him as a teacher in their own village. Thus an opportunity was given to him to contiune his literary pursuits.
The yearly income of a village schoolmaster depend upon the number of boys who attended his school. The usual number was between ten and twenty. With a smaller number of less than ten it would be insufficient to support himself. On the other hand if he had more than twenty students he could not give proper attention to them, as he had to teach every boy separately. They had to hear from him and repeat after him and later memorize their lessons by heart.
Every boy had to supply his teacher with the following articles annually: rice 50lb., for extra provision 300 cash, one kilo of lamp-oil, one kilo of lard, one kilo of salt, one kilo of tea and besides these a sum of one dollar and fifty cents. The school studies continued throughout the whole year, with about one month's intermission at the New Year. At this time the teacher's engagement terminated and a new engagement must be made. If that teacher resigned a new one had to be sought. The name of Hong Xiuquan was always among the first upon the board at the District Examinations, yet he never succeeded in attaining the degree of Xiucai (秀才a graduate).
In the year of 1836 when he was twenty-three yearsold, Hong Xiuquan again went to Guangzhou to sit for the Public Examination. Near the examination hall he saw a man dressed in the custom of the Ming Dynasty (明朝 1368AD to 1644AD) without a pigtail, but tied his hair in a knot upon his head. It seemed that the man could not understand or speak Cantonese because he employed a Chinese as his interpreter. The stranger was surrounded by group of people of people. Hong Xiuquan heard him telling the people through the interpreter about the fulfilment of their wishes. Hong xiuquan approached the stranger and asked him through the interpreter if he could attain a literary degree. The stranger told him that "You will attain the highest rank, but do not be grieved, for grief will make you sick. I congratulate your virtuous father." Hong Xiuquan thought it was stranged to hear that.
The next day, Hong Xiuquan again met these two men in the street. One of them had in his possession a parcel of books consisting of nine small volumes which were a complete set of work titled "勸世良言 Quan Shi Liang Yan or Good words for extorting the age". When Hong Xiuquan came out from the examination hall the man gave him the whole set. Hong Xiuquan took them home and after glancing through their contents he placed them in his book-case thinking that they were unimportance.
The following year in 1837 Hong Xiuquan again attended the public examination at the provincial city Guangzhou (廣州). When the results were out Hong Xiuquan saw his name placed high upon the board, but afterwards it was lowered to the bottom. Deeply grieved, disappointed and discontented, Hong Xiuquan had to go the inn with his ambition dashed. Shortly afterwards he felt very ill, he engaged a sedan-chair with two strong men to carry him back to his village. That day was the first day of the third moon in the 17th year of Emperor Daoguang (道光皇帝), 1837AD. He confined himself to bed. During this period he had a succession of dreams or visions. He first saw a great number of people welcoming him to an unknown place. When he woke up he thought it was a strange dream. He presumed that the place arrived at was the palace of 閻羅王 (Yan Luo Wang or the king of Hades) and he was going to die soon. So he called his parents and other relatives to assemble at his bedside. He told them in the following terms:
"My days are counted, and my life will soon be closed. O my parents! How badly have I returned the favour of your love to me! I shall never attain a name that may reflect its lustre upon you."
After saying this Hong Xiuquan closed his eyes and was in coma. Those, standing next to his bed, thought he was going to die.
However, as soon as Hong Xiuquan closed his eyes he saw a dragon, a tiger and a cock entering his room [Please note it was only a dream, like you and me dream occasionally in our sleep]. Soon after he observed a great number of people playing musical instruments. They approached with a beautiful sedan chair inviting him to be seated. Once he was seated on the sedan chair they carried him away. He was astonished at the honour and distinction bestowed upon him. He did not know what to do. They soon arrived at a beautiful and luminous place, where on both sides were assembled a multitude of fine men and women who saluted him with expressions of great joy. As he left the sedan chair, an old woman took him down to the river and said,
"Thou dirty man, why hast kept company with yonder people, and defiled thyself? I must now wash thee clean."
After the washing ceremony, Hong Xiuquan, in company with a great number of old virtuous and venerable men, among whom he remarked many of the ancient sages, entered a large building where they opened his body with a knife, took out his heart and other parts, and put in their place others new and of a red colour. Instantly when this was done, the wound closed, and he could see no trace of the incision which had been made. Upon the walls surrounding this place, Hong Xiuquan remarked a number of Tablets with inscriptions exhorting to virtue, which he one by one examined. Afterwards they entered another large hall the beauty and splendour of which were beyond description.
A man, venerable in age, with golden beard and dressed in a black robe, was sitting in an imposing attitude upon the highest place. As soon as he saw Hong Xiuquan, the old man began to shed tears, and said,
"All human beings in the whole world are produced and sustained by me; they eat my food and wear my clothing, but not a single one among them has a heart to remember and venerate me; the worse is that they take my gifts and they worship demons; they purposely rebel against me, and arouse my anger. Do thou not imitate them."
After saying this the old man gave Hong Xiuquan a sword, commanding him to exterminate the demons, but to spare his brothers and sisters. He also gave Hong Xiuquan a seal and said it was for him to overcome the evil spirits. After that he gave Hong and a yellow fruit to eat and Hong said it was very sweet. After having received the sword and the seal from the old man Hong Xiuquan began to exhort to those people waiting in the hall and to perform the duties for old man. Some replied to his exhortations,
"We have indeed forgotten our duties towards the venerable."
Others said,
"Why should we venerate him? Let us only be merry, and drink together with our friends."
Hong Xiuquan continued his admonitions with tears. The old man said to him,
"Take courage and do the work; I will assist thee in every difficulty."
Shortly after this the old man told the people in the hall that,
"Hong Xiuquan is competent to this charge;"
He then led Hong Xiu-quan out and told him to look down and said,
"Behold the people upon this earth! Hundredfold is the perverseness of their hearts."
Hong Xiuquan looked down and saw such a degree of depravity and vice that he was flabbergasted. He then woke up in trance and he felt the very hairs of his head raise themselves. Suddenly, seized by a violent anger and forgetting his feeble state he put on his clothes and left his bedroom. When he saw his father he bowed to him and said,
"The venerable old man above has commanded that all men shall turn to me and all treasures shall flow to me."
When his father saw him speaking in this manner, he did not know what to think, but with joy and fear.
The sickness and visions of Hong Xiuquan continued about forty days. In these visions he often met a middle age man whom he called elder brother who instructed him how to act. This elder brother of his went with him wandering to the uttermost regions in search of evil spirits. Together they slew and exterminated the evil spirits.
Hong Xiuquan also heard the venerable old man with the black robe reprove Confucius for having omitted in his books clearly to expound the true doctrine. Confucius seemed much ashamed, and confessed his guilt. Hong Xiuquan, during his sickness, often, as his mind was wandering, used to run about his room, leaping and fighting like a soldier engaged in battle.
His constant cry was,
"天主﹐天主﹐天主﹐天主﹐
Tianzhu, tianzhu, tianzhu, tianzhu;
殺魔﹗殺魔﹗殺﹐殺﹐
Slay the demons! Slay the demons! Slay, slay:
這一個﹐那一個。
There is one and there is another;
吾劍擊眾魔
Many many cannot withstand one single blow of my sword."
His father felt very anxious about the state of his mind and attributed the calamity of his family to the fault of the geomancer who selected an unlucky spot of ground for the burial of their forefathers. He engaged conjurers to drive away evil spirits; but Hong Xiuquan said,
"How could these imps dare to oppose me?
I must slay them, I must slay them!
Many many cannot resist me."
In his imagination he pursued the Demons who seemed to undergo many changes and transformations: one time flying as birds, and another time appearing as lions. In case he was not able to overcome them he held out his seal against them who at the sight of which they immediately fled away. He imagined himself pursuing them to the most remote places under heaven. Wherever he made war with them he destroyed them. Whenever he succeeded he laughed joyfully and said,
"They can't withstand me."
He was constantly singing one passage of an old song,
"The virtuous swain he travels over rivers and seas;
He save many friends and he kills enemies."
During his exhortations he often burst into tears, saying,
"You have no hearts to venerate the old father, but you are on good terms with the impish fiends; indeed, indeed, you have no hearts, no conscience more."
Hong Xiuquan's eldest brother, 洪仁發 (Hong Renffa) and his second brother 洪仁達 (Hong Renda) constantly kept his bedroom door shut and watched him because they did not want him to run out of the house. After Hong Xiuquan had tired himself by fighting, jumping about, singing, and exhorting, he lay down upon his bed and went to sleep. While he was asleep people would come and look at him. The news about his condition was spread far and wide. Soon the whole district knew that he was a madman.
Hong Xiuquan often said that he was an appointed Emperor of China. He was highly gratified when some one called him the Emperor of China. However, if any one called him mad, Hong Xiu-quan would laugh at him and said,
"You are indeed mad yourself, and do you call me mad?"
When undesirable persons came to see him, he rebuked them and called them demons. All day long he sang, wept and exhorted. During his sickness he composed the following piece of poetry:
"My hand now holds both in heaven and earth the power to punish and kill.
To slay the depraved, and spare the upright; to relieve the people's distress.
My eyes survey from the North to the South beyond the rivers and mountains;
My voice is heard from the East to the west to the tracts of the son and the moon.
The Dragon expands his claws, as if the road in the clouds were too narrow;
And when he ascends, why should he fear the bent of the milky way?
Then tempest and thunder as music attend, and the foaming waves are excited.
The flying Dragon the Yik-king describes, dwells surely in Heaven above."
One early morning, when Hong Xiuquan was about to leave his bed, he heard the birds of the spring singing in the trees which surrounded the village. Instantly he recited the following ode:
"The Birds in their flight all turn to the light,
In this resembling me;
For I'm now a King, and every thing
At will to do I'm free.
As the sun to the sight, my body shines bright-
Calamities are gone;
The high Dragon and the Tiger band
Are helping me each one."
Hong Xiuquan's relatives engaged several physicians to cure his disease. They gave him medicines to take, but was of no avail. One day his father noticed a slip of paper put into a crack of the doorpost, upon which were written the following characters in red-
"The noble principles of the Heavenly King, The Sovereign King Quan."
His father took the paper and showed it to the other members of the family, but they could not understand the meaning of these seven characters. From that time onwards Hong Xiuquan gradually regained his health. Many of his friends and relatives came and visited him. They wanted to know and to hear from his own mouth what he had exprienced during his disease. Hong Xiuquan related to them, [as above] without reservation, all that he could remember of his extraordinary visions. All his friends and relatives could say was that it was very strange indeed. Even Hong Xiuquan, himself, said that it was a funny dream and indeed it was strange for him to go through this.
Sources:
(1) Western reports on the TAIPING
a selection of documents
By Prescott Clarke and JS Gregory
Australian National University Press
Canberra 1982
(2) 中國通史 (1939)
By 周谷城
(3) 中國歷代史話 (volume 5)
By 夏家餕
(4) 中國近代史
By 孔守李
(5)Theodore Hamberg (Hong Kong 1854)
Autobiographical deposition of Li Xiu-cheng (August 1864)
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CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved 09092004
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