The term was only used by the millenarian rebels under intense pressure during government interrogations. One Qing response was to suppress the word "revolution" by banning it from their world-history textbooks. What should be done with these revolutionary cultists? When they congregate and oppose the government, they are rebels; when they disperse and depart, they are civilians once more. The Qings were from Manchuria, and they established their dynasty as a conquering force of the Ming dynasty by non-Chinese outsiders, maintaining that identity and organization throughout their 268-year reign. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. The first Chinese immigrant to the United Sta, boxer Alissa, Clarissa, kisser, Larissa, Marisa, Melissa, Orissa, reminiscer fixer, mixer, sixer convincer, mincer, pincer, rinser, wincer Amrits, White Lafitte Jos (Silvestre de los Dolores), White House Correspondents' Association Dinner 2006 Speech, White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd, White Nights (Belye Nochi) by Fedor Dostoevskii, 1848, https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/white-lotus-rebellion. [10], The Qing commanders who were sent to repress the rebellion had a difficult time putting down the White Lotus. [6] In its last stage, the Ch'ing suppression policy combined pursuit and extermination of rebel guerrilla bands with a program of amnesty for deserters. As one Qing official complained:[6], "The rebels are all our own subjects. //]]>. Wang Lun likely failed because he did not make any attempts to raise wide public support. As a result of such technological improvements, the Chinese population exploded, increasing from just shy of 178 million in 1749 to almost 359 million in 1811; and by 1851, the population in Qing dynasty China was close to 432 million people. At first, farmers in regions adjacent to Mongolia worked for the Mongols, but eventually, the people in the overcrowded Hubei and Hunan provinces flowed out and into the region. In 2014, with the publication of White Lotus Rebels and South China Pirates: Crisis and Reform in the Qing Empire (2014), Wensheng Wang challenged the perception of the Jiaqing reign (1796-1802) as a "dead middle hiatus" between its past and present by arguing that the emperor successfully carried out policy reforms that readjusted the priorities of governance and enabled the dynasty to . 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Because of the brutality of the Qing troops, however, the troops were soon nicknamed the "Red Lotus" Society. The end of the White Lotus Rebellion in 1804 also brought an end to the myth of military invincibility of the Manchu, perhaps contributing to the greater frequency of rebellions in the 19th century. It apparently began as a tax protest led by the White Lotus Society, a secret religious society that forecast the advent . - the imperial authorities suppressed the White Lotus Rebellion in 1805 using a combination of military and social policies. https://www.thoughtco.com/fall-of-the-qing-dynasty-195608 (accessed March 4, 2023). (2020, August 27). The White Lotus led impoverished settlers into rebellion, promising personal salvation in return for their loyalty. Buddhist sects, such as the White Lotus sect, a group that attracted many followers among the Chinese lower classes. The White Lotus Rebellion Another important rebellion launched by members of the White Lotus Society was the White Lotus Rebellion . The feared Manchu banners, since their conquests of the early 1700s, showed they were no longer a military force of much value, and the emperor had to recruit a new army made up of Chinese militia. The White Lotus society (Bailianjiao) was a religious cult already in existence in the Nan (Southern) Song dynasty (1127-1279). Kublai Khan Grandmother. Only after 1800 did Beijing adopt new tactics that established local militias (tuan) to help surround and destroy the White Lotus. That history stretched back at least as far as 221 BCE when Qin Shi Huangdi first united China into a single empire. [2][3], The White Lotus Rebellion was initiated as an antitax protest led by the White Lotus Society, a secret religious society. #ga-ad {display: none;}
The White Lotus Rebellion was a rebellion initiated by followers of the White Lotus movement during the Qing dynasty of China. When the Manchu tribes of Manchuria (now Northeast China) conquered China some 500 years later in the 17th century and proclaimed the Qing dynasty, the White Lotus. [11], The tide of the rebellion was turned by Qing leaders relying on the local gentry-raised private militias of Hunan, Hubei and Shaanxi. Motivated by millenarian Buddhists who promised the immediate return of the Buddha, it erupted out of social and economic discontent in the impoverished provinces of Hubei, Shaanxi, and Sichuan (including modern Sichuan and Chongqing). Since then, this book has become an invaluable source because it has enabled scholars to understand the beliefs of these groups. Consequently, a person's actual participation in sectarian activities had no impact on his or her arrest; what really mattered was whether monetary demands were met or not. "White Lotus Rebellion The Red Turban Rebellion which took place in 1352, was led by the White Lotus group. The experience of suppressing the rebellion led to improvement in the organization and training of the militia, as many of their leaders wrote extensively on mobilization, enlistment and local defense methods. The White Lotus society (Bailianjiao) was a religious cult already in existence in the Nan (Southern) Song dynasty (1127-1279). Approximately 7,000 Banner troops were sent in from Manchuria in combination with Green Standard Army soldiers from Guizhou and Yunnan as well as tens of thousands of local mercenaries. After both died in battle in 1796, the Qing government sent new officials, but none were successful. The grew in number and power and eventually, into a serious concern for the government. The White Lotus Rebellion was put down in 1805 as a combination of military and social policies. _____ us amazing stories about her youth in Hong Kong. [1] A smaller precursor to the main rebellion broke out in 1774, under the leadership of the martial-arts and herbal-healing expert Wang Lun in Shandong province of northern China. "Tianlijiao ", in. Eventually, the Qing armies and the peasants united, but they were unable to defeat the foreign powers. The rebels are all our own subjects. In 1896, Yan Fu translated Herbert Spencer's treatises on social Darwinism. Here, the White Lotus led impoverished settlers into rebellion, promising personal salvation in return for their loyalty. 12 talking about this. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. This book has since become an invaluable source in understanding the beliefs of these groups. This rebellion grew rapidly under Lin Chi-hieh and other leaders, oue of whom was a woman surnamed Wang, until there were a hundred thousand rebels in arms, who fought with varying fortune against an at least equal number of imperialist solidiers. Members of the society were not ethnically different from Han Chinese, but subscribed to a belief based on a mixture of Taoism, Buddhism, and Manichaeism. In 1805, the imperial authorities suppressed the White Lotus Rebellion by instituting a combination of military and social policies. [4], Though many movements and rebellions were considered by imperial bureaucrats to have been led by White Lotus Society leaders, there is reason to doubt that the White Lotus Society had any organizational unity. Unable to build up a support base, he was forced to quickly flee all three cities that he attacked in order to evade government troops. Unable to build up a support base, he was forced to quickly flee all three cities that he attacked in order to evade government troops. It took nine years of warfare and great loss of life before the rebellion was put down. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The rebellion was ended by the deaths of some 100,000 rebels. Forty-eight years later, Zeng Guofan, leader of Hunan-based Xiang Army studied the Qing government's methods during the White Lotus Rebellion and he was inspired by them while he was considering ways to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. "Reluctant guerrillas in early nineteenth century China: the White Lotus insurgents and their suppressors. Qing control weakened and prosperity diminished by the 19th century. The British under Queen Victoria were a huge market for Chinese teas, but the Qing refused to engage in trade negotiations, rather demanding that Britain pay for the tea in gold and silver. Imperial Mistakes Due to their brutality, the Qing troops were soon nicknamed the "Red Lotus" Society. One such official was Huang Yupian (), who refuted the ideas found in the scriptures with orthodox Confucian and Buddhist views in A Detailed Refutation of Heresy ( Pxi Xingbin), which was written in 1838. The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Vast sums of money earmarked for the campaign against the rebels, however, were embezzled by the imperial favourite Heshen and his friends. Although the rebellion continued for nine years, it never became an organized attempt to establish a new dynasty. In 1805, the imperial authorities suppressed the White Lotus Rebellion by instituting a combination of military and social policies. Find your perfect car with Edmunds expert reviews, car comparisons, and pricing tools. The Qing had forbidden agriculture in the northern regions, which were left to the Mongol pastoralists, but the introduction of new world crops such as potato and maize opened the northern region plains farming. It is only as historical sources look back upon these events do they began to summarize the various aspects of these uprisings as the "White Lotus rebellion. View original page. The White Lotus continued to be active, and it might have influenced the next major domestic rebellion, the Eight Trigrams Uprising of 1813. The government had to depend on more Han Chinese recruits (Green Standard) since there were not enough Manchu. White Lotus Rebellion, (1796-1804), large-scale uprising in the mountainous regions of central China that contributed to the decline of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911/12). Soon the new migrants began to outnumber the indigenous people, and conflict over local leadership grew and grew strong. [6], A systematic program of pacification followed in which the populace was resettled in hundreds of stockaded villages and organized into militia. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). . The White Lotus Society is traditionally considered to have first appeared during the Jin dynasty founded by Huiyuan in Mountain Lu, Jiujiang. The Red Turban Rebellion which took place in 1352, was led by the White Lotus group. One of the tools they used to stay in power was a very strict restriction on trade. [6] The group forecast the advent of Maitreya, advocated restoration of the native Chinese Ming Dynasty, and promised personal salvation to its followers while promising the return of the Buddha.[7]. At the . It is only as historical sources look back upon these events do they began to summarize the various aspects of these uprisings as the "White Lotus rebellion."[7]. - systematic program of pacification followed, Causes and effects of internal challenges; Wh, taiping (Taip'ing) rebellion: reasons for the, taping rebellionconsequences for Chinese soc, tongzhi restoration and self-strengthening mo, collectivisation (maintenance of power, stali, John Lund, Paul S. Vickery, P. Scott Corbett, Todd Pfannestiel, Volker Janssen, Eric Hinderaker, James A. Henretta, Rebecca Edwards, Robert O. Self. The French Revolution was now the French "rebellion" or "chaos," but in fact, the existence of leased territories and foreign concessions provided plenty of fuel and varying degrees of safety for radical opponents. Encyclopedia.com. Update now. The White Lotus Rebellion (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chun ch bi lin jio q y, 17941804) was a rebellion that occurred during the Qing Dynasty of China. Omissions? [9], A systematic program of pacification followed: the populace was resettled in hundreds of stockaded villages and organized into militias. Updates? (present perfect, tell). Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Surprisingly, the ill-organized rebels managed to defeat the inadequate and inefficient Imperial forces. The White Lotus peasant rebellion broke out in 1795 (White Lotus was the name of a secret society that had first fought against the Mongols). It had cost the lives of countless civilians and regular troops, including more than 400 high officers, and consumed more than 200 million liang /tael, which corresponded to four times the annual revenues of the state treasury. Then a turn of fortune and successive victories of the imperialists would almost annihilate their armies and crush all their hopes. [2][3]. Administrators also seized and destroyed sectarian scriptures which were used by the religious groups. During the Qing dynasty, inventions continued to emerge despite the turbulent uprisings and conflicts such as the White Lotus Rebellion, the First Opium War, and the Taiping Rebellion. [13], Forty-eight years later, Zeng Guofan, leader of Hunan-based Xiang Army studied the Qing government's methods during the White Lotus Rebellion and he was inspired by them while he was considering ways to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. [12] The experience of suppressing the rebellion led to improvement in the organization and training of the militia, as many of their leaders wrote extensively on mobilization, enlistment and local defense methods. A decree by the Daoguang Emperor admitted, "it was extortion by local officials that goaded the people into rebellion" By threatening the arrest of people who engaged in sectarian activities, local officials and police extorted money from people. Talking about Yuan's decline and fall, you should learn something about White Lotus Society. Many partisans joined and the society grew rapidly until 1794, when it broke out into the rebellion that subsequently spread over Hupeh and Western China under Liu Cbi-hieh and cast a gloom over the close of the long and brilliant reign of Kien-lung. The White Lotus Rebellion (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chun ch bi lin jio q y, 17941804) was a rebellion initiated by followers of the White Lotus movement during the Qing dynasty of China. 11-07-2011 03:30:12 ZULU. . The Tipng Rebellion (1850-1864), a large-scale uprising that started in southern China, marched within miles of the capital in 1853. In 1794, a similar movement arose in the mountainous region that separated Sichuan province from Hubei and Shaanxi provinces in central China, initially as a tax protest. The Red Turban Rebellion (Chinese: ; pinyin: Hngjn Qy) was an uprising influenced by the White Lotus Society members that, between 1351 and 1368, targeted the ruling Yuan Dynasty of China, eventually leading to its overthrowing. Matt, I think religion played an important rule in peasants' rebellion in ancient China. By 1387, after more than 30 years of war, their leader, Zhu Yuanzhang conquered the North China Plain and occupied the Yuan capital Khanbaliq (present-day Beijing). Where this rebellion took place and the Qing Empires reaction: A White Lotus rebellion known as the Red Turban Uprising helped Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming dynasty, capture Beijing, but he turned against the group once he had achieved imperial power. from Hubei and Shaanxi provs. The White Lotus Rebellion White Lotus (Pai-lien chiao) sectarianism appealed to Chinese, most notably to women and to the poor, who found solace in worship of the Eternal Mother who was to gather all her children at the millennium into one family. The White Lotus Rebellion began as a tax protest led by the White Lotus Society, a secret religious society. ThoughtCo. Approximately 7,000 Banner troops were sent in from Manchuria in combination with Green Standard Army soldiers from Guizhou and Yunnan as well as tens of thousands of local mercenaries. The White Lotus Rebellion was initiated as an antitax protest led by the White Lotus Society, a secret religious society. Though he passed through an area inhabited by almost a million peasants, his army never measured more than 4,000 soldiers, many of whom had been forced into service. Only after 1800 did the Qing government adopt new tactics that established local militias (tuan) to help surround and destroy the White Lotus. Issues and Trends in China's Demographic History. In the late 18th century, in response to famine, crowded conditions, and harassment from petty government officials, White Lotus leaders in central China began a rebellion; they promised their followers that there would be the return of the Buddha and the end of suffering. By 1387, after more than thirty years of war, their leader, Zhu Yuanzhang had liberated all of China. When the Manchu tribes of Manchuria (now Northeast China) conquered China some 500 years later in the 17th century and proclaimed the Qing dynasty, the White Lotus Read More Yuan dynasty In China: Foreign religions The Red Turban Rebellion which took place in 1352, was led by the White Lotus group. In its last stage, the Qing suppression policy combined pursuit and extermination of rebel guerrilla bands with a program of amnesty for deserters. Althongh there were several risings against the Manchu dynasty during the first four reigns, the White Lotus Society kept quiet until about 1761, when the Emperor Kien-lung issued an edict against it and the Ming Tsuen or Illustrious Worthies and the Pah Yun or White Cloud sects. It took almost ten years and huge financial waste to defeat the badly equipped White Lotus Rebellion (1795-1804), partly by legitimizing militias led by local Hn Chinese elites. The rebellion was ended by the deaths of some 100,000 rebels. [8] The leader, herbalist and martial artist Wang Lun, led an uprising that captured three small cities and laid siege to the larger city of Linqing, a strategic location on the north-south Grand Canal transportation route. Inventions By the mid-19th century, the Qing dynasty had been in power for over a century, and the elites and many of their subjects felt they had a heavenly mandate to remain in power. Qing rule gradually collapsed during the second half of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th, due to a complicated interplay between internal and external factors. His rule covered a span of 63 years, a reign lo, Kublai Khan A pattern emerged of growing rice in the valley bottoms, corn on the lower mountain slopes, and Irish potatoes on the higher land. Beginning as tax protests, the eventual rebellion gained growing support and sympathy from many ordinary people. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Encyclopedia.com. [4] The term was only used by the millenarian rebels under intense pressure during government interrogations. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/fall-of-the-qing-dynasty-195608. In 1774, one instance of a derivative sect, the Eight Trigrams arose in the form of underground meditation teachings and practice in Shandong province, not far from Beijing near the city of Linqing. A CHOICE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE The White Lotus War (1796-1804) in central China marked the end of the Qing dynasty's golden age and the fatal weakening of the imperial system itself. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. In the period after about 1680 the introduction of corn (maize) and sweet potatoes, followed in the 18th century by the introduction of the Irish potato, made upland farming possible. [1] As White Lotus sects developed, they appealed to many Han Chinese who found solace in the worship of Wusheng Laomu . He simply and quietly disappeared. Without a clear enemy to fight against, brutality against civilians became more common. The White Lotus rebellion was an eight year uprising that led to the downfall of the Qing dynasty. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/White-Lotus-Rebellion, Ancient Origins - The White Lotus Society and the Demise of Mongol Rule in China, GlobalSecurity.org - White Lotus Rebellion 1796-1804. Beginning as enslavement protests, the eventual rebellion gained growing support and sympathy from many citizens. ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/fall-of-the-qing-dynasty-195608. A second major contributor was internal turmoil, expressed in a series of devastating rebellions beginning in 1794 with the White Lotus rebellion, and ending with the Boxer Rebellion of 18991901 and Wuchang Uprising of 19111912. When they congregate and oppose the government, they are rebels; when they disperse and depart, they are civilians once more. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Strong rebel leaders began to have major impacts on the ability of the Qing to rule. from Hubei and Shaanxi provs. Sikh uprisings against the Mughal Empire in India, Pugachev's Revolt in the Russian Empire, and the White Lotus Rebellion in China mirrored the rebellions in the Atlantic world. As you might expect, the collapse of China's Qing dynasty was a long and complex process. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/white-lotus-rebellion. Local disaffection broke out in the so-called White Lotus Rebellion of 1796-1804, which was centerd in the Szechwan- Shensi- Hupeh- Honan border regions. [9] The Qianlong emperor ordered that the Eight Banner armies, whether they had Manchu or Han banners, were not to be used to suppress internal uprisings, so the Qing mainly relied on the Han Chinese Green Standard Army and Han militias in order to suppress rebellions such as the White Lotus. The rebellion began in 1794, when large groups of rebels claiming White . Alternate titles: Bailianjiao, Pai-lien chiao, San Jos State University - The White Lotus Religion in China. . Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). - rebellion began in 1794; rebellion initiated by followers of the White Lotus movement during the Qing dynasty of China, - the ill-organized rebels managed to defeat the inadequate and inefficient Qing imperial forces, - was initiated as a tax protest led by the White Lotus Society, a secret religious society. Rather than following the path of Japan's Meiji Restoration and modernizing the country, Cixi purged her court of modernizers. They are not like some external tribe . Civil conflicts including the White Lotus Rebellion (1774-1805), Xinjiang wars (1820s and 1860s) and Taiping Civil War (1850-64) broke out across Qing China. In the closing years of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, they organized resistance to the foreign overlords, and now they are doing so again, but against the reigning Ming Dynasty! [6], The Qing commanders sent to repress the rebellion had a difficult time putting down the White Lotus. What anecdote, or short personal story, does Didion tell at the beginning of the essay "Georgia O'Keeffe"? The rebellion was ended by the deaths of some 100,000 rebels. The White Lotus War (1796-1804) in central China marked the end of the Qing dynasty's golden age and the fatal weakening of the imperial system itself. The Red Turban Rebellion which took place in 1352, was led by the White Lotus group. The balance of power had tipped decidedly away from the imperial court and toward the foreign powers. In his opening speech, Satan vows never to "repent or change" (line 969696). It took nine years of warfare and great loss. 22 Feb. 2023 . A decree by the Daoguang Emperor admitted, "it was extortion by local officials that goaded the people into rebellion" By threatening the arrest of people who engaged in sectarian activities, local officials and police extorted money from people. Consequently, a person's actual participation in sectarian activities had no impact on his or her arrest; what really mattered was whether monetary demands were met or not. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Szczepanski, Kallie. Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, the area of the boundary between Henan and Anhui was perpetually plagued by White Lotus revolts, the White Lotus rebels were frequently in league with the area's brigands and salt smugglers. . The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. . By 1900, foreign powers including Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan had established "spheres of influence" along China's coastal areas.