Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom by Stephen R. Platt

This homegrown movement seemed all but unstoppable until Britain and the United States stepped in and threw their support behind the Manchus: after years of massive carnage, all opposition to Qing rule was effectively snuffed out for generations.

The Taiping rebels drew their power from the poor and the disenfranchised, unleashing the ethnic rage of millions of Chinese against their Manchu rulers. The story begins in the early 1850s, the waning years of the Qing dynasty, when word spread of a major revolution brewing in the provinces, led by a failed civil servant who claimed to be the son of God and brother of Jesus. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom brims with unforgettable characters and vivid re-creations of massive and often gruesome battles-a sweeping yet intimate portrait of the conflict that shaped the fate of modern China. Some ('admirality' for 'admiralty') are just wrong.A gripping account of China’s nineteenth-century Taiping Rebellion, one of the largest civil wars in history. Also, pronunciations of the same terms, often in Chinese, but sometimes in English as well, vary throughout the book. Sometimes the pauses are intended to indicate quotes within the text, but at other times they are inscrutable. Finally, a word on the narration, by Angela Lin. Further, in his efforts to correct what he sees as a historical bias viewing the Taipings as mere rebels, Platt tends to minimize the problems in areas under Taiping control, while emphasizing the (admittedly brutal) misdeeds of the Qing regime. Also, important leaders, particularly on the Taiping side, are referred to by their proper names, their 'kingly' names, and sometimes by nicknames. Seemingly critical events are passed over quickly, while side shows, albeit side shows involving the players on whom Platt chooses to focus, get a full narrative treatment. The book is weaker, however, in its organization. Platt also does a fine job presenting the rule of chance in history, particularly regarding the British efforts to intervene in the war. He allows the reader to see the Taiping as something approaching a separate state, albeit one founded by a bizarre and perhaps psychotic leader. Stephen Platt's history of the 'Taiping Rebellion' captures the interplay between the slow decline of the Qing dynasty and the rapid, chaotic rise of the Taiping.

Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom by Stephen R. Platt