The History of China

As 1861 drew to a close, so too did the Taiping forces close on Shanghai. No one was surprised by any of this – they’d sent plenty of word ahead as to their intentions.

The rebels had the numbers. They had the guns. All that stood between them and what was suddenly China’s most important trade port was just a few miles of open country.

Then the snow started falling...

Time Period Covered:Dec. 1861–Mar. 1862 CE

Major Historical Figures:Qing:Yixin, Prince Gong [1833–1898]Zeng Guofan, imperial commissioner against the Taiping [1811–1872]Xue Huan, acting Governor of Jiangsu [1815–1880]Wu Xu, daotai of ShanghaiYang Fang, banker & paymaster of Ward’s forceThe Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Hong Rengan, the Shield King [1822–1864]Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King [1823–1864]Li Shixian, the Attending King [1834–1865]Tan Shaoguang, the Mu Wang [1835–1863]Britain:Lord John Russell, Foreign Secretary [1792–1878]Frederick Bruce, British Minister to China [1814–1867]Admiral Sir James Hope, commander of the China Station [1808–1881]The Duke of Somerset, First Lord of the Admiralty [1804–1885]Harry Parkes, interpreter & negotiator [1828–1885]French & Americans:Rear Admiral Auguste Protet [1808–1862]Frederick Townsend Ward, mercenary, filibuster, soldier of fortune, commander of the Ever-Victorious Army [1831–1862]Henry Burgevine, Ward’s lieutenant [1836–1865]Issachar Roberts, Baptist missionary [1802–1871]William Walker, filibuster [1824–1860]Major Works Cited:Fairbank, John K., ed. The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911, Part 1.Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.Smith, Richard J. Mercenaries and Mandarins: The Ever-Victorious Army in Nineteenth Century China.Spence, Jonathan D. God’s Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.
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There is no tiger in the market. Everyone knows that. But if three men tell you there is…

In the winter of 1861, the Taiping took a treaty port, and the Loyal King came back for Hangzhou. Then, three men – an admiral, a consul and a minister – sat down to write to London all about it.

The mail steamer was a two-month trip each way…

Time Period Covered:Dec. 1860–Jan. 1862 CE

Major Historical Figures:Qing:The Tongzhi Emperor (Zaichun) [r. 1861–1875]Prince Gong (Yixin) [1833–1898]Zeng Guofan, imperial commissioner against the Taiping [1811–1872]He Guiqing, Governor-General of Liangjiang [1816–1862]Ruichang, Manchu garrison general at HangzhouWang Youling, Governor of Zhejiang [1810–1861]Zuo Zongtang, general under Zeng Guofan [1812–1885]Zhang Yuliang, commander of the Hangzhou relief armyZhang Jingqu, daotai of NingboThe Taiping:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Hong Rengan, the Shield King [1822–1864]Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King [1823–1864]Li Shixian, the Attending King [1834–1865]The British:Lord Palmerston, Prime Minister [1784–1865]Lord John Russell, Foreign Secretary [1792–1878]Frederick Bruce, British Minister to China [1814–1867]Admiral Sir James Hope, commander of the China Station [1808–1881]Harry Parkes, interpreter & negotiator [1828–1885]Frederick Harvey, consul at NingboCaptain Roderick Dew, HMS EncounterMajor Works Cited:Fairbank, John K., ed. The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911, Part 1.Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement.Lane-Poole, Stanley. The Life of Sir Harry Parkes, Vol. I.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.

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In the summer of 1861, the Xianfeng emperor died at 30, in exile, beyond the Great Wall. He left behind a 5-year-old heir, 8 men to run the empire in the boy’s name… and 2 tiny, little seals out of his personal art collection that are completely unimportant to the rest of this story, so don’t even worry about them.It was the most airtight succession the dynasty had ever arranged.All they had to get through was the imperial funeral...Time Period Covered:Dec. 1860–Dec. 1861 CEMajor Historical Figures:The Qing:The Xianfeng Emperor [1831–1861]Yixin, Prince Gong [1833–1898]Yehenala, afterward the Empress Dowager Cixi [1835–1908]Yixuan, Prince Chun [1840–1891]Sushun, president of the Board of Revenue [1815?–1861]Zaiyuan, Prince of Yi [1816–1861]Duanhua, Prince of Zheng [d. 1861]Wenxiang, grand councillor [1815–1876]Zeng Guofan, imperial commissioner against the Taiping [1811–1872]

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Hong Rengan, the Shield King [1822–1864]

Others:Count Nikolay Ignatiev, Russian envoy [1832–1908]Josiah Cox, Wesleyan missionary

Major Works Cited:Fairbank, John K., ed. The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911, Part 1.Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.
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It’s one thing to go invading the resting places of the dead and reaping the well-deserved consequences of your own bad choices. But it’s a different kind of horror entirely when you don’t even need a shovel and the dead are perfectly capable of getting up all on their own. Hopping corpses, flying corpses, corpses sneaking out for a midnight rendezvous, and a few bodies that are still technically alive, but behaving very, very badly. So keep a broom handy... and a couple of bells... just in case. Because tonight, it turns out rigor mortis is... more of a suggestion...

Be sure to check out Arthur's Sleepy History Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4AMQOoqVGQVmbotdkcgn48?si=y72e22c0SuWPyyc8HM3YTw

Tonight’s Tales:

02:47 – “The Headless Horseman of Han” [漢武時蒼梧賈雍] – from Soushenji, Gan Bao04:26 – “Half-Baked” [批殭尸頰] – from Zibuyu, Yuan Mei07:13 – “Still Life” [畫工畫殭尸] – from Zibuyu, Yuan Mei10:35 – “It’s So Necromantic” [兩殭尸野合] – from Zibuyu, Yuan Mei14:25 – “Saved By the Bell” [飛殭] – from Zibuyu, Yuan Mei18:29 – “Truly Offal” [抽腸] – from Liaozhai zhiyi, Pu Songling22:03 – “An Empty Cocoon” [丐僧] – from Liaozhai zhiyi, Pu Songling25:55 – “Some Assembly Required” [負屍] – from Liaozhai zhiyi, Pu Songling28:06 – “Well, Well, Well...” [古瓶] – from Liaozhai zhiyi, Pu Songling

Major Works Cited:DeWoskin, Kenneth J., and J. I. Crump, Jr., trans. In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record.Pu Songling. The Annotated Strange Tales From A Chinese Studio. Translated by Park Jongho.Pu Songling. Liaozhai zhiyi 聊齋志異.Santangelo, Paolo, with Yan Beiwen. Zibuyu, “What the Master Would Not Discuss,” according to Yuan Mei (1716–1798): A Collection of Supernatural Stories.
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The leaves are blood-red once again, the coffee’s back to hot, and somewhere in old China, the dead begin to stir restlessly. Grave robbers, well-diggers, strange hobbyists... plenty of folks out there far too willing to go sticking a spade into dirt it doesn't belong. And, of course, consequences ensue...

Tonight’s Tales:

03:28: “A Coffin For Eighteen” [一棺藏十八人] – from Zibuyu, Yuan Mei

05:19: “Adding Insult to Injury” [漢桓帝馮貴人] – from Soushenji, Gan Bao

07:31: “Outfoxed” [漢廣川王好發冢] – from Soushenji, Gan Bao

09:56: “Does It Taste Good?” [骷髏報仇] – from Zibuyu, Yuan Mei

12:27: “I’d Like a Second Opinion” [掘塚奇報] – from Zibuyu, Yuan Mei

18:22: “The Tomb of Cao Cao” [曹操冢] – from Liaozhai zhiyi, Pu Songling

21:25: “Laundry Day” [噴水] – from Liaozhai zhiyi, Pu Songling

24:48: “A Grounded Education” [龍飛相公] – from Liaozhai zhiyi, Pu Songling

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