Hong Tianguifu
Encyclopedia
Hong Tianguifu (1848 - 18 November 1864), also called Hong Tiangui and in Qing historical record, Hong Futian (洪福瑱 Hóng Fútiàn), was the second and last king
of the Heavenly Kingdom of Taiping. He is popularly referred to as the Junior Lord (幼主). Officially, like his father Hong Xiuquan
, he was the King of Heaven (天王). To differentiate, he is also called the Junior King of Heaven (幼天王).
Hong succeeded his father at fourteen and was not respected like his father by the princes, and he was spoken of lowly. In Zhong Prince Li Xiucheng Describes Himself (《忠王李秀成自述》), the autobiographical account of a prince of the Heavenly Kingdom written shortly before his execution, Hong Tianguifu was described as "inexperienced," "spoiled," and "incapable." Also, Hong Tianguifu never rode a horse
, which was essential for leaders and commanders in war
s.
Four months after his coronation, Nanjing
, the capital of Taiping rebels were captured by Qing Dynasty
. Hong Tianguifu escaped to Eastern Dam (Dongba 东坝), Jiangsu
in July, 1864, rendezvoused with his uncle, Hong Rengan
(洪仁玕), Gan Prince (干王). After going to Guangde County
, Anhui
first, they went to the town of Huzhou
(湖州), Zhejiang
on 13 August 1864 to rendezvous with the local Taiping Army commander Huang Wenjin (黄文金). Imperial Chinese Qing Dynasty sent Zuo Zongtang
and Li Hongzhang
to attack the city, and Chen Xueming (陈学明), the Taiping army commander in charge of defending the southern gate of the town surrendered on 26 August 1864. Hong Tianguifu, Hong Rengan
and Huang Wenjin (黄文金) were forced to flee from the town next day, under the cover of darkness at night, and Huang Wenjin (黄文金) soon died of his wounds. The rest of the survivors attempted to escape to the border region of Jiangxi
, Guangdong
and Fujian
to join the remnant of Taiping forces led by Li Shixian (李世贤), but on 9 October 1864, they were ambushed by the Imperial Chinese army at Stone Town (Shi Cheng, 石城) and Hong Rengan
was captured and subsequently executed on 23 November 1864 at Nanchang
(南昌), Jiangxi
. Hong Tianguifu escaped to the mountains near Stone Town (Shi Cheng, 石城) after his token force was wiped out, but he was caught on 25 October 1864 by Qing soldiers searching for him and was subsequently executed on 18 November 1864 at the age of sixteen.
A glimpse of Hong Tianguifu's character can be seen by his remarks before his execution: "Guangdong
isn't a nice place, I don't want to go back. I only want to study with Old Master Tang in Hunan
, then become a first-degree scholar." (“廣東地方不好，我也不愿回去了，我衹愿跟唐老爺到湖南讀書，想進秀才。”) This apparently innocent, pointless and irrelevant comment was considered by some as a desperate and futile attempt to avoid his untimely death by fooling the executioner into confusing his identity. It may have been his utter lack of understanding of what was happening to him, and to his lost kingdom.
Despite the short time he was a king, he was issued an official jade
seal
(玉璽 yù xǐ), which is an exhibit in the Hong Kong
Museum
of History
(香港歷史博物館) http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/History/english/index.html.
Hong Tianguifu's name
is unique, in that it contains a three-character
given name
, whereas almost all Chinese given names
have just one or two characters.
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of the Heavenly Kingdom of Taiping. He is popularly referred to as the Junior Lord (幼主). Officially, like his father Hong Xiuquan
Hong Xiuquan
Hong Xiuquan , born Hong Renkun, style name Huoxiu , was a Hakka Chinese who led the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing Dynasty, establishing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom over varying portions of southern China, with himself as the "Heavenly King" and self-proclaimed brother of Jesus Christ.-Early...
, he was the King of Heaven (天王). To differentiate, he is also called the Junior King of Heaven (幼天王).
Hong succeeded his father at fourteen and was not respected like his father by the princes, and he was spoken of lowly. In Zhong Prince Li Xiucheng Describes Himself (《忠王李秀成自述》), the autobiographical account of a prince of the Heavenly Kingdom written shortly before his execution, Hong Tianguifu was described as "inexperienced," "spoiled," and "incapable." Also, Hong Tianguifu never rode a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
, which was essential for leaders and commanders in war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
s.
Four months after his coronation, Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, the capital of Taiping rebels were captured by Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. Hong Tianguifu escaped to Eastern Dam (Dongba 东坝), Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
in July, 1864, rendezvoused with his uncle, Hong Rengan
Hong Rengan
Hong Rengan was an important leader of the Taiping Rebellion. He was the cousin of the movement's founder and spiritual leader Hong Xiuquan. His position as the Prince Gan resembled the role of a Prime Minister...
(洪仁玕), Gan Prince (干王). After going to Guangde County
Guangde County
Guangde County is a county in Anhui Province, People's Republic of China under the jurisdiction of Xuancheng City. The county has a population of 510,000 and an area of...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
first, they went to the town of Huzhou
Huzhou
Huzhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province of Eastern China. Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu to the west and north respectively.-Administration:...
(湖州), Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
on 13 August 1864 to rendezvous with the local Taiping Army commander Huang Wenjin (黄文金). Imperial Chinese Qing Dynasty sent Zuo Zongtang
Zuo Zongtang
Zuo Zongtang , spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang in Wade-Giles and known simply as General Tso in the West, was a Chinese statesman and military leader in the late Qing Dynasty....
and Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang or Li Hung-chang , Marquis Suyi of the First Class , GCVO, was a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire...
to attack the city, and Chen Xueming (陈学明), the Taiping army commander in charge of defending the southern gate of the town surrendered on 26 August 1864. Hong Tianguifu, Hong Rengan
Hong Rengan
Hong Rengan was an important leader of the Taiping Rebellion. He was the cousin of the movement's founder and spiritual leader Hong Xiuquan. His position as the Prince Gan resembled the role of a Prime Minister...
and Huang Wenjin (黄文金) were forced to flee from the town next day, under the cover of darkness at night, and Huang Wenjin (黄文金) soon died of his wounds. The rest of the survivors attempted to escape to the border region of Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
and Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
to join the remnant of Taiping forces led by Li Shixian (李世贤), but on 9 October 1864, they were ambushed by the Imperial Chinese army at Stone Town (Shi Cheng, 石城) and Hong Rengan
Hong Rengan
Hong Rengan was an important leader of the Taiping Rebellion. He was the cousin of the movement's founder and spiritual leader Hong Xiuquan. His position as the Prince Gan resembled the role of a Prime Minister...
was captured and subsequently executed on 23 November 1864 at Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
(南昌), Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
. Hong Tianguifu escaped to the mountains near Stone Town (Shi Cheng, 石城) after his token force was wiped out, but he was caught on 25 October 1864 by Qing soldiers searching for him and was subsequently executed on 18 November 1864 at the age of sixteen.
A glimpse of Hong Tianguifu's character can be seen by his remarks before his execution: "Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
isn't a nice place, I don't want to go back. I only want to study with Old Master Tang in Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, then become a first-degree scholar." (“廣東地方不好，我也不愿回去了，我衹愿跟唐老爺到湖南讀書，想進秀才。”) This apparently innocent, pointless and irrelevant comment was considered by some as a desperate and futile attempt to avoid his untimely death by fooling the executioner into confusing his identity. It may have been his utter lack of understanding of what was happening to him, and to his lost kingdom.
Despite the short time he was a king, he was issued an official jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
(玉璽 yù xǐ), which is an exhibit in the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
of History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
(香港歷史博物館) http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/History/english/index.html.
Hong Tianguifu's name
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
is unique, in that it contains a three-character
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
, whereas almost all Chinese given names
Chinese name
Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"...
have just one or two characters.