Chuck, I'll take time to discuss your points but I need to be at a proper computer when I do. On the whole we are agreeing, except on the relevance of the Christianity bit.
The hero bit is an interesting aside. Yes, thanks to Mao, Hong is something of a national hero, although apparently this is changing as the communist regime now has more in common with the Qing than the taiping, and is nervous of peasant revolt. The Han great general who opposed the taiping on behalf of the Qing (forget his name) was/is regarded as a traitor to his race. But this is changing and he too is becoming an acceptable hero figure. His wisdom, loyalty and the fact that despite the opportunity to make himself head of a new dynasty, he didn't. In part, time heels and this episode is becoming historical rather than political, but that process takes time in dictatorships.
(October 20, 2012 at 3:08 pm)kılıç_mehmet Wrote: In truth, this wasn't a Christian rebellion. Indeed, the man claimed something extraordinary. However, I believe that you fail to see the ethnic tensions beneath the whole Christian thing. The Qing dynasty was an ethnic Manchu dynasty. This was just one of the many rebellions that happened during those times. And I could tell you this that the man you speak of just now, is probably considered a national hero in China, despite the deaths that were caused due to the rebellion.yeah per the second post of the thread and subsequent debate I don't think anyone is arguing that social inequality and ethnic tensions were not a big part of it. But it was still a Christian rebellion as well as that. In the same way that there was a muslim rebellion at the same time.
The hero bit is an interesting aside. Yes, thanks to Mao, Hong is something of a national hero, although apparently this is changing as the communist regime now has more in common with the Qing than the taiping, and is nervous of peasant revolt. The Han great general who opposed the taiping on behalf of the Qing (forget his name) was/is regarded as a traitor to his race. But this is changing and he too is becoming an acceptable hero figure. His wisdom, loyalty and the fact that despite the opportunity to make himself head of a new dynasty, he didn't. In part, time heels and this episode is becoming historical rather than political, but that process takes time in dictatorships.
blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:26-29
