Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856)

Did You Know?

• The British role in the counter-insurgency contributed to the outbreak of the Second Opium War.
• Over one million people from Guangdong were sentenced to death and executed during the purge led by Ye Mingchen.

Dacheng phase

After retreating from Guangdong, the rebel leaders Chen Kai and Li Wenmao, both Yue Chinese, moved west into Guangxi. They captured Xunzhou (modern-day Guiping) in 1855, renamed it Xiujing, and made it their capital, establishing the Dacheng Kingdom. Their forces were joined by other Yue Chinese rebels including Huang Dingfeng, Li Wencai, and Li Jingui, who had been in rebellion since the 1850s. Other short-lived regimes such as the Yanling Kingdom and the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom were also established. In November 1856, Li Wenmao besieged and captured Liuzhou, and in April 1857 Chen Kai took Wuzhou. They advanced to Yongzhou (now Nanning) and captured it. By September 1857, the Dacheng Kingdom controlled half of Guangxi, an area equal to northern Vietnam, and issued its own currency called Pingjing Shengbao. In 1857, Li Wenmao attacked Guilin, but Qing forces under Jiang Yili recaptured Wuzhou, and Li Wenmao was killed in a battle at Huaiyuan. Liuzhou then fell to the Qing. In 1859, Chen Kai led a large land and naval attack on Wuzhou that failed, forcing him to retreat with heavy losses. In February 1861, the Qing army attacked Xiujing, which fell after a six-month siege; Chen Kai was killed in the battle. The rebellion continued as an insurgency until the last holdouts surrendered in May 1864.