Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2011
Various interpretations have been offered to explain the nature of Taiping society. The earliest ones were given by those who witnessed the progress of the movement and who either took part in suppressing and ultimately destroying it or suffered as victims of its wanton destruction. The attitude of this group is exemplified by Tseng Kuo-fan's “Proclamation, ” Chang Te-chien's Tse-ch'ing hui-tsuan (Prepared by order of Tseng)a, Ku Shen's Hu-hsüeh shenghuan chi (Narrow escape from the tiger's den), b Ming Hsin Tao Jen's Fa-i ch'uchi (The first account of the hair rebels), Ch'en Hsi-ch'i's Yüeh-i hsien-ning shih-mo chi (A complete account of the occupation of Hai-ning by the Yüeh rebels), c and a host of others. These accounts, as Teng Chih-ch'eng remarked in his “Preface to Wang Shih-to's I-ping jih-chi (Wang's diary), because of the fact that the authors were the actual victims, “only give tragic scences of burning and massacre and condemn the unorthodox and vulgar nature of the institutions and writings [of the rebels].
1 ‘Wang Shih-to, Wang Hui-weng i-ping jih-chi (Peiping, 1936), f lb. See characters at the end of the article.
2 Tseng Kuo-fan, Tseng Wen-cheng-kung ch'üan-chi (1876), g “Wen chi, ” chüan, 3:1b.
3 Ch'en, Kung-lu, Chung-küo chin-tai-shih (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1935), h 144.Google Scholar
4 Lü, Ssu-mien, Chung-kuo t'ung-shih (Shanghai: K'aiming, 1944), j 532.Google Scholar
5 Ch'ien, Mu, Kuo-shih ta-kang (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1944), k 616.Google Scholar
6 Liu, I-cheng, Chung-kuo wen-hua-shih (Nanking: Chung-shan Shu-chü, 1932)l, 402.Google Scholar
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8 Ibid.., 352–53.
9 P'eng, Tse-i, T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo kemings such'ao (Shanghai: Commercial Press 1946), 129; for characters see group “y” at end of article.Google Scholar
10 Liu Ch'eng-yü, T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo chan-shih, “preface”, published in I-ching.q
11 Ibid..
12 Chiang Chung-cheng's “preface” to Tseng-pu Tseng Hu chih-ping yü-lur
13 Chiang, Chung-cheng's “preface” to Lo Yung's T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo shih-wen-ch'ao (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1935).Google Scholar
14 Chien, Yu-wen, T'ai-p'ing-chün Kuangsi shou-i-shih (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1946), t 4.Google Scholar
15 Ibid.., 4–5.
16 Hsieh, Hsing-yao, T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo ti she-hui cheng-chih ssu-hsiang (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1935), x 1–4.Google Scholar
17 P'eng Tse-i, 28–40.
18 Hsün-tz'u, Ch'en, “T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo chih tsung-chiao cheng-chih, ” Shih-hsüeh cha-chih, I, no. 6 (Dec. 1929), z 4.Google Scholar
19 Kung-ch'üan, Hsiao, Chung-kuo cheng-chih ssu-hsiang-shih (3rd ed., Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1947), aa 310–32.Google Scholar
20 Ku-ch'eng, Chou, Chung-kuo t'ung-shih (Shanghai, 1946), ab 2:1006. First ed., 1939.Google Scholar
21 Ibid.., 1014.
22 Ibid.., 1015.
23 Ibid.., 1017.
24 Ibid.., 1025.
25 “Hsiao I-shan, T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo ts'ung-shu (Kuo-li Pien-i Kuan, preface, 1934), ac first series, vol. 4, “Prologue” to “T'ien-ch'ao tien-mu chih-tu, ” p. la.
26 Hsiao I-shan, Ch'ing-tai t'ung-shih (Peiping: Wen-chih Hsüeh-yüan, n.d.), ad 3b: 182. Volume 3b deals entirely with the Taipings.
27 Ibid..
28 Ibid.., 1–2 and T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo ts'ung-shu, 1st series, 1, “preface, ” la.
29 Chien Yu-wen, op. cit., “preface, ” 2.
30 T'ing-i, Kuo, T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo shih-shih jih-chih (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1946), ae “prologue.”Google Scholar
31 Erh-kang, Lo, T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo shih-kang (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1937).afGoogle Scholar