The Palace of Prince Dai of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

The Palace of Prince Dai of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

The Palace of Prince Dai of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Jintan is located on the east side of Xiànzhí Street in downtown Jintan. The palace faces west and was originally built with its gate to the east. The original screen wall and flagpoles in front of the gate have been destroyed, and the entrance building has also been renovated. The front main hall is rectangular in shape, with three bays and a seven-rafter beam structure, featuring Taiping Heavenly Kingdom-era dragon and phoenix paintings on the beams. Behind the hall is a two-story building, also consisting of three bays. The auxiliary structure to the right of the building has been damaged. Since the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was in a period of war at the time, the palace was reconstructed using materials from old buildings. Prince Dai, Huang Chengzhong, was originally a subordinate general under Li Shixian and had campaigned across northern Zhejiang and southern Anhui.

Huang Chengzhong (1826–?), a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom general and Prince Dai. A native of Guangxi during the late Qing Dynasty, he joined the Taiping Army and later served under Li Shixian, earning numerous military merits. In February 1866, he led his troops to occupy Zhangpu (located south of Zhangzhou City), but the city fell again in May. His fate after that is unknown.

In 1860 (the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign of Emperor Wenzong, also recorded as 1861), he was granted the title Bǎotiān Yì (宝天义) and appointed as the commander of the Left Hall Army. The following April, he followed Li Shixian in capturing Jingdezhen, Jiangxi (now Jingdezhen City), and later advanced into Zhejiang with Fan Ruzeng and others. In December, they took Ningbo (now Ningbo City), issued proclamations to reassure the populace, and declared their willingness to maintain commercial relations with foreigners... More details about Huang Chengzhong ++