Murals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom on Tangzi Street

Murals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom on Tangzi Street

The murals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom on Tangzi Street are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Murals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Nanjing

The murals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Nanjing are located in an ancient house at No. 88 Tangzi Street near Hanzhongmen. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, murals were quite popular. After capturing each city or county, paintings were created on walls, doors, beams, and brackets.

On the walls of the third courtyard and the screen doors, as well as the wooden paneling and door lintels of the fifth courtyard of this building, 18 murals with clear ink traces and vivid colors have been preserved. Authenticated by Luo Ergang, a historian specializing in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, these are confirmed to be artworks from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom murals preserved in the Cao Family Ancestral Hall (Jiusi Hall) branch in Wangchuan Village, Jixi County, consist of seven pieces. The content includes city attacks, military advances, mythical stories, folk songs, and inscriptions. One of the main murals, titled “Victory in City Attack,” measures 2 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width. Research indicates that it depicts the first capture of Jingde County by the Taiping Army on February 20, 1860, during the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign in the Qing Dynasty. The mural faithfully reproduces the characteristics of Jingde County.

Content of the murals: The city is backed by mountains to the northwest and southwest, with a seven-story pagoda outside the north gate. Inside the city are the Confucius Temple, Wenchang Pavilion, and the City God Temple. The east gate has a building displaying the sign of the Qing Army Militia Bureau. The attacking army advances from left to right, led by flags bearing inscriptions such as “Taiping Heavenly Kingdom,” “Yuedong Tongyi,” and “Hutian Yi.” They use two cloud ladders to assault the city, with soldiers fighting on the battlements and orders being delivered by fluttering flags below. The Taiping soldiers wear straw sandals and appear valiant and mighty. The north gate is wide open, with Qing officers kneeling in surrender, while residents pour out of the city to join the Taiping Army, illustrating the battle scene of the Taiping Army’s capture of Jingde County and demonstrating the invincible might of the Taiping soldiers.

This rare group of murals holds significant artistic and historical value and is a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tao-Li-Wang Lane Community: Located in the western part of Chaotian Palace Subdistrict, it borders Chaotian Palace to the east, Hanzhongmen Square to the west, starts from Tao-Li-Wang Lane and Houjiaqiao to the north, and ends at West Chaotian Palace Street and Tangzi Street to the south. It covers an area of approximately 0.29 square kilometers, with 4,155 residential households and over 10,835 residents. The area includes Baiguoshu Kindergarten, Hanzhongmen Primary School, Jinjiang Inn, Zhimaying Police Station, Hanzhongmen Fire Brigade, Nanjing Process Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Nanjing Municipal Engineering Construction Office, Nanjing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the site of the “Tangzi Street Murals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.” ... Detailed information about Tao-Li-Wang Lane Community++

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units