Site of the Jintian Uprising

Site of the Jintian Uprising

The Site of the Jintian Uprising is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level, and a classic red tourism destination.

The Site of the Taiping Rebellion's Jintian Uprising (commonly known as the Jintian Camp), located on Xiniuling Hill west of Jintian Village in Jintian Town, northern Guiping City, Guangxi, is 28 kilometers from the city center and accessible via a second-class highway. On January 11, 1851, the world-shaking Jintian Uprising of the Taiping Rebellion broke out here. In 1961, the State Council designated the Jintian Uprising Site as a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level. In 1995, the Guangxi Regional Party Committee and Government named it a “Patriotic Education Base.” The site includes five historical landmarks: the Former Residence of Wei Changhui, Sanjie Temple in Xinwei, Fu Family Stockade, Gulin Society, and Fengmen’ao.

Xiniuling is a north-south oriented earthen mound, backed by Jing Mountain and fronting the Jintian Plain, making it a strategic location that is easy to defend and hard to attack. The northern end of the mound is the ancient campsite, traditionally believed to have been built by Hou Dagou, a leader of the Ming Dynasty Yao people’s uprising. The wall is 65 meters long, 23 meters wide, and 3 meters high, later used by the Taiping Army under Hong Xiuquan. In the middle lies the “Flag-Raising Stone” from the time of the Taiping Uprising. The grassy field in front of the ancient campsite was the Taiping Army’s training ground, where soldiers drilled and honed their combat skills. The northwest slope of the mound, adjacent to Xiniutan Pool, was where the Taiping Army secretly stored weapons. To the south of the mound is the “Historical Exhibition Hall of the Jintian Uprising of the Taiping Rebellion,” built of granite with a glazed tile hip-and-gable roof, giving it a rustic appearance. It forms a garden-style layout with a reception room, stele corridor, and video room. The hall displays over 100 historical artifacts. The Former Residence of Wei Changhui, the Northern King of the Taiping Rebellion, is located in Jintian Village east of Xiniuling. The headquarters of the God Worshipping Society was once set up in his home, where followers worked day and night forging weapons, which were then secretly stored in Xiniutan Pool. After the rebels marched north, Qing troops burned the civilian houses. The current Wei Changhui residence was reconstructed in 1987. About 4 kilometers east of the ancient campsite is Sanjie Temple in Xinwei, which served as the Taiping Army’s forward command post. The temple preserves nearly 30 stone steles, valuable resources for studying Taiping Rebellion history.

The Jintian Uprising Site is where the Taiping Army pledged allegiance before the uprising. Historical relics remain, ancient pines tower overhead, and lush green grass covers the ground. After years of development, facilities have improved and visiting content has expanded, making it an excellent destination for sightseeing, academic research, and patriotic education.

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The Taiping Rebellion, the largest peasant uprising in Chinese history, erupted on January 11, 1851, in Jintian Village of this county. Jintian Village is located at the southern foot of Zijingshan Mountain, 27 kilometers north of the county town. The former residence of Wei Changhui in the village, the ancient campsite and training ground on Xiniuling Hill nearby, the nearby Zijingshan Mountain area, as well as Sanjie Temple in Xinwei and Jiangkou Shitoujiao in the vicinity, were all key sites of important Taiping activities. Among them, the Jintian Uprising Site was listed as a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level in 1961, and Sanjie Temple in Xinwei as a regional-level protected site. Visitors from home and abroad, including renowned historians such as Hu Sheng and Luo Ergang, have come for academic research. According to incomplete statistics, from 1978 to 1987, over 250 experts, scholars, and friends from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland, East Germany, and some African countries visited, and in 1987, about 13,000 domestic and international tourists came.

The Ancient Campsite is located at the northern end of Xiniuling Hill near Jintian Village. It was where the Jintian Uprising began. Xiniuling faces the Jintian Plain and is backed by Muqun Mountains, forming a strategic stronghold with Fengmen’ao, a crucial pass in the southern part of Zijingshan Mountain. Legend has it that the campsite was originally built by Yao rebels during the Ming Dynasty’s Dajingtiao Uprising and was later rebuilt, heightened, and reinforced by the Taiping Army before the Jintian Uprising. The campsite is 35 meters long and 22 meters wide, surrounded by earthen walls 3 meters high and 2 meters thick at the base. Outside the walls, a deep pool called Xiniutan lies at the northwest foot, while the east side features a steep slope about 50 meters high. The south side is the entrance to the campsite, flanked by trenches, beyond which are earthen walls 3 meters high and 2 meters thick. The right earthen wall extends all the way to Xiniutan Pool at the foot of the hill.

In the middle of the campsite, there was originally a circular earthen platform, in front of which stood a large stone about 1 meter above the ground, called the Flag-Raising Stone. Legend says that on January 11, 1851, several Taiping leaders climbed onto the platform, where Hong Xiuquan proclaimed the uprising and established the “Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.” A bright yellow flag then rose slowly beside the Flag-Raising Stone.

To the left front of the campsite, facing the Jintian Plain, stands a solemn marble stele about 3 meters high, inscribed with six large characters: “Site of the Jintian Uprising.” The calligraphy is by the late Zhou Jianren, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

The Training Ground is a large flat area about 2 li in diameter directly in front of the ancient campsite, serving as the Taiping Army’s training ground before the Jintian Uprising. Legend says Yang Xiuqing and Shi Dakai directed the drills, demanding strict performance—soldiers had to run as fast as horses to swiftly pursue and defeat enemies. Through rigorous training, most Taiping soldiers developed remarkable speed and combat skills. One soldier, Qin Qi, was so fast he often outran horses and was nicknamed “Horsehead Qi.” Another, Chen Er, a flag bearer, could march swiftly while holding a large yellow flag, earning him the nickname “Flagbearer Chen.” After months of training, the Taiping Army became a formidable fighting force, achieving many victories after the uprising.

The Jintian Uprising History Exhibition Room was built in 1980, located at the southeast corner of the training ground, west of the Jintian Uprising Site Management Office. It displays edicts issued by Hong Xiuquan, weapons used by the Taiping Army such as broadswords, spears, and flags, as well as charcoal, anvils, and slag from weapon-making, along with Qing military hats and other relics and historical materials, recreating the entire process of the Jintian Uprising and serving as a microcosm of the rebellion. Since its opening, it has attracted numerous historians and tourists from around the world. In the spring of 1981, over 200 scholars attending the 130th anniversary academic symposium on the Taiping Uprising left inscriptions after visiting, including those from foreign experts like Colin Mackerras (UK), Konishi Jin’ichi (Japan), and William Wei (US), as well as renowned Chinese historians such as Hu Sheng, Wang Qingcheng, and Guo Yisheng.

Next to the exhibition room are rest areas and service rooms where visitors can relax, taste fragrant tea from Jintian, purchase souvenirs, and take photos.

The Site of the Taiping Army Weapon Forging Workshop is located at the former residence of Wei Changhui in Jintian Village. In the spring of 1850, the God Worshipping Society headquarters moved from Zijingshan Mountain to Jintian Village and immediately began forging weapons in preparation for the uprising. Local legend says: “Members of the God Worshipping Society set up 12 iron forges in the side rooms of Wei Changhui’s house, working day and night to make weapons, which were then secretly hidden in Xiniutan Pool at the foot of the campsite for the uprising.” Later, thousands of weapons were indeed found in Xiniutan Pool, becoming the main armaments for the rebellion.

In 1974, the regional cultural relics archaeological team and county cultural department excavated the site of Wei Changhui’s former residence, uncovering the foundation of the side rooms, as well as charcoal, furnace slag, a heavily rusted spearhead, and numerous fragments of blue-glazed bowls and cups. This confirmed the site as the place where the Taiping Army forged weapons. The unearthed charcoal and slag have been displayed in museums in Beijing, Nanjing, Nanning, and Guiping.

The Site of Feng Yunshan’s Stay in Gulin Society is located in Gulin Society at the entrance of Zijingshan Mountain, a small village with only about 100 residents. Historical records say that in the autumn of 1844, before entering Zijingshan Mountain, Feng Yunshan stayed in Gulin Society, first living with the Zhang family at the bridgehead and surviving by collecting cow dung, then herding cattle and working for the Zeng family, staying in a small shed in their cowpen. Here, Feng wrote a poem expressing his aspirations: “In solitude I hide in this desolate place, with no kin in sight, I’m in a flurry; I scrape by collecting cow dung, but one day my name will shine.”

Under the trees near the village is a community altar. Legend says Feng Yunshan once stepped on the idol of the Earth God and told people, “Gods are made by people; all these Earth Gods are just stone carvings, clay lumps, and wooden puppets—what’s there to fear?” Over time, fewer people worshipped the Earth God.

The Site of the Taiping Army Headquarters in Shitoujiao is located in Shitoujiao Village by the Da’huangjiangkou Market, 15 kilometers from Jintian Village. On the third day of the Jintian Uprising (January 13, 1851), the Taiping Army marched eastward, captured Da’huangjiangkou Market on the Xunjiang Riverbank, and established headquarters in Shitoujiao Village. The local landlord Chen family, who made a fortune trading opium, seized fertile fields around Qiaotang and Liantang and built a manor with over 200 rooms in five connected courtyards, with giant stone foundations and a moat around the perimeter—hence the name Shitoujiao (Stone Foot).

During their stay in Jiangkou, the Taiping Army defeated Qing forces at Niupailing and Qujiazhou. According to the Guangxi Xunzhou Annals from the Guangxu era: “The rebels advanced from Jintian to Da’huangjiangkou, where the Qing forces under Xiang Rong, Li Nengchen, and Zhou Fengqi were stationed at Malu in Pingnan. On the 18th, they fought at Niupailing; our troops retreated, and twelve officers including Wang Chongshan of Guantang were killed, emboldening the rebels.” The Republican-era Guiping County Annals also record: “At Jiapailing’s Jiazhou Bridge, leading to Huangjiang Market, government troops suffered defeat here while suppressing Hong Xiuquan in the first year of the Xianfeng era.”

The Site of the Fengmen’ao Battle is located at Fengmen’ao, a mountain pass in the southern Zijingshan Mountain area, the only route between the Jintian Plain and Zijingshan Mountain. In August 1851, the Taiping Army fought fiercely with Qing forces here.

The Site of the Sanjie Temple, the Taiping Army’s Forward Command Post, is located in the center of the Jintian Plain in Xinwei. In the lunar August of 1851, after moving from Zijingshan Mountain to Jintian, the Taiping Army used Sanjie Temple as their forward command post, where Hong Xiuquan directed the famous Xinwei Breakout Battle.

Inside Sanjie Temple are over 20 stone steles, including the “Record of the Reconstruction of Sanjie Temple in Xuannian Xinwei” and the “Record of the Anliang Pact,” reflecting the social, economic, and class conditions on the eve of the Jintian Uprising and serving as important materials for studying Taiping Rebellion history.

Hong Xiuquan (1814–1864), childhood name Huaxiu, family name Renkun, later changed to Xiutuan to avoid the taboo of the Heavenly Father’s name (Huohua). Born into a peasant family in Guanlu Village, Huaxian County (some say Fuyuanshui Village, later moving to Guanlu), his ancestor Hong Fushan migrated from Shikeng Village, Jiaying Prefecture, to Huaxian during the Kangxi era, making Hong Xiuquan the sixth-generation descendant. His father, Jingyang, was hardworking, honest, and fair, serving as the “Baozun” of Guanlu Village, managing village affairs and mediating clan disputes... More details on Hong Xiuquan ++

Yang Xiuqing (1823–1856), originally named Yang Siling, of Hakka descent from Jiaying Prefecture, Guangdong, was born into a poor farming family in Ping’ai Xincun, Zijingshan Mountain, Guiping City, Guangxi, working as a mountain farmer and charcoal burner. He joined the God Worshipping Society in 1846, participated in the Jintian Uprising in 1851, and was appointed Eastern King (Jiwan sui) by Hong Xiuquan in December of the same year, becoming one of the rebellion’s key leaders.

By June 1856, after the Taiping Army broke through the Qing’s Jiangnan Camp, Yang Xiuqing held religious, political, and military power, effectively becoming the leader of the Taiping Rebellion... More details on Yang Xiuqing ++

Wei Changhui (1823–1856), a Han Chinese Hakka, originally named Zhizheng (also called Zheng), was an early leader of the Taiping Rebellion, of Guangdong Nanhai ancestry. His ancestors migrated to Guangxi during the late Ming and early Qing periods, settling in Jintian Village, Guiping. His family was wealthy, and though young, he was educated, cultured, and resourceful. In 1848, he joined the God Worshipping Society, quickly becoming a core member and sworn brother to Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan, known as the Fifth Son of the Heavenly Father. After the Jintian Uprising, he served as Rear Protector and Deputy Military Advisor, leading the Right Army and titled Northern King (Liuwan sui), ranking second only to the Heavenly... More details on Wei Changhui ++

Shi Dakai (1831–1863), childhood name Yada, nickname Shigandang, was a Hakka from Guixian (now Guigang), Guangxi, a famed Taiping general, and a prominent military, political, and martial arts figure in modern China. Initially titled “Left Army Commander Wing King,” he was later named “Holy Divine Lightning Commander Wing King” during the Tianjing Incident, revered as the “Righteous King” (though he modestly declined). Shi Dakai was one of the most legendary figures of the Taiping Rebellion, recruited into leadership at 16, commanding armies at 19, titled at 20, and martyred at 32. His military achievements were countless... More details on Shi Dakai ++

Feng Yunshan (1815–1852), also called Yilong, styled Shaoguang, was from Huaxian County, Guangdong (now part of Guangzhou). From childhood, he enjoyed studying classics, history, astronomy, and geography, took imperial exams, and later taught in his village as a private tutor.

In the 23rd year of the Daoguang reign (1843), Hong Xiuquan founded the God Worshipping Society in his hometown, with Feng Yunshan as one of his devoted followers. To promote the "God Worshipping Society," he smashed and burned all the Buddhist and Taoist statues, Confucian books, and memorial tablets of Confucius and Mencius that were enshrined in his home. Due to his bold actions and the new faith he was spreading, he faced opposition from some... More details about Feng Yunshan++

Jintian Village: Jintian Village... More details about Jintian Village++

Further reading:

·First Batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites