The Palace of Prince Dai of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

　　The Palace of Prince Dai of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Jintan is situated east of Xianzhi Street in downtown Jintan. The palace faces west, and its original screen wall and flagpoles at the front have been destroyed, while the entrance building has also been modified. The front main hall is rectangular in shape, featuring three bays and a seven-rafter beam structure, with colorful paintings of dragons and phoenixes from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom era on the beams. Behind the hall lies 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 salvaged from older 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~?)　　Huang Chengzhong (1826–?), a general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and Prince Dai, was 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 capture Zhangpu (located south of Zhangzhou), but the city fell again in May. His fate after that remains unknown. In 1860 (the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign of Emperor Wenzong, though some sources cite 1861), he was granted the title Bao Tian Yi and appointed as the commander of the Left Hall Army. The following April, he accompanied 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 citizens, and stated their willingness to maintain commercial relations with foreigners. In the spring of 1862 (the 1st year of the Tongzhi reign of Emperor Muzong), he was conferred the title of Prince Dai for his achievements... More+