The King on the River (Patreon)

As the British wrapped up the Opium War, and “opened” China to the outside world, a power vacuum was created. The Qing dynasty lost its ability to govern the provinces of the empire and poverty and banditry became commonplace. In this post-isolation period a failed scholar from a small town in Guangxi was able to form a secret society which soon became an army. Claiming to be God’s son and the younger brother of Jesus Christ, Hong Xiuquan commanded over a million men and turned the centre of China into a wasteland for the best part of fifteen years in a civil war which cost over 20 million lives. 

In The King on the River we examine how the Opium War opened the door for the Taiping Rebellion, and how the Yangtze river, China’s central artery, became the focus of all four of the war’s factions.

Click here to listen 

Thank you so much for your support. Going to have some extra written stuff coming to the Patreon in December in addition to the Ali - Liston episode so stay tuned!

Cheers,

Jack