Aside from the three above-named religions, there has lately appeared another, the Tai-ping, whidi Is a mixture of the ancient religion with some fragments of Christian doctrine made known by the missionaries. This religion is purely tiieocratic, partly on the model of the 0. T. It holds that its God is the only true one ; that he came to earth and spoke to his children, telling them what to do and what to avoid. The leader of the movement, Hnng-Siu Tsaen, or, as he styles him- self, Tien-Wang (king of Heaven), vras a native of an insignificant village 80 miles from Canton, and was bom in 1818. His parents were too poor to give him the education required for competing sacoessfully at the state examinations. From bis 19th year he re- paired annually for half a dozen years to Canton to these examinations, but each time failed of success. At one of these visits, in American missionary. Rev. I. J. Roberts, gave him a package of tracts in Chinese. He did not read them until five years later, after his recovery from a severe ilkiess, during which he had seen visions and uttered inflateid rhapsodies in regard to his future. He now found in these tracts the key to the vilions ; he abandoned the belief in the teach- ing of Confucius, adopted views which were a mix- ture of ancient Chinese and of Christian doctrines, and betook himself to the mountains to make converts for his views. In 1840 he had made a number of con- verts, who were called God-worshippers. Not long after, in a single district, the numbo* of his follow- ers was reported to exceed 2000. Attacks on some Buddhist temples brought him into collision with the state authorities, and for several years he again led a retired life, though he seems to have remained in constant communication with his followers. A great change in his views took place in 1850. A rebellion had sprung up in the province of Canton, and the reb- els, when pressed by the government troops, endeavor- ed to enlist the influence of the Crod-worshippers in protecting them. The authorities sought to arrest Siu- Tsuen as their leader, when he, calling together his followers, seized a market-town, and thus, in Decem- ber, 1850, the Tai-ping (great peace) rebellion assumed
more formidable dimensions. Sin-Tsiiea gave to ser- eral of his most prominent adherents the title Wang (king), and began to issue pcditioo-religioas pipdama- tk>ns. He assumed the title Tien-Wang (kin^ of Heaven), and Iwgan to claim divine honors. At first he declared himself the brother and equal of Cbrist, and required the same homage ; but subsequently he gioap- ed in his manifestoes God the Father, Jesua Chnst, himself; and his son, whom he styles the Junior Lord, as the coequal rulers of the universe. At one time he conferred the title of the third person of the Trinity upon Tung-Wang, the most blood-thirsty of the sabor- dinate kings ; but later this title was again withdrawn, and no other divine personages were re<x)gm8ed but those already mentioned. He professed to have often visited heaven, and declared that his fsvcurite wife (be was reported to have 118) had also been permitted to ascend to the heavenly regions. The rebellion made rapid progress, and in 1863 Kankmg was c^tured, and made the capital of the insurrectionary govern- ment. The inhabitants of Nanking and other cap- tured towns were treated with extreme severity, which was justified by Tien-Wang by reference to the Old Testament. The people, he said, were idolaters, whom it was his right, as king of Heaven, to destroy. The advance of the rebels was not arrested unti], after the conclusion of a peace treaty between the imperial gov- ernment and England and France, the two latter pow- ers deemed it their interest to come to the aid of the Chinese government (1862). From that time the pow- er of the Tai-pings stMdUy declined, until, on. the 19th of July, their capital, Nanking, fell into the hands ^f the Imperialists. The head of the sect, Tien-Wang, burned himself in his palace with all his wives. Thus the Tai-]^gs lost their centre and nearly all their lead- ers, and ceased to be formidable, but the rebellion still continued in May, 1867. For several years, however, the political character of the movement had altogether overshadowed the religious. See Aumual Americam CffdopoBdia for 1862, s. v. Tai^inng Rebellion ; for 186a, 1864, 1865, and 1866, s. v. China ; Die Gegenwcai (voL viii, Leipzic, 1852) ; Utuere Zeit (voL i, Leipzic, 1856 ; vol. viii, Leipzic, 1864.)
II. ChrittkmUy m CUno.— Amobius (8d cent.) men- tions the Ceret, who are generally held to have been Christians. It is certain that the Nestorians (q. v.) had flourishing missions, which baean in the 7th cenUiry (see below). The missions of the Roman Church com- menced in the 18th, the Protestant missions in Ae 18th century (see below). In 1586 Macao was ceded to the Portuguese, under whose dominion it has since remain- ed. In 1842 the English secured the island of Hoog Kong, and at the same time five cities (Canton, Fuh- chau, Ningpo, Amoy, and Shan^^ai) were declared free ports. In 1844 Fiance made a treaty with China, in which China promised toleration of Christianity in the five cities. In 1858, after a two years' war witii Eng- land and China, treades were made with France, Eng- land, the United States, and Russia, in each of wfaidi toleration of Christianity throughout the empire was stipulated. The perfidy of the Chinese government, which tried to evade the execution of the treaties, led to a renewal of the war in 1859 and 1860. It ended with a ratification of treaties with England and France on the 24th and 25th of October, 1860. These treaties not only grant toleration to the professors of Christian- ity, but expressly acknowledge that the principles and practices of Christianity tend to benefit mankind. Per- mission was also given to preach and travel in the in- terior, provided that the missionary be furnished with a passport The stipulations of the four treaties were, as follows (see Schem, Eccles. Year-book for 1860, p. 222 sq.):