FENG YN-SHAN

born 1822, Hua-hsien, Kwangtung province, China died June 1852, Ch'an-chou, Kwangsi Pinyin Feng Yunshan Chinese missionary and social reformer, one of the original leaders of the Taiping Rebellion, an uprising that occupied most of South China between 1850 and 1864, brought death to an estimated 20,000,000 people, and radically altered governmental structure. Feng was a neighbour and schoolmate of Hung Hsiu-ch'an, the religious mystic who became the supreme Taiping leader. Feng was one of the first converts to Hung's unique version of Christianity, and in 1844 he accompanied the mystic on a preaching mission into their neighbouring southern province of Kwangsi. Hung returned home after a few months, but Feng remained to organize the Pai Shang-ti Hui, or God Worshipers Society, which combined Hung's religious ideas with a program of social reform. In 1847 Hung rejoined Feng and was accepted as the leader of the society. When government troops attacked the God Worshipers in July 1850, the Taiping Rebellion broke out. On Sept. 25, 1851, Hung proclaimed his new dynasty, the T'ai-p'ing T'ien-kuo (Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace). Hung became the T'ien-wang, or Heavenly King, and Feng was given the title of Nan-wang, or Southern King, and was made the general of the advance guard. A short time later, however, he was mortally wounded in battle.