YELLOW TURBANS

Chinese secret society whose members' uprising, the Yellow Turban Rebellion (AD 184c. 204), contributed to the fall of the Han dynasty (AD 220). Led by Chang Cheh, a Taoist faith healer who gained numerous adherents during a widespread pestilence, the rebellion was directed against the tyrannical eunuchs who dominated the emperor. The rebels wore yellow headdresses to signify their association with the earth element, which they believed would succeed the red fire element that represented Han rule. To suppress the uprising, which erupted in east China, the Han conscripted huge armies at great cost, but their efforts were hampered by inefficiency and corruption in the imperial government. Chang Cheh was killed in AD 184, but the rebellion was a continuing menace to the government for the subsequent two decades.