Presidential Palace Nanjing - Chiang KaiShek - Taiping Rebellion: Nanjing: Qing Dynasty: Chinese History, Culture, Customs.The Taiping Army occupied Yong'an (now Mengshan County) in September and conferred the titles of the Eastern King. Westarn King. Soutnarn King. Northarn King, and Wing King upon Yang Xiuquan. Xiao Chaogui, Feng Yunshan, Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai, respectively. According to records of historical documents, the concubines of the Heavenly King were addressed Niangniang (Your Ladyship). Therefore their rooms were Called 'niangniang Palace". The room where the Heavenly King's second wife (Empress Lai) was called "You zheng Yue Palace".
(This file contains in Italics, copies of texts displayed in the various buildings at the Presidential Palace. Additionally, there are texts with their internet links to articles about the Taiping Rebellion.)
In April 2008 I travelled to both Nanjing and Ningbo. What appears in this file, are photographs of one section of the Presidential Palace in Nanjing. That complex is huge and contains several historical buildings of cultural importance. One such building or series of buildings was occupied by a 'self proclaimed' Emperor of China. Photographs on this page relate to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Emperor Hong Xiuquan
What does this photograph, taken in Nanjing, remind you of? The thrones in the Forbidden City in Beijing - Right? Well there is a reason for that. In 1851 there was a rebellion in China and for several years there were two Emperors of China. One in Nanjing and one in Beijing, and both Emperors came from Chinese Minority Ethnic Groups.
Throne room of the Taiping King of the Heavenly Kingdom in Nanjing's Presidential Palace Complex.
Here is the man himself.
Emperor Hong Xiuquan
Resume of Hong Xiuquan
1814 Born in a peasant's family in Village Fuyuan-shui, Hua County. Guangdong 10th December of this year. His family moved to Village of Guanlubu when he was two years old.
1843 At the age31. Went to Guangzhou for the examination a fourth time and still failed to obtain. Glanced through "Good Words for Exhorting the Age" with Li Jingfang together. and created the Bai Shangdi Hui (God-Worshippers Soceity) and called for destruction of traditional temples and Confucian idols.
1844 Thirty-two years old. after lost his teaching position. he with Feng Yunshan went out to preach everywhere and returned his hometown in November of this year after stayed a short time at Village of Cigu in Guizian County of Guangxi.
1849 He at age of thirty-seven went to Mount zijingshan from Huaxian County with Feng Yunshan again to plot uprising.
1851 Being 39, he announced uprising and the establishment of a new state. the Taiping Tianquo (Heavenly Kingdom of Taipiing), his troops were named as Taiping Army on 11th March in Township of Wuxuan Dongxiang. The Taiping Army occupied Yong'an (now Mengshan County) in September and conferred the titles of the Eastern King. Westarn King. Soutnarn King. Northarn King, and Wing King upon Yang Xiuquan. Xiao Chaogui, Feng Yunshan, Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai, respectively.
1856 He was at the age of 44 and his troops broke the South of Yangtze River Miliatry Camp in April and the North of Yangtze River Military Camp in June. Yang Xiuqing and Wei Changhui were killed in intarnal power struggles began in Tianjing [Nanjing] in September.
1864 Honh Xiuquan had to live on wort dumpling for supply failure of grain and other foods in Tianjing and died of serious ill on 3rd June of this year when he was only fifty-two years old. Tianjing was occupied by the enemy on 19th July.
Secret room of the Heavenly King
It is the place where Hong xiuquan, the heavenly king perused the official documents and discussed state affairs with important officials of the Taiping Heavenly kingdom.
Thomas Reilly argues that the Taiping faith, although kindled by Protestant sources, developed into a dynamic new Chinese religion whose conception of its sovereign deity challenged the legitimacy of the Chinese empire.
This photograph comes from the building above.
The photographs above and below were taken in the building following the next photograph.
And you thought your mother's wall unit was some 'Western Contraption'.
The Inner Room of the Palace of the Heavenly Kingdom
It's the place where Hong xiuquan, the Heavenly King and the Empress and imperial concubines lived and slept. According to records of historical documents, the concubines of the Heavenly King were addressed Niangniang (Your Ladyship). Therefore their rooms were Called 'niangniang Palace". The room where the Heavenly King's second wife (Empress Lai) was called "You zheng Yue Palace".
Building after building after building. And this is just in this one straight line. There were others.
In December 1850, there was a peasant uprising in the Hakka village of Jintian in Guiping County, Guangxi Province. It was called the Taiping Rebellion and the leader was Hong Xiuquan. Hong, a rural intellectual, was born into a family of Hakka peasants in Hua County in Guangdong Province in 1814. The Taiping Rebellion's leaders were Hakkas: Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuqing, Feng Yunshan, Shi Dakai, Li Xiucheng, Chen Yucheng, Hong Rengan and many others. Their aim was to overthrow the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty and restore Chinese rule in China. The Manchus, a minority tribe, has ruled China for more than 200 years then.
The close-up photograph at the beginning is of that statue in the doorway.
The area known as Liangjiang in the Qing dynasty, which comprised the region of Jiangnan (the provinces of Jiangsu and Anhuui) and Jiangxi provinces, was a galaxy of talent and an important source of revenue for the Qing Government. In the 247 years from 1665 (the fourth year of the Kangxi Emperor) to 1911 (the third year of the Xuantong Emperor), there were altogether 80 persons appointed as Loangjiang Governor-general, which comprised 98 terms of office. The first Governor-general was Lang Tingzuo, and the last one was Zhang Renjun who fled from Jiangning (Nanjing) on the eve of the 1911 Revolution.
Oh take me back to the simple life before Modernization!
Traces of the Official Residence of the Liangjiang Governor-General
The Official Residence of Liangjiang Governor-general overlapped the former site of that of Prince Han of the Ming dynasty. Successive governors-general lived and worked in the compound of Official Residence for more than 200 years, with the exception of the period when the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom occupied and chose Nanjing as its capital, the field headquarters of the Liangjiang Governor-general set up in Changzhou. When the Residence was renovated in the Tongzhi reign, the Governor-general temporarily worked at the Office of Jiangning (Nanjing) Prefecture and Jiangnan Salt Control Circuit.
This is a model display of the buildings mentioned above of the Residence of Liangjiang Govenor-general.
Wouldn't you just love to stick that screen in your back pocket and take it home?
This complex goes on and on in different directions.
There were many other revolts, but this was by far the most serious. Lasting from 1851 to1864 it took control of large swerves of south and central China, including the southern capital of Nanking. There a theocraticmilitary government was established.
Although it was millenarian in form, the Taiping leaders adopted many policies which would later become the marks of modernizers in China: prohibition of opiumsmoking, gambling, the use of tobacco and wine, polygamy, the sale of slaves, and prostitution. The promoted the equality of the sexes: they abolished foot-binding and appointed of women as administrators and officers in the Taiping army. They also tried to abolish the private ownership of land and property, and they developed a program for the equal distribution of land.
When we had finished with the Taiping Buildings we found outselves at this gateway.
From here we went across to an official type building wherein there were some photographs and items of historical significance in the history of China. Leaving that building we were trying to find our way back to the entrance when we happened across this room.
I have no idea what this building was and forgot to take photographs of whatever signs may have been there. From memory it had something to do with honoring ancestors. At any rate there was only one other person there and this allowed me to take clear shots of furniture etc. The etc being that wonderful stone carving outside.
Photographs do not do justice to it's beauty and craftsmanship.
It was at this point that we finally - finally decided to get out of the place. It had been a tiring day. But the task of leaving was not quite so simple, because this is really a big complex. We ended up following a pathway that had branching off it to the right and left, more minature museums and display rooms, that included officers rooms, stables, music rooms and the like. I did snap a few photographs of those rooms beside the path but was too tired to keep wandering away from my intended goal - to get out!
Perhaps I will when I have finished presenting all the various sections of this trip, provide some sort of montage that chronologically presents our trip from beginning to end.
For now - this is the end. I hope you enjoyed these photographs.
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Designed by Lu Yanzhi, a famous architect, the construction of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum began in March 1926 and ended in the spring of 1929. It is 700 meters from the Memorial Archway to the coffin chamber with 10 terraces and 392 steps between them, and the falling head reaches 70 meters. The main buildings of the mausoleum include the memorial archway, the mausoleum gate, the tablet pavilion, the sacrificial hall and the coffin chamber. On June 1, 1929, a grand burial ceremony was held at the mausoleum which is shaped like an alarm bell, symbolizing Dr. Sun Yat-sen's unyileding spirit in fighting to arouse people and salvage the nation. - In the center of this map with the blue roof is Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum. To the right is the Linggu Pagoda and to the left of the Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum is the Ming Tomb area. As you can see there are many other places to see. There is also Purple Mountain at the very top of the picture, access to which can be gained by a cable way
The Beamless Hall is the only survivor from the Ming Dynasty in Linggu Temple area. It was once called "Hall of Boundless Life" because it was built to worship the AMitabha Buddha, whose neame means "Boundless life". The brick-vault structure was built without a single piece of wood or beam, hence resulting in its current name. The KMT government had a cemetery built here for the KIAs in 1931, it was changed into a hall for public sacrifice.
Ancestral Halls were places where clansmen offered sacrifices to their ancestors and also great men of both ancient and more recent times. The building of memorial temples and ancestral halls was very popular during the Qing Dynasty. Various types of such temples and ancestral halls, such as the 'Zhaozhong' (loyal official), 'Xianliang' (wise man or sage) and Gongchen (meritorious personage) were built, during this period, in many parts of China including Beijing
During the Nationalist Government periods, Chiang Kai-shek, Lin Sen, Li Zongren and other leaders took a short rest in this building before ceremonies began. The Communists-Nationalists Negotiations were held here in 1946. In this building Li Zongren, the Acting President, received the Shanghai Peace Delegates who had returned from BeiPing on 27 February 1949.
Whilst it was obviously once a huge place, (judging by the 'model' on display), it wasn't quite as big as you might imagine a 20 thousand room place to be. The examination rooms were just meter wide boxes which contained a bed/desk to which the examinees were confined for the several days necessary to complete their exams. These rooms are set up as displays and each has a mannequin in it that depicts something of the trials and tribulations of the examinees, and includes one in which a 'snake' was attacking one person, and another in which the examinee is being burned by fire. So much for the good old days
Qinhuai River, known as Huaishui River or Longcangpu in ancient times, rises from two places: Baohuashan Mountain in Jurong County and Donglushan Mountain in Lishui County. The two streams meet at the foot of Fangshan Mountain, Jiangning County, then winds its way of 110 km to Yangzi River. The river that flows through Nanjing measures 10 li (5 kn) and this part is called Inner Qinhuai River. The River has a long history. As early as in Neolithic Age, it nurtured the early settlers along the banks. Now the Inner Qinhuai has become the center of culture and economy of Nanjing
The Taiping Army occupied Yong'an (now Mengshan County) in September and conferred the titles of the Eastern King. Westarn King. Soutnarn King. Northarn King, and Wing King upon Yang Xiuquan. Xiao Chaogui, Feng Yunshan, Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai, respectively. According to records of historical documents, the concubines of the Heavenly King were addressed Niangniang (Your Ladyship). Therefore their rooms were Called 'niangniang Palace". The room where the Heavenly King's second wife (Empress Lai) was called "You zheng Yue Palace".
Wengzhong Path, 250 meters long, constitutes the second section of the Sacred Way. This section is flanked by a pair of balusters, two pairs of generals and two pairs of civil officials. The balusters, with a cylinder crown at the top as well as cloud and dragon designs over the column, have changed the convention of topping the balusters along the sacred way with lotus-flower design since the Tang and Song Dynasties. It is of innovative significance in art. The statues of the generals and officials stand there with great dignity, guarding the tomb with their loyalty
Civil and Military Gate is the first gate to the graveyard of the Ming Tomb. In 1998, the Administration of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum had its original appearance restored according to the burial system of the Ming Tomb of the Ming Dynasty. At the foot of the gate there is a "Special Notice" tablet inscribed in Japanese, German, Italian, English, French and Russian. It was jointly erected for the preservation of the Ming Tomb in the first year under the Xuantong Reign of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1909) by the taotai (head) of Liangjiang Westernization Buteau and the magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture.
Realising that this was a 'security' situation, I decided that it was probably unwise to stand around with my hands in my pockets, and deliberately removed them, keeping my hands in plain sight at all times. While quite conscious of the fact that the uniform police in every direction were discreetly keeping an eye on me, it nevertheless was a surprise when the Chinese Secret Serviceman confronted me, although from the man's first step in a 15 metre walk, I knew instinctively who he would be. He pulled out his credentials, and speaking in reasonably good English, informed me that he was a Policeman; advised me that he had been watching me for 20 minutes; and wanted to know what I was doing there
Summer Camp consisted of two different 12 day sessions, teaching each class once every two days. On the day of the 4th class during the first camp, I was advised that the parents had complained about my teaching. 'They think that what you teach is useless (like having the students stand and actually speak English), and that you should teach 'new words' (that they will never use if they don't actually speak), and that you should teach them about Australia".
The day I was due to Leave, Zhan Yan turned up at my house saying that his summer camp had been cancelled and none of his family were in town. So guess who came with me? There is no commentary apart from the fact that it costs 50 RMB for the entrance ticket
Really, we only went there to eat pizza at Carole's Restaurant, but noting a few changes in the area, decided to take a few new shots. From the vantage point on the upstairs balcony of the restaurant, I started off the process by taking photos of people in the street who kept pointing out the foreigner
In the temple, there are many places of cultural and historical interest. Tianwang (Heavenly Kings) Hall, Guanyin Hall, Wuyou Hall and the Arhat Hall are solemn in ancient style, Kuangyi Pavilion is charm and elegant. On Erya Terrace you can overlook the river, while in Tingtao Pavilion, you can enjoy the music of the current. If you want to see how the three rivers meet go to Jingyun Pavilion; to enjoy flowers, butterflies and singing birds, go to the Plum Garden. What is mostly worth mentioning is that it is the temple and the hill on which it stands that form the hesd of the Giant Sleeping Buddha.
Dopo 45 minuti di strade tutte uguali, siamo finiti nel bel mezzo della 'zona commerciale', dove il traffico si è fatto insostenibile e venivamo sorpassati da arzille nonnine con ceste piene di spesa. A piedi, ovviamente. Qui ho cambiato autobus, sempre seguendo le indicazioni del foglietto. Lungo la strada, sono stata messa in allarme da dei cartelli: Longmen caves: 11km. Longmen Caves: 13km. Longmen Caves: 15km. Avvicinandosi alla meta, i chilometri dovrebbero diminuire, non aumentare ¡ quando mi sono resa conto che stavo viaggiando nella direzione sbagliata avevo gia trascorso più di un'ora e mezza in autobus e mi trovavo ad oltre 15 chilometri dalle grotte. Ho fermato un taxi.
My 11.45 am flight left at 1pm. Knowing that this would happen, I had bought my international ticket from Beijing, and chanced travelling to Beijing the day before. That also meant that I would need accommodation on the 14th. After checking the Internet, I came across the Beijing Aulympic - Olympic - Hotel, located very close to the airport. The fees were very very very low and that suited me fine. I did not expect however, that the hotel would be as nice as it was
With the official greetings over, we were presented with a variety of performances from local artists and international guests, including an American man and his family. This family presented a narrative from a Gospel about the birth of Jesus, and then went on to present some musical renditions of Christmas Carols. Another foreigner, who performed a Chinese fan dance, was Helen, a Ukrainian with an American Accent. She is also an English teacher in Dong He District Baotou. We chatted for a little while at the end of the night. The other performances included an Arabian - Chinese dance performed by a group of girls balancing rice bowls while they gyrated around the place. They were all young and beautiful and adept in their craft
My 'less than trusting' Chinese friends (currently scattered far and wide throughout China), are not so excited. They tell me that not only are private schools well known for their abuse of and cheating both foreign and National teachers, but one should not trust a Chinese boss to keep his word. While in fact no one has actually informed me that I will be paid overtime, the provision is in my contract and I don't see how it can be 'forgotten'. I doubt that the franchisee could ever have become such an illustrious business woman (She has businesses in China and in Canada) had she not been an ethical manager
Queensland, the Sunshine State of Australia, Home of the Banana Benders, the Kingaroy Peanut (Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson) and many many famous people including Sean Connery's former wife Dianne Cilento. Brisbane City Hall faces King George Square, and on the other side of the road is the Wesley Methodist church, and behind that a tall building that 30 years ago was the State Government Insurance Office (where I once worked). These two shots are significant, because in one of the Mission Impossible Movies, you see this church in the background of one scene, minus the tall building. Really scary scene. I thought the building must have been demolished. Nope! Still there!
Spanish Lighthouse at Corregidor Island had a signpost letting us know how far from home we were - The Centerpiece at the War Memorial for American Soldiers in Manilla - Corregidor Island Battery looking toward Batan - Military tanks at the Philippine Military Academy
Definition: King's Calendar Chronological Research
The Premise: Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), Sectarian redactors transcribed the legitimate 'solar year' chronological records of Israel and Judah, into an artificial form, with listed years as each comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year, thus creating a 13th artificial year where 12 solar years existed.
When the Synchronous Chronological Data provided in the Books of Kings and Chronicles for the Divided Kingdom Period are measured in years of 336 days, the synchronisms actually align. [Refer to Appendix 5. to see how it synchronises the Divided Kingdom Period]
About the KingsCalendar Publisher
R.P.BenDedek is the owner and Editor of KingsCalendar.com which was originally set up to publicize his research results into the Chronology of Ancient Israel. Those results were published under the title: 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran'.
Whilst there have been many attempts to solve the chronological riddle of the Bible's synchronisms of reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah and their synchronism with other Ancient Near Eastern Nations, no other research is based on a simple mathematical formula which could, if it is incorrect, be disproved easily. To date, no one has been able to dismiss the mathematical results of this research.
Free to air Academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
During the current economic downturn, this book has been drastically reduced in price but will eventually rise as the economy improves.
Check the Chapter Precis Page to see details of each chapter and to gain access to the Four Free to Air Chapters
R.P. BenDedek writes social commentaries and photographic 'Stories from China' both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing columnist at Magic City Morning Star News in Maine USA.
(He has been teaching Conversational English in China since 2003 and currently (2013) is teaching in Suzhou City Jiangsu Province.)
Academic Newsletters
Newsletter No.3 Academic Opinion Versus Fact By R.P. BenDedek
Every time you see or hear an historian or archaeologist quote chronological material from the Bible, they are 'pulling your chain'. They manipulate your trust in the Bible and direct it toward 'themselves'. When we read that some expert says this or that, we are naturally inclined to accept that they know what they are talking about, but in reference to the two cases sited above, the 'fact' of the matter is, that neither religious nor secular academics have ever 'proved' their theories to be correct, and the 'fact' that these points in history are constantly being challenged, examined and argued over, demonstrates clearly enough, that the 'chronological' aspect at the very least, has not yet been satisfied beyond everyone's doubt
Newsletter No.2 Academic Opinion - Facts and Misdirection By R.P. BenDedek
Opinions, Assumptions and Presumptions are not facts in relation to evidence. Whilst the 'King's Calendar' is a 'theory', it is in fact 'a scientific theory' and can therefore be subjected to scientific testing, under which, should it fail, it would be proven beyond doubt to be false. Too often we just accept what 'The Professionals' tell us, without ever forcing them to make a clear distinction between 'proof' and 'opinion'
Newsletter No.1 Religious Compartmentalisation - Psychological Dysfunction By R.P. BenDedek
Many folk wonder why it is that their children have turned from their religious traditions to new or exotic forms of religious observance, and it is not at all unreasonable to suggest that this is because our materialistic, logical, and science driven society, has robbed us of the inner emotional stability which comes through 'trusting in a higher power'. What facinates me, is that many 'fundamentalists', while publicly preaching the Bible to be the Word of God, will, when confronted by the anomolous situation between the chronological facts of history and the chronological record of the Bible, maintain that biblical chronology is not important, saying "we don't feel that the historical information is important"
