HONG Xiuquan claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ and believed that he was chosen by God to establish a
"He decided on reading that, that the man he had seen up in the sky was the Christian God, that he, Hong, was the brother of Jesus, and that the devils he had to exterminate on Earth were the Qing dynasty, which was then ruling China and of course was not Chinese."
He even declined to lay in supplies in case of a siege because he was sure that God would provide. On June 1, 1864, Hong, despairing after a lingering illness, committed suicide. His young son succeeded him on the throne.
The rebellion began under the leadership of Hong Xiuquan (1814–64), a disappointed civil service examination candidate who, influenced by Christian teachings, had a series of visions and believed himself to be the son of God, the younger brother of Jesus Christ, sent to reform China.
The most recent historical, as well as most well known use of the title Heavenly King is from the rule of Hong Xiuquan during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Unlike previous leaders such as those during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, the rationale behind proclaiming himself a "heavenly" king is quite different.
According to Hui Muslim tradition, Sa'd came to China as an ambassador in 650 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang.
Avoiding annihilation at the Suoyi Ford, the Taiping regrouped and recovered behind their leader, Hóng Xiùquán 洪秀全 — 38 years old in 1852, the would-be ruler of China, and the self-proclaimed younger brother of Jesus Christ. It didn't begin that way. Hong Xiuquan was born near Guangzhou in 1814.
According to Chinese Muslims' traditional accounts, Islam was first introduced to China in 616–18 by the Companions of the Prophet: Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Wahab ibn Abu Kabcha and another. It is noted in other accounts that Wahab Abu Kabcha reached Canton by sea in 629 CE.
Hong Xiuquan , or Hung Hsiu-ch'üan, (born Jan. 1, 1814, Fuyuanshui, Guangdong, China—died June 1, 1864, Nanjing), Chinese religious prophet, leader of the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64).
Hong Xiuquan may well be one of the bloodiest political and religious figures in human history. Many in the West are unaware of this man who was responsible for orchestrating a rebellion that led 20 million innocent men and women to their deaths.
He came to believe that his celestial father he saw in the visions was God the Father, his celestial elder brother was Jesus Christ, and he had been directed to rid the world of demon worship.
The Taiping faith, inspired by missionary Christianity, says one historian, "developed into a dynamic new Chinese religion... Taiping Christianity". Hong presented this religion as a revival and a restoration of the ancient classical faith in Shangdi.
Hong Xiuquan first began preaching his own interpretation of Christianity among his closest circle and began to attract many followers, including a similar organisation in the neighbouring province of Guangxi. There, a large population of peasants, of whom many were Hakka, found hope and purpose in Hong's vision.
Christianity is believed to have first come to China in the seventh century, but it was suppressed and largely disappeared by the end of the Tang Dynasty in 907.
Basically, Chinese religion involves allegiance to the shen, often translated as "spirits", defining a variety of gods and immortals. These may be deities of the natural environment or ancestral principles of human groups, concepts of civility, culture heroes, many of whom feature in Chinese mythology and history.
The Jesuits' Christianisation of China is by far less impressive than their scientific and intellectual legacy. More than in Catholicism, Chinese emperors were interested in astronomy, Western artillery and cartography.
Huangdi (Chinese: 皇帝; pinyin: Huángdì), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heaven and the autocrat of all under Heaven.
In Mark 6:3, the "brothers" of Jesus are named; they are James and Joses and Judas and Simon. Two of the names, James and Joses, appear again in Mark 15:40, where they are said to be the sons of a Mary, one of the women watching the crucifixion.
The Taiping Rebellion has been called the “greatest civil war [and] the greatest popular rebellion in history.” Between 1852 and 1864, an estimated 10 to 20 million Chinese lost their lives in a conflict initiated by group of militant Christians led by Hong Xiuquan, who, after visiting God's extended family in Heaven ...
Muslims in China have managed to practice their faith in China, sometimes against great odds, since the 7th century CE. Islam is one of the religions that is still officially recognized in China.
Modern growth. Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. In 1990, 1.1 billion people were Muslims, while in 2010, 1.6 billion people were Muslims.
Today's China is home to a large Muslim population – around 1.6% of the total population, or around 22 million people. They are not newcomers. Islam was introduced to China by envoys from the Middle East who traveled to meet Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty in the seventh century.
Matthew 1:25 says Joseph did not have relations with Mary until her first son was born, implying that she had other children. Joseph would have been the father of Mary's other children. That would make them the half-brothers and sisters of Jesus.
Thomas's alleged visit to China is mentioned in the books and church traditions of Saint Thomas Christians in India who, for a part, claim descent from the early Christians evangelized by Thomas the Apostle in AD 52.