The Taiping Rebellion

A major historical novel by one of Japan's most popular writers, The Taiping Rebellion vividly portrays one of the most compelling and tragic events of the nineteenth century, when a quasi-religious social movement attempted to overthrow the Qing dynasty at a horrific cost. More or less contemporaneous with the U.S. Civil War, estimates of the loss of human lives during the Taiping Rebellion range as high as twenty million. Using actual historical figures -- Hong Xiuquan, Feng Yunshan, Hu Linyi, Zuo Zongtang, Lin Zexu, Zeng Guofan -- Mr. Chin brilliantly conveys, on a grand scale reminiscent of Herman Wouk, a panoramic view of countless battles and other significant events that marked this incredible rebellion, as well as fascinating and probing character studies. This is a book that not only students of Chinese history, but also aficionados of the historical novel, will find irresistible.