The Taiping rebellion was an infamous reign in the Chinese empire that lasted eleven years. The revolution laid waste to the Chinese empire, with it needing reconstruction. In this analysis, I am looking at the rebuilding that needed to occur. I want to look at how the Chinese were able to switch from raising funds for war to coming together to rebuild the empire. The reconstruction led to a change in the government and modernization in China. The most significant mark of the war was in Nanjing, which was the last stand for the Taiping government and capital. It is interesting how the Chinese rebuilt this city, which I want to focus on.
The “Shanhou” was the period of construction for the Chinese. Moderate reconstruction was happening in Qing and Taiping areas, but post-war rebuilding was immense. After the fall of Nanjing, the capital of Taiping, the Qing had to focus on reconstructing occupied territory. Nanjing did face the brunt of the war, but most of China faced “famine, and disease resulting from the Taiping Rebellion had killed millions of people in central and southern China.” Because of the mass destruction in Nanjing, a focal point for the Qing empire to focus most of their reconstruction there.
The first newcomers into the city of Nanjing were the soldiers from the disbanded Army. With soldiers that stayed in the town, “Hunanese accent to reconstruction in the form of a separate graveyard and one of the largest native-place associations in the city.” The 13 years of war in Nanjing led to a significant displacement in and around the city. “Refugees” (naming) were named this because they were directly affected by the war in Nanjing that left millions dead. The population was left with “widowed, the orphaned, and the aged, but the group included rougher sorts: militiamen, Taiping loyalists who had escaped the city just before it fell to the Qing, and bands of locals gathered together for self-preservation.” Thousands then began to return with a spike of people that might not find homes which caused worry for Zeng Guofan, a general in charge of the return.
The returnees that fled Nanjing were a mix of people once displaced from their homes due to the war. The exciting group that returned was the Chinese-educated elite who purposely returned to put into administrative positions or military roles. Most elites were killed in the battle, but the escaped people fled to Shanghai. When they returned, most of their assets were gone, and they lost their money in the war to fund the reparations after the war. The Suzhou could make up for the fact that the elites couldn’t pay, and they helped pay to repair essential parts of society. They sponsored “charitable organizations for burying the dead, feeding the hungry, and caring for widows and orphans; in Nanjing, it was Zeng Guofan’s military organization that funded and managed relief projects in the immediate wake of the Taiping defeat.” The problem with returning to a city that was defiled by the war is the destruction it had to the economy. While returnees earn, save or steal the money they still had nothing to “consume.” Nanjing was so devasted that it relied on goods from outside sources to give to consumers. The city started to become a monopoly with the flow of resources. Soon groups would get help from external providers, which boosted the economy and flow of goods, eventually bumping Nanjing back into status.
The leader in Nanjing after the war was Zeng Goufan, who aimed to rebuild the city. One good thing from the war was the system Goufan invented to delegate his decisions. To lead, he would create groups of men specializing in specific jobs like accounting. These groups were called bureaus like transport bureaus, Accounting bureaus, and others. Based on the bureau system he used during the war, he built these into his new administration.
The first step in reviving the dead Nanjing city was military control. The Army’s control of the town meant a temporary government had to be established. The ensuing military occupation of the city brought a government based on “humanity and caring.” After the dust settled, the government that was put into place “emphasized the personal qualities of Nanjing’s new administrators.” Zeng found hardworking virtuous men to help fix the broken city. “Zeng insisted that the reconstruction project relies on the energies of the local gentry, but newcomers created Nanjing.” The men that were selected to fill these roles in the bureaus were Zeng envisioning what a political leader should be, someone who was morally inspired. With the incorporation of the bureaus, it became part of local and regional governments. Using the bureaus helped rebuild Nanjing and gave life to the city.
Other aspects of the reconstruction could be looked at, but I believe that the main pieces of the rebuilding were the government, people, and problems that were the main factors in its growth. The outstanding work of General Zeng Goufan helped rebuild Nanjing after the enormous loss of life and destruction that occurred there.
Resources:
Wooldridge, William Charles. “Building and State Building in Nanjing after the Taiping Rebellion.” Late Imperial China 30, no. 2 (2009): 84-126. doi:10.1353/late.0.0022.
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