Hong Xuanjiao (, - fl. 1856), was a Chinese female general and rebel leader during the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted fr ...

. She was the sister of the leader of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom,

Hong Xiuquan Hong Xiuquan (1 January 1814 – 1 June 1864), born Hong Huoxiu and with the courtesy name Renkun, was a Chinese revolutionary who was the leader of the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing dynasty. He established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdo ...

. She acted as co-commander of the Taiping forces during the civil war against the Imperial forces of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. Xuanjiao and her brother, Xiuquan, established the

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, later shortened to the Heavenly Kingdom or Heavenly Dynasty, was an unrecognised rebel kingdom in China and a Chinese Christian theocratic absolute monarchy from 1851 to 1864, supporting the overthrow of the Qi ...

over varying portions of southern China with himself as the "

Heavenly King Heavenly King or Tian Wang () is a Chinese title for various religious deities and divine leaders throughout history, as well as an alternate form of the term '' Son of Heaven'', referring to the emperor. The Chinese term for Heavenly King consis ...

" and self-proclaimed younger brother of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. She played a very important role in the establishment and growth of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. She was the right-hand man of

and

Xiao Chaogui Xiao Chaogui (; 1820 – September 1852) was an important leader during the early years of the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing dynasty of China. He was a sworn brother to Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the Taipings, and claimed to serve as a mout ...

. According to wild history records, she also directly participated in leading the Tianjing Incident.

Life

Hong Xuanjiao is believed to have been born around 1830. The sister of

, the leader of the Taiping Rebellion, she was trained in martial arts and the commander of the female soldiers in service of the Taiping army. She was known as being extraordinarily valiant, and also was responsible for the women who took part in the battle under the banner of the Taiping rebels. During the civil war, she led thousands of women in the revolt against the dynasty. Among these women there were female warriors who became notable, such as General

Su Sanniang Su Sanniang (蘇三娘; 1830–1854), was a Chinese rebel during the Taiping Rebellion. The leader of a band of outlaws, she joined the rebellion with a band of 2000 soldiers. She was said to have powerful arms and could wield two swords with ease ...

Qiu Ersao Qiu Ersao (; 1822 – 1853), was a Chinese rebel and military commander during the Taiping Rebellion. Originally a religious leader within the Tiandihui, she later had 500 female soldiers under her command. Biography Born in Qiaoxu, Guixian Co ...

and others. According to some reports, Xuanjiao died in 1856, but this has not been confirmed, and other reports say she survived her brother's deposition and escaped from Nanking.Lily Xiao Hong Lee, Clara Lau, A.D. Stefanowska:
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: v. 1: The Qing Period, 1644-1911
' p.72

References

19th-century births 1856 deaths Military leaders of the Taiping Rebellion 19th-century Chinese people People of the Taiping Rebellion Women in 19th-century warfare Generals from Guangxi Hakka generals Women in war in China 19th-century Chinese women {{China-bio-stub