Lai Wenguang (賴文光, 1827–1868), born in

Mei County Mei County or Meixian () is a county under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Baoji, in the west of Shaanxi province, China. It is one of the birthplaces of the Western Zhou culture, during which it was known as Taiguo (邰国). ...

(now Meixian District),

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, and later worked in

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

, was an eminent military leader of 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 ...

and Nian Rebellion, and known during his military tenure as the King of Zun (遵王) ("believe God"). He served under

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 ...

's Taiping Administration, and was Hong Xiuquan's wife young brother. He led Taiping forces to many military victories. Lai became the leader of Eastern Nian Army in 1866. In June 1865, he commanded

Nian A ''nian'' () is a beast in Chinese mythology. Nian live under the sea or in the mountains. The Chinese character ''nian'' more usually means "year" or "new year". The earliest written sources that refer to the ''nian'' as a creature date to the e ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

forces of 90,000 in surrounding and attacking the capital

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, nearly successfully. Lai surrendered to Qing forces on January 5, 1868. He was executed by Li Hongzhang after interrogation in February. Lai Wenguang attracted many northern Chinese to unite fighting against the Qing government because people believed the

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro was a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as c ...

had a secret agenda to stage a coup against Empress Dowager Cixi. His elder brother Lai Hanying was the Taiping Rebellion's king early on, and one of the few of kings still alive after the civil war ended in 1870. As a child, future revolutionary

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

often heard the story of the Taiping Rebellion.

References

*《遵王賴文光自述》 (1868) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lai, Wenguang 1868 deaths Military leaders of the Taiping Rebellion 1827 births Hakka generals People from Meixian District Executed Taiping Heavenly Kingdom people People executed by the Qing dynasty 19th-century executions by China Executed people from Guangdong Nian Rebellion