The Rise of a Reluctant Warlord In July 1864, as Zeng Guofan entered Nanjing to assume control over the defeated […]
The Taiping Rebellion’s Final Crisis By the summer of 1863, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom stood on the brink of collapse. […]
The Birth of a Mercenary Force In the sweltering summer of 1862, as the Taiping Rebellion raged across eastern China, […]
The Perfect Storm: War and Displacement in Qing China The mid-19th century witnessed one of China’s most catastrophic humanitarian crises […]
The Strategic Prize of Ningbo In the spring of 1862, the bustling port city of Ningbo became the focal point […]
The Strategic Crossroads of 1861 In the autumn of 1861, Zeng Guofan stood at a pivotal moment in his campaign […]
A World in Flux: Britain’s Dual Crisis of the 1860s The mid-19th century presented Britain with an unprecedented geopolitical dilemma. […]
A Sky Full of Portents In July 1861, a brilliant comet streaked across the northwestern skies above Beijing, its luminous […]
The Strategic Jewel of the Yangtze Nestled along the northern bank of the Yangtze River, the walled city of Anqing […]
A Queen’s Satisfaction and Public Unease In February 1861, Queen Victoria delivered her annual parliamentary address, praising Lord Elgin and […]
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s Bid for Western Recognition In August 1860, Taiping general Li Xiucheng—known as the Loyal King—penned an […]
A Confucian Scholar Turned Military Commander On October 16, 1860, in the rugged mountains of Anhui, a weary 49-year-old general […]
The Gathering Storm: Origins of the 1860 Conflict In the winter of 1860, as Hong Rengan and Li Xiucheng strategized […]
The Taiping Tide: A Storm Gathering Over Jiangnan In the spring of 1860, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom launched its eastern […]
A Fugitive Scholar’s Odyssey Through War-Torn China In the summer of 1858, as Lord Elgin’s fleet sailed triumphantly into Tianjin […]
The Gathering Storm: Origins of the 1858 Conflict In May 1858, the British Royal Navy’s paddle steamer Furious rocked ominously […]
A Pestilential Outpost: Hong Kong in 1852 The British colony of Hong Kong in 1852 was a place of stark […]
