A Pestilential Outpost: Hong Kong in 1852

The British colony of Hong Kong in 1852 was a place of stark contrasts. Perched on rocky islands off the southern coast of the Qing Empire, the settlement combined colonial ambition with deadly tropical realities. Newly arrived Europeans spoke of “miasmatic vapors” released from disturbed earth, while the Chinese population maintained traditional agricultural life between rice paddies and sweet potato fields.

Queen’s Road, Wellington Street, and Hollywood Road formed the European commercial district, their names evoking nostalgic imperial pride. Yet just beyond these orderly facades lay a landscape of peril. Wealthy merchants built hillside villas with panoramic harbor views, only to abandon them as “fever houses” claimed their occupants. This was the unstable environment where a young Swedish missionary named Theodore Hamberg would encounter a history-altering figure from China’s interior.

The Missionary and the Visionary: An Improbable Meeting

Hamberg, a former choir singer who had once performed alongside the “Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind, brought his resonant voice to the pulpit rather than the opera stage. His linguistic breakthrough—mastering the Hakka dialect—prepared him for an extraordinary 1852 encounter with Hong Rengan, cousin of the mysterious Hakka prophet Hong Xiuquan.

What began as a routine missionary interview became a revelation. Hong spoke of:
– Divine visions experienced by his cousin
– A militant religious movement in Guangxi province
– The creation of a “God Worshippers Society”
– Armed resistance against Qing authorities

Hamberg initially dismissed these accounts as “too fantastical,” filing Hong’s written testimony away until 1853, when the Taiping capture of Nanjing forced the West to confront this homegrown Chinese revolution.

Global Echoes: How the Taiping Movement Resonated Worldwide

The 1853 fall of Nanjing (renamed “Heavenly Capital” by the Taiping) sent shockwaves through foreign communities:

In Shanghai:
– International settlements fortified against expected attack
– The U.S. steamer Susquehanna attempted reconnaissance up the Yangtze

In Western Media:
– Karl Marx theorized the rebellion as capitalism’s unintended consequence
– The Economist drew parallels to Europe’s 1848 revolutions
– Southern U.S. papers framed it as a racial uprising against Manchu “slave masters”

London’s Times captured the prevailing confusion: “We cannot determine on which side our interests or duties lie…whether the rebellion has justice or not.”

Decoding the Divine: Hong Xiuquan’s Path to Revolution

Through Hong Rengan’s accounts, Hamberg pieced together the Taiping founder’s transformation:

1837 Vision Quest:
– A feverish Hong Xiuquan experiences 40 days of apocalyptic dreams
– Encounters a golden-bearded deity identifying as God
– Receives a sword to “slay demons” (later interpreted as Qing rulers)

1843 Revelation:
– Discovers Christian tract Good Words to Admonish the Age
– Reinterprets his visions through a Christian lens
– Begins destroying Confucian idols in his schoolhouse

1850 Mobilization:
– Exploits Hakka-local conflicts to build armed following
– Declares Heavenly Kingdom on January 11, 1851
– Leads 500,000-strong march toward Nanjing by 1853

Cross-Cultural Broker: Hamberg’s Pivotal Role

Recognizing the Taiping’s Christian elements, Hamberg:
1. Published The Visions of Hung-Siu-Tshuen (1854)
2. Equipped Hong Rengan with Bibles, maps, and scientific instruments
3. Attempted to link Western missionaries with Taiping leadership

Tragically, Hamberg died of dysentery at 35, just as Hong Rengan embarked for Nanjing. His legacy lived on through:
– The first Western documentation of Taiping theology
– Preserved accounts of Hong Xiuquan’s early movement
– Bridges between Eastern rebellion and Western observers

Aftermath: The Taiping’s Complicated Legacy

Hong Rengan eventually reached Nanjing in 1859, becoming the Taiping’s prime minister. His New Treatise on Aidful Administration incorporated Western governance ideas learned in Hong Kong—a remarkable fusion of:
– Protestant Christianity
– Chinese utopianism
– Modernizing reforms

Though the rebellion ultimately failed (1864), its impacts endured:
– 20-30 million deaths made it history’s bloodiest civil war
– Accelerated regional power shifts toward provincial leaders
– Inspired later Chinese revolutionaries including Sun Yat-sen

The unlikely intersection of a Swedish missionary and Hakka revolutionaries in disease-ridden Hong Kong thus shaped one of the 19th century’s most consequential uprisings—where cross-cultural misunderstanding and unexpected alliances altered China’s trajectory forever.