In 1851, after long preparations, Hong Xiuquan led a large group of farmers to launch the Jintian Uprising, and 14 years of turmoil began in China. Everything has an effect and a cause, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is no exception. A massive movement will never happen just because the "longhairs" shouted a few slogans. After a long period of simmering social reality, coupled with Hong Xiuquan's incitement and incitement, finally arose this great turmoil that exhausted China's national power.

1. The outflow of a large amount of silver caused the devaluation of the currency

In the early 18th century, the opium trade had not yet developed to the point of raging. At that time, China exported to the West Tea, porcelain, silk and other commodities can be exchanged for large amounts of silver. A large amount of foreign exchange flows into China every year, ranging from 2 million taels to 3 million taels. Of course, the British would not let China get this advantage. At the end of Emperor Jiaqing's reign, China's opium smuggling began to increase year by year. By 1838, as many as 40,000 boxes of opium were flowing into China each year. Next came Lin Zexu's smoking ban and the Opium War that disgraced the Qing Dynasty. In fact, the 21 million yuan in compensation was not a big problem for the Qing Dynasty at that time. The most deadly thing was opium.

Since China no longer banned opium, the amount of opium entering China increased to 50,000 boxes per year after the war. This opium would take away more than 10 million taels of silver from China every year. In this way, the Qing Dynasty was gradually sucked dry by the great powers. The massive outflow of silver caused the depreciation of copper coins. In 1839, one tael of silver could be exchanged for 1,600 copper coins; but by 1850, one tael of silver could be exchanged for 200 copper coins. The imperial court collected taxes only in silver but not copper coins, and the farmers only had copper coins but no silver, so they had no choice but to exchange them. After this entry and exit, the farmers' burden increased by one-third. Zeng Guofan, who was later responsible for suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, once wrote in his diary: "In the past, when we sold rice for three bushels, we lost an acre of water and had more than enough; today we sell rice for six bushels, but we lost an acre of water and still have less than enough." Under such oppression, , it would be strange if the farmers did not resist.

2. Serious land annexation

In that era, farmers did not own much land, and most of the land was in the hands of large landlords. The folk songs of that year fully explained the problem: "Farmers have three knives on their backs, hard labor, heavy rice rent, and high interest rates." At that time, many farmers could only rent cultivated land from landlords, and farmers had to pay taxes stipulated by the court. They also had to pay the tenant rent stipulated by the landlord. In disaster years, farmers themselves do not have enough to eat and are simply unable to pay taxes and rent. In order to complete their collection tasks, local officials sent out government officials to pursue the collection. In response to this situation, Zeng Guofan also recorded: "Strong soldiers were out in all directions, chasing the enemy day and night, whipping the hall, and the blood and flesh were in a mess."

The landlords' methods were even more ruthless. When calculating compound profits, the final figure is several times the initial figure. There is a reason why the Taiping Rebellion happened in Guangxi. Guangxi has many mountains and little arable land, making it impossible for everyone to farm. In Jintian Village, the site of the Taiping Rebellion, there were 750 acres of cultivated land per village, of which 662 acres were occupied by landlords. Under such circumstances, the lives of farmers can be imagined. This situation is not just in Guangxi, it is almost the same in most areas of China, and some areas are even more serious.

3. Natural disasters continued, causing peasant riots

In the ten years after the Opium War, God did not help. Floods, droughts and locust plagues have occurred successively in China, and now the burden on farmers has become even heavier. Many farmers were overwhelmed and began to flee, becoming beggars and refugees. Some were bought as slaves to the Americas and Australia. In the eight years from 1842 to 1850, 110 peasant uprisings occurred within the Qing Dynasty, among which Guangxi was the most intense. In 1848, peasant uprisings broke out in more than half of the prefectures and counties in Guangxi. However, due to a lack of cooperation and fighting on their own, they were eventually suppressed and pacified by the Qing government. This also provided an example for Hong Xiuquan, who was currently active. He could not go it alone and needed to join forces.

There are profound reasons why Hong Xiuquan chose Guangxi. Hong Xiuquan first preached in Guangdong. However, after a long period of foreign exchanges, the people in Guangdong area were highly civilized. Hong Xiuquan's level as a mountain village teacher was not enough. In desperation, Hong Xiuquan went to Guangxi, because there were no open cities in this area, information was relatively closed, and people did not know much Western knowledge. Coupled with the serious conflicts in Guangxi, it is very suitable for incitement. In this way, Hong Xiuquan's organization grew bigger and bigger, and by the time it attracted the attention of the Qing court, it had become a powerful force that could not be left behind. On the premise that the Qing army was preparing for an encirclement and suppression, Hong Xiuquan launched an uprising in advance and began a wandering career.