Feng Yunshan

Who was Feng Yunshan?

Feng Yunshan was an important leader during the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing government. Feng was a companion of Hong Xiuquan from the very earliest days of the rebellion. Feng was the founder of the "God Worshipers" during the 1840s. This was the very first form the Taiping Rebellion took. He was one of the first Taipings to be baptised and Hong publicly announced how Feng was a deep friend of his.

Feng assembled thousands of believers in Guangxi during the time Hong spent in Canton in 1847, founding the base of the Taiping Rebellion. Feng was later announced as the "South King" of the Taiping Rebellion.

On May 24, 1852 as the Taiping marched by Quanzhou with no intention of invading, a Qing gunner fatally wounded Feng as he sat in his sedan chair. Rallied by the news, the Taiping surrounded Quanzhou and in the space of 2 days breached the walls and killed every citizen who had not fled. Feng finally succumbed to his wounds in June that year.