Book/Printed Material Ying jie gui zhen 英傑歸真

Title

• Ying jie gui zhen

Other Title

• 英傑歸真

Translated Title

• Heroes Return to the Truth

Summary

• This 1861 work was published during the Taiping Rebellion, a vast political and religious revolt against the Qing dynasty of China that lasted for more than ten years. Very few books were produced in that period, thus publications from that era are rare. The chief author of this work was He Chunfa, minister of the bureau of punishments in the court of Gan Wang (Shield King), a title bestowed by Hong Xiuquan (1813--64), the Taiping leader, to Hong Rengan (1822--64), one of his cousins. In 1851, Hong Xiuquan established Taiping Tianguo (the Celestial Kingdom of Great Peace) in parts of China the Taipings controlled and took the title of Celestial King. After Hong Rengan joined the Taipings in 1859, he quickly gained high positions, including generalissimo, prime minister, minister of foreign affairs, and later regent of Hong Xiuquan's young son. In his youth, Hong Rengan was a schoolteacher and later learned Western culture and Christian teachings in Shanghai and in Hong Kong. He was the chief compiler of three books, one of which is this booklet, printed at his court. The work has its original cover and book label, on which the title is given: Qin ding ying jie gui zhen (Heroes return to the truth, issued by imperial order). The smaller characters on the right of the title page indicate that it was issued by the "Prime Minister and Generalissimo Shield King," and the four characters on the left read: "Issued by Imperial order." The smallest characters on the top of the page read: "Newly printed in the xinyou year [1861] of our Father, Brother and King of Celestial Kingdom of Great Peace." The work proclaims the revolutionary thought of the Taipings. Its purpose is clearly outlined in the preface: to call on heroes and prominent figures to believe in truth and to help the world. It was said that the authors, who were present when Hong Rengan gave audience to visitors, took careful notes of his bao xun (precious teachings) and put them in the book. It takes the form of a dialogue between Hong Rengan and a deserter from the Manchu camp, with Hong expounding upon various Taiping systems of etiquette and propriety and affirming that one must know that the motion of the celestial body is the order of nature. The book, in one juan, has very high research value.

Names

• He, Chunfa Author

Created / Published

• Nanjing : Ganwang Dian, [1861 to 1861]

Headings

• -  China--Jiangsu Province--Nanjing
• -  1861 to 1861
• -  Qing dynasty, 1644-1911
• -  Taiping Rebellion, 1850-1864

Notes

• -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
• -  Original resource extent: 1 volume.
• -  Original resource at: National Central Library.
• -  Content in Chinese.
• -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
• -  Title revised per Asian Division.--cc28 2023-01-06

Medium

• 1 online resource.

Source Collection

• World History

Digital Id

• https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.7087

Library of Congress Control Number

• 2021666321

Online Format

• compressed data
• pdf
• image

LCCN Permalink

• https://lccn.loc.gov/2021666321

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• MARCXML Record
• MODS Record
• Dublin Core Record

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