#夏日生活打卡季#
At the end of the 19th century, during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty in China, an important historical event occurred - the Tongzhi Rebellion. This turmoil is not only about the struggle for political power, but also about the conflict of religious beliefs.
The Tongzhi-Shaanxi-Gansu Rebellion was a large-scale Hui upheaval in Shaanxi Province and Gansu Province in the Qing Dynasty from 1862 to 1873. Beginning with the Shaanxi-Gansu Hui and Zhehe Ninja Sufi Gate Incidents, it was mainly characterized by mutual mass killings between the Hui, Han and other ethnic groups, the transfer of property, the Hui uprising, and the subsequent suppression of the Hui army by the Qing army against the Hui army who refused to return. From 1862, Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, began to quell the chaos from October 1868 in Xi'an, until the end of the Suzhou Campaign in September 1873, which took five years to quell the chaos. The war also affected Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia.
Zuo Zongtang calmed the chaotic route
Due to massacres, famine, corpses infected with diseases, and fleeing famine, Gansu's population in 1861 before the war was 19.459 million, and in 1880, the population was 14.555 million (74.5%) less; Shaanxi's pre-war population was 13.94 million in 1861, and in 1880 the population was 6.22 million (45%) less (another is 7.1 million less, or 48%).
During the period of the Tongzhi Rebellion, China faced internal and external troubles and social turmoil. The rule of the Qing government gradually lost popular support, national strength declined, foreign powers invaded, the people's lives were difficult, and social contradictions were sharp. In this context, the Islamic faith has become an important factor in the outbreak of unrest.
Flag of Islam
Islam, as a foreign religion, is in conflict with traditional Chinese culture. Islamic values, ritual practices, and religious laws differ from traditional Chinese concepts and institutions, which leads to friction and conflict between the two. The Hui Army, one of the main forces of the Tongzhi Rebellion, was a peasant rebel army that believed in Islam. Ma Xingui, the leader of the Hui Army, claimed to be the savior of Islam and vowed to restore Islamic dominance in China. Ma Xingui's religious incitement aroused the enthusiasm of Hui Army soldiers and attracted a large number of Hui to join the rebellion.
Hui
Hui
In the first month of 1863, the Hui army captured Guyuan City, and "more than 200,000 officials, people, men and women died in the city." In August 1863, the Hui army captured the city of Pingliangfu, and "more than 100 officials died and hundreds of thousands of people died." In October 1863, the Hui army slaughtered the city in Fucheng, Ningxia, and "more than 100,000 Han people" were slaughtered" (in fact, it can be seen from here that the root cause of the Hui riot was not because of dissatisfaction with the Qing court, otherwise it would be enough to kill officials and soldiers?). Why slaughter all the non-believers in the city, more from their deep hatred of infidels, if you understand the specific content of Yijiao, I believe you will understand better). In the same month, Ma Hualong's Hui army attacked Lingzhou City, and some Hui people in the city responded by capturing Lingzhou City, "slaughtering more than 20,000 people." In the same year, Gongchang Prefecture "had more than 2,000 Hui people in the city, all of whom were killed by the Han people." In February 1864, the Hui army captured Weiyuan County, "slaughtering tens of thousands of poisonous creatures, and all the officials in the city died"...
Ma Hualong
At the same time, China's Islamic community faces factional rivalry within it. There are conflicts of interest and power struggles between different factions, which have led to conflicts of faith and armed conflict. These conflicts have not only caused local instability, but also had a serious impact on the entire social order.
The Tongzhi Rebellion brought serious challenges to the Qing government's rule. The government's inability to respond in the Islamic conflict has led to a loss of its prestige and serious chaos in the governance of the country. This laid the foundation for later political change.
The turmoil also attracted the intervention of foreign powers, who took advantage of the internal strife of the Qing government to exacerbate the division of China and expand their power in China. By interfering in and manipulating religious conflicts, Britain, France, and Russia sought to gain benefits in the Islamic regions of China, further weakening the authority of the Qing government. The intervention of these external forces has exacerbated the complexity and crisis of the Tongzhi chaos.
Religious conflicts led to the collapse of social order in northwest China. Conflicts and turmoil everywhere have left the people living in chaos and fear, and peasant uprisings and popular protests have occurred frequently. These rebellions reflected popular dissatisfaction with the Qing government and protests against the bitterness of the conflict.
During this period, some intellectuals and social elites began to reflect on the shortcomings of the traditional system and actively explore ways of political reform. They advocate the ideas of democracy, the rule of law and social equality, and hope to solve the problems facing the country and society through reform. This trend of reform laid the ideological foundation for China's later changes.
The lessons of this historic event are far-reaching, revealing the important role of religious factors in social unrest and political change. History tells us that peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and equal dialogue among different religious beliefs are important foundations for maintaining social stability and national development.
In order to avoid similar upheavals from happening again, we should learn from the rebellion and take a series of measures to promote religious harmony and social stability:
First, strengthen religious education and religious and cultural exchanges, and enhance the public's understanding and respect for different religious beliefs. Through promoting religious education, cultivate citizens' awareness of religious tolerance and cultural diversity, and promote harmonious coexistence among different religious beliefs. However, this may be feasible in other religions, but considering that Yi religion is a very exclusive religion, it is also very difficult to do, and even almost impossible from a pessimistic point of view
Second, establish and improve the religious management system, and strengthen the supervision and management of religious organizations. The government should ensure the legitimacy and transparency of religious organizations, strengthen guidance and guidance for religious activities, and prevent the breeding of extremist ideas and radical behavior. This is practicable, and you can refer to Xinjiang.
At the same time, we attach importance to social equity and economic development, narrow the gap between the rich and the poor in society, and provide better living conditions and opportunities for the people. Economic prosperity and social stability are important solutions to religious conflicts, and by improving people's livelihood and promoting social justice, social conflicts and dissatisfaction can be reduced, thereby reducing the possibility of religious conflicts. This applies to almost anyone or teach.
Finally, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, and promote multi-religious cultural exchanges and dialogue. Through the exchange of experience with other countries and regions, we will learn from the successful experiences and lessons of various countries in dealing with religious issues, strengthen the cooperation and support of the international community, and jointly maintain global peace and stability.
Most importantly, we should not forget this history, after all, it is a history that even surpasses the Japanese invasion of China in terms of the number of deaths, and it should be in history textbooks!