The Reconstruction,Commemoration And Narration Of Qing Government In Nanjing After The Taiping Rebellion

In the 1850s,the Taiping movement originated in Guangxi,and quickly swept over the most of China and finally settled in Nanjing.Before the occupation of the Taiping Rebellion,Nanjing and its surrounding areas were deeply infiltrated by the traditional culture of Jiangnan Area.The arrival of the Taiping army has brought profound changes to the city of Nanjing.On the one hand,the city’s appearance has been changed;on the other hand,the cruelty of the war has seriously affected the people’s psychology.The Han governor who rose during the war greatly expanded his power after the war.Meanwhile,the central government of the Qing dynasty also made great efforts to restore and rebuild.This paper focuses on the social reconstruction and management of the Qing government after the end of the Taiping Rebellion in Nanjing in 1864,and the traditional cultural order,spiritual commendation and commendation,official commemoration and folk narration,war summary and other related issues,and selects the Gao Detai family who witnessed the war in Nanjing as the case study.From the vast historical materials,this paper tries to find relevant information.At the same time,it tries to show the planning and construction of Nanjing reconstruction after the Taiping Rebellion in a comprehensive way,and touches on the details such as folk memorial and literati writing in this grand scene.This paper selects the Gao’s family in Nanjing as the case study to conducting the analysis of individuals and families during the Taiping rebellion and changes.The representative gentry’ families in Nanjing are not uncommon.This paper chose the Gao’s family,which was less involved in the predecessors,largely because Gao Detai compiled unique writing materials after the war.Before the Taiping Rebellion,Gao was engaged in weaving in the Nanjing area and had extensive contact with local gentry.After the Taiping army seized the city of Nanjing,Gao’s family has committed suicide,his teachers and friends also more victims.After Gao Detai survived,he was displaced from the surrounding area as an "Refugee" and struggled to return to his hometown after the war.To commemorate the passing of friends and relatives,Gao Detai run many efforts.At the same time,he took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility and collecting local victims,and worked tirelessly to complete a number of works,providing detailed primary data for the war narrative and records in Nanjing after the Taiping Rebellion.Through the analysis and research,this paper argues that after the Taiping Rebellion,the reconstruction work of Nanjing area and even the whole Jiangnan society has been carried out rapidly and effectively,and has achieved certain results.For example,urban buildings,public facilities,infrastructure,etc.,the traditional cultural order has been partially restored,and the officials have given appropriate praise to the war dead.At the same time the survivors have been allowed to express their memory and reflection through specific ways.However,under the undercurrent surging,the war was brought about by the dynastic instability and people floating.After the 1860s,the Qing dynasty faced increasingly serious foreign troubles.After the Second Opium War,the great powers came,and the war between China and France soon broke out.In China,the rising governor of the Han in the Taiping Rebellion has gradually produced the centrifugal force to the Qing dynasty.Although Zeng Guofan and other people are still pursuing the situation of "the Tung-china Restoration",in fact,the crisis of the Qing dynasty has become increasingly serious.The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom undoubtedly caused a fatal blow to it and greatly accelerated the process of the disintegration of the Qing dynasty.On this level,the Taiping Rebellion has the positive significance.The investigation of historical events and historical figures requires comprehensive consideration in a specific historical background,which is not limited to simple judgment of which is right or wrong,and could be closer to the truth of history by using objective and rational research positions.