Small Swords Society (simplified Chinese: 小刀会; traditional Chinese: 小刀會; pinyin: Xiăo Dāo Huì) was a political and military organisation active in Shanghai, China and neighbouring areas during the Taiping Rebellion.
The organization was founded in the 1850s during the upheavals of the Taiping Rebellion. It was one of a number of rebel groups to arise during this period, either affiliated with or proclaiming support for the Taiping administration. The name ("Small Swords") refers to daggers used by warriors or martial artists in close combat. It is believed to be linked to triads. The society consisted mainly of natives from Guangdong and Fujian, including Li Shaoqing, Li Xianyun and Pan Yiguo, directors of some of the huiguan or native place associations of Shanghai.
In 1853, the Society occupied the walled (Chinese) city of Shanghai, and occupied most of the Chinese sections of the city. They did not, however, invade the foreign concessions. Large numbers of Chinese refugees from surrounding areas flooded into the foreign concessions in this period, dramatically increasing the population there and giving rise to the prevalent "Nongtang", "Lilong", or "Shikumen"-style housing which came to dominate Shanghai by the early 20th Century.
The Society's headquarters were in the Yuyuan Gardens of Shanghai, at the heart of the old city and today a popular tourist attraction and shopping district. There is a small museum displaying artefacts of the Society in the gardens.
Conflict broke out between the Fujian and Guangdong factions, over whether they should leave with the loot they had acquired. At first, the British and American authorities remained neutral, while the French supported the imperial government. However, some British and American sailors joined up with the Small Swords Society. When French troops were sent in to support Qing imperial troops, this caused the situation of whites fighting whites. The British and American authorities then declared the sailors' actions illegal and joined in support for the imperial armies.
Famous quotes containing the words small, swords and/or society:
“We must heap up a great pile of doing, for a small diameter of being.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
—Bible: Hebrew Isaiah, 2:4.
The words reappear in Micah 4:3, and the reverse injunction is made in Joel 3:10 (”Beat your plowshares into swords ...”)
“Every society consists of men in the process of developing from children into parents. To assure continuity of tradition, society must early prepare for parenthood in its children; and it must take care of the unavoidable remnants of infantility in its adults. This is a large order, especially since a society needs many beings who can follow, a few who can lead, and some who can do both, alternately or in different areas of life.”
—Erik H. Erikson (1904–1994)