White Lotus Rebellion

The White Lotus Rebellion (Chinese: 川楚白莲教起义; pinyin: Chuān chŭ bái lián jiào qǐ yì, 1794–1804) was a rebellion that occurred during the Qing Dynasty of China. It broke out in 1794, and was at full height in 1796, among impoverished settlers in the mountainous region that separates Sichuan province from Hubei and Shaanxi provinces.

It began as a tax protest led by the White Lotus Society, a secret religious society. The White Lotus Society first appeared during the 14th century under Mongol rule. The Red Turban Rebellion which took place in 1352, was led by the White Lotus group. By 1387, after more than thirty years of war, their leader, Zhu Yuanzhang had liberated all of China. Having attained the Mandate of Heaven and the status of Emperor, he took the title Hongwu and founded a new dynasty - the Ming. The group later reemerged in the late 18th century in the form of an inspired Chinese movement.

Members of the society were not ethnically different from Han Chinese, but subscribed to a belief based on a mixture of Taoism, Buddhism, and Manichaeism. The group forecast the advent of Maitreya, advocated restoration of the native Chinese Ming Dynasty, and promised personal salvation to its followers while promising the return of the Buddha. Although the rebellion was finally crushed by the Qing government in 1804, it marked a turning point in the history of the Qing dynasty. Qing control weakened and prosperity diminished by the 19th century.

The Rebellion is estimated to have caused the deaths of some 100,000 rebels.