"God's Chinese Son"

Analytical Essay # 61406

Asian Studies
English > Analysis
Literature > World

"God's Chinese Son"

A report on this book by J. Spense regarding the life story of the leader of the 19th Century Taiping Rebellion.

1,741 words () | 3 sources | APA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

J. Spence's book "God's Chinese Son" deals with the life of Hong Xiuquan, the leader of China's famous Taiping Rebellion of the nineteenth century. This report looks at Spence's portrait of Hong Xiuquan in terms of the author's background, the general topic of the Taiping Rebellion, the reasons for choosing this topic, the use of sources and, finally, conclusions about the book.

From the Paper:

"The topic also involves the Western imperialist in China and is seen to have had several motivations. First of all, there was the monetary consideration: a great amount of riches was seen to be there for the taking in China, and many rushed to claim it. It also affected the way in which they thought of adding glory to their own cultural and religious
assumptions: by establishing order and the expressed will of the Christian religion in these new areas, the settlers reflected what they believed to be divine law in the provided areas of settlement in China, and the Christian church gained in power and wealth. Conquest was seen as a religious task: the souls of the native inhabitants were seen to be at stake, and missionaries vied to provide religious conversion and instruction, often reaching societies before explorers."