Hong Xiuquan’s 1837 and 1843 visions

Record summary

Hong Xiuquan reported visionary experiences during illness in 1837 and reinterpreted them after reading Christian missionary materials in 1843. He came to identify himself as the younger brother of Jesus and founded the Taiping movement, which established a large state during the civil war of 1851–1864. This is a major comparison point for visionary authority, scriptural reinterpretation, failed examination careers and revolutionary religion. The content is known primarily through autobiographical and movement sources, later testimony and hostile accounts, so chronology and psychological interpretation remain debated.