Zhu Yigui
Zhu Yigui (Chinese: 朱一貴; pinyin: zhū yī guì; Taiwanese Hokkien: tsu it-kùi; 1689/90–1721) was the leader of a Taiwanese anti-Qing uprising in mid 1721.
He came from a peasant family of Zhangzhou Fujianese ancestry, he lived in the village of Lohanmen located in the area of today's district of Kaohsiung, there he worked raising ducks and was a respected member of the local community. In 1721 an earthquake wrought havoc to Lohanmen, even more the prefect of the island, Wang Zhen, not only kept collecting heavy taxes even among the impoverished people who lost their possessions with the earthquake.
Zhu Yigui was one of those who rose in rebellion and his good reputation among the locals gave him enough followers so that on 19 April he attacked and captured the city of Gangshan. Other rebel leaders acted on the island so that the Qing authorities were heavily pressured. Hakka, Fujianese and Taiwanese aborigines rallied in revolt against the Manchu authorities.
Zhu Yigui and Du Junying[1] combined their forces and launched an attack on Tainan, the administrative capital of the island, which felled almost without a fight. The Qing authorities retreated to Penghu. The rebel army continued its movement on the western coastal plains. On 1 May Zhu Yigui took the title of Zhongxing Wang (Reviving King) and the name Yong He (Enduring Peace), he also established an administration reminiscent of the Ming era.
His power started to weaken after disputes with Du Junying, disastrously this occurred at the same time that the Manchu government, organized an expedition against the rebels. The Imperial forces commanded by Shi Shipiao (施世驃; d. 1721 at the age of 55 sui) and Lan Tingzhen (藍廷珍; 1664–1730), landed on 16 June and on 28 June Zhu Yigui was captured and executed.[2]
References
- ↑ Another rebel commander and leader of the Hakka forces
- ↑ Davison, Gary Marvin (2003). A short history of Taiwan: the case for independence. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-98131-0. LCCN 2003046961. OCLC 52251428.