Imperial Chinese troops putting the Taiping rebels to flight. painting; 19th century. The Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864) was perhaps the bloodiest civil war in human history, a clash between the forces of the Qing Empire in China and those inspired by a Hakka self-proclaimed mystic named Hong Xiuquan, a Christian convert who had declared himself the new Messiah and younger brother of Jesus Christ. He and his followers established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (also "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace") and attained control of significant parts of southern China.