In 1864, the fall of Nanking ended the bloodiest civil war in human history
The fall of Nanking in 1864 marked the end of the Taiping Rebellion, a massive civil war that claimed at least 20 million lives and reshaped imperial China.
On July 19, 1864, the Qing dynasty's forces finally breached the walls of Nanking, the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. This victory effectively ended a fourteen-year conflict led by Hong Xiuquan, who believed he was the brother of Jesus Christ. The rebellion remains the bloodiest civil war in recorded human history.
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