White Lotus Rebellion was a revolt against China’s ruling Qing dynasty from 1796 to 1804. The rebellion took place mainly in a mountainous region of central China shared by the Hubei, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces. By the late 1700’s, high rents, rapid population growth, economic changes, and environmental problems had created new pressures on peasants in the region. In addition, corrupt local officials imposed high taxes, adding to the peasants’ difficulties.
The White Lotus Rebellion spread as a protest against poor living conditions and oppression by corrupt local government officials. The “White Lotus Society” was the name Qing officials gave to a sectarian network of households that ordinarily did not oppose the dynasty. However, when local officials cracked down on the sect, word spread quickly through its communications network and prompted open revolt. White Lotus leaders inspired people by promising the coming of the Maitreya Buddha, the future Buddha, who would usher in a final age of prosperity on Earth as well as happiness in the next life.
At first, regional officials misjudged the strength of the rebellion. By 1800, large Qing forces, including regular troops and also hired militias, were hunting down the White Lotus rebels. The greatly outnumbered rebels used guerrilla tactics, including ambushes and other small-scale attacks, against the Qing forces. Unable to draw the White Lotus into large battles, Qing troops often punished civilians suspected of supporting the rebel cause. Thousands of people were massacred, and thousands of others were isolated in fortified villages. Qing troops rounded up the sectarian leaders early in the war, but fighting continued, sometimes among the Qing-armed militias. Qing troops eventually crushed the rebellion, which had devastated the countryside, drained the treasury, and cost the lives of some 100,000 rebels.
