I specifically wanted to see the Tai Ping museum in Nanjing, because it highlights one of the classic worsts in the history of the world. A Chinese guy Hong Xiu Quan in 1860s or so got it into his head that he was Jesus’ little brother. Yes that Jesus. He managed to persuade a large band of crackpots that rather than being batshit crazy, he really was J’s bro, and to cut a long story short, 20 million people died. The Taipings took Nanjing as their capital. The Tai Ping rebellion lasted about 11 years until the Qing government with the aid of foreign luminaries such as Elgin, Perry (of opening up Japan like a drunken clam fame) Gordon (of killed by the fuzzy wuzzies fame) and many more more slaughterised their way to victory. You can well imagine how outre it would have been for the foreign devils to receive bibles corrected with Hong added as a main character. Funny thing is, the Taiping Bible, complete with beatings of Confucious in heaven (aided by Jesus’ wife no less) is no less plausible than the current Bible. Slightly more convincing I think. I kinda thought the frieze was remeniscent of the TWOP crew. Sorry if I have left you out of the frieze labelling. Woman were treated in a fairly equal fashion in Taiping society, being soldiers and cetera with the men, but they have slipped a little into the background in this artwork. Click for larger version.

An earlier incarnation of The Lazy Aussie








There was also a sign outside the museum saying that drunkards and those with mental illness were not allowed to enter.
but they let you in anyway?
why are you stroking his cassock?
Why is skink’s hand up my bottom??
Skink also appears to be adjusting his STs with his other hand.
As you can see from my face I can see exactly what Skink is up to re your bottom – either that or he is standing on my dress
Am I scratching my arse with my sword?
What do you think.
Looks more like Ming the Merciless…
is that water on the right of the frieze?
is that the Tai Ping Pool ?
thank-you, I’m here all week. Try the fish, it’s good enough for Jehovah.
Yes it is water, but river. They did a lot of their attacking from boats, and attacked both Wuhan and Nanjing from the yangtze.
I like the fact I appear to questioning whether I really want to be there.
Notorious and suspicious?
Behind every Cookster there stands a great Shazza…
Yep Cookster, I’ll watch your back as I bravely run away.
Is Poor Lisa riding my cannon?
Where’s the pencil in DFOC’s mouth?
Is Frank saying, ‘don’t worry about the marauding hoardes, this cannon ball’s got Barnett’s name written all over it’.
Those are swords we’re holding, aren’t they, (apart from Cookster, naturally) ?
p.s. It’s an amazing story, TLA, (albeit not for the 20 million poor buggers, of course), and it’s indeed intriguing to consider what might so easily have been.
p.p.s. As I’ve mentioned before, Jesus is of course actually alive and well, and buried here in Shingo, where he’s still quite the tourist attraction. As everybody knows, “when He was 21 years old, Jesus Christ (イエスキリスト) came to Japan and studied theology for 12 years. He came back to Judea at the age of 33 in order to preach, but people there rejected His teachings and arrested Him to crucify Him. However, it was His little brother Jsus Chri (イスキリ) who took His place and ended his life on the cross. Jesus Christ, having escaped crucifixion, resumed His travels and finally came back to Japan, where He settled in this village, Herai, and lived till the age of 106.”
As far as I know, nobody was killed as a result of all this other than his little brother, unless the Dracula Icecream is poisonous. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get my bonce into this picture too.
Taiping in Nanjing
Ended by Gordons “F” word
Chow Mein and pudding.
Hey boy of teh forks. Where you been?
A salient and
Salacious haiku, so I
Salute you FB.
happy bunch of vegemites….
I seem to have neither sword nor trident let alone my own canon..alas, alack.
You’ll have a sword. You have to use it to protect your back door by the look of everyone else.
Cookster appears to be using his sword to slice off his own buttocks – thus rendering them unprotected
Apologies: it is Rolly who is surgically removing buttocks. Cookster is sitting on his and thus keeping himself nice.
alternatively, are we just insuring you can flee from us…..
I think it’s a sexpo thing, Cimbali. Auto-arse-fix-iation, or somesuch.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Try the rump steak.
“Nanjing: Give us a fucking break, please.”
i don’t know what that means
Just that Nanjing has a fairly not-that-great history. I’m not terribly witty most of the time :P
[...] Willagee, but a big one. Alan Carpenter. What kind of moral uplifting goes on behind here. Sounds suspiciously Taiping to me. Reminds me of the drive through Buddhist [...]