"A battle, a monument and a Mythical Marine." Topic

Of possible interest.

"Hung Hsiu-ch'uan had failed his examination for a post in the Chinese
Imperial civil service. Today, in a Western nation, such a failure might
easily be shrugged off, but for Hung it meant disaster. Unable to work for
the Emperor, doomed to struggle through life as an impoverished Schoolmaster,
he suffered a nervous breakdown. During this illness visions appeared to him.
Interpreted in the light of some Christian tracts that he had been reading,
these dreams convinced Hung that he was destined to end paganism in China.
From his zealous preaching sprang the T'ai P'ing ("Heavenly Kingdom of Great
Peace") rebellion, a bloody religious war which would claim millions of
victims between 1848 and 1864.

As if rebellion were not enough, the Chinese Empire soon found itself at
odds with France and Britain. Opium was the cause of the conflict, as the
Chinese attempted to halt British traffic in the drug. From the head of the
house of Manchu to the lowliest peasant, every Chinese scorned the Westerners
and hated their "inferior" customs. Naturally there were numerous clashes
between Chinese and foreigners. Early in February 1856 a French missionary
was comdemned to death by a Chinese court, clearly a case of legalized murder…"

Whole article here.
link

Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand