Shih Ta-Kai

Shih Ta-K’ai

 

Born 1830; died June 25, 1863. One of the principal leaders of the Taiping rebellion in China.

The son of a prosperous peasant, Shih commanded the advance forces of the Taipings during their march on Nanking in 1853. He headed the Taiping government from November 1856 to October 1857, when he split from the Taiping movement and began operating on his own in the southwestern provinces. During a march into Szechwan, Shih’s forces were routed by government troops in June 1863, and Shih was executed.