| 摘要: | 太平天國(1850-1864)從廣西金田起義開始，在洪秀全「拜上帝會」的號召之下，這個政教合一的政權，便聲勢浩大，勢如破竹，撼動整個大清王朝，對於已經處於內憂外患病入膏肓的清帝國而言，更是雪上加霜。而在太平軍在起義的過程中所控制的地區，恰好是在中國經濟最富庶與文化蘊藏最深厚、最重要的江南。而江南地區繼承自唐、宋以來所形成的文化精隨，卻在十九世紀遭受到一場慘烈內戰的破壞，導致生靈塗炭，滿目蒼痍，風華滅絕的境地。
江南大城南京自古風光明媚，然而前有太平天國佔領之後的文化摧毀，後有湘軍的屠城導致屍骨遍地，頓時之間成為一座座殘破不堪之空城。「上有天堂，下有蘇杭」這句諺語，便是代表蘇州與杭州地區自古以來富庶的象徵，同時蘇州、杭州也是自宋代以來中國文化最具代表性的地區，自忠王李秀成率領大軍前來征戰之後，與清軍在此地的反覆廝殺，使得這裡往日的風華，漸漸失去了光環，城市破壞殆盡，百姓流離失所，苦不堪言。除了百姓平民的傷亡外，文化上的破壞、人才的損失，才是無形中最大的損失，這種損失並非一朝一夕可以回復也難用金錢來彌補，影響甚大。
對於太平天國的研究成果已甚豐碩，但此內戰對中國最富庶地區的破壞，對人民造成的苦難，尚未較為完整的論述，故本文的主旨，即著墨於此。
;The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) led by Hong Xiuquan is perhaps the worst civil war in human history. It started from Jintian in Guangxi province, marched to the central Yangzi valley, and captured Nanjing together with the entire Yangzi Delta region, known as Jiangnan. The region had been economically most prosperous and culturally most advanced at least since the Song dynasty in the tenth century. In particular, Suzhou and Hangzhou were compared to “paradise on earth “ After many years of seesaw battles between Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King of the Taiping and the government forces, however, the once rich region laid in ruin: huge lives and countless properties were lost so much so that both cities and villages had virtually become ghost towns. Nanjing(Nanking), where Taipei set up its headquarters, had been the famous southern capital since ancient time. When it fell into the hands of the government forces, a terrible massacre took place, dead bodies reportedly found everywhere in streets, Following the conclusion of the war, the devastated Jiangnan was completed, even much of the cultural heritage was wiped out.
Instead of looking into the ideas, institution, and the nature of the war, my thesis will focus on the destruction and sufferings of the fourteen-year long civil war in mid-nineteenth century China. I try to show how the war dispossessed millions of people and left them dead or forced to be refugees and turned the rich and beautiful Jiangnan into a waste land. As Shi Dakai, the Taiping`s Wing king, noted in his celebrated poem that he could hear the cry out lound from the suffering people everywhere in southeast China. |
