Battle for the Heavenly Kingdom:

Taiping Rebellion Interactive Role Play Simulation

Overview

Explore the Taiping Rebellion through an interactive classroom simulation. Students take on historical roles, navigate civil war decisions, manage ideology, and confront unintended consequences in this immersive history game.

READ: Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom – Dramatic Outline of the Taiping Rebellion

READ: TAIPING REBELLION SIMULATION — STUDENT GUIDE

FILM ASSIGNMENT: The Warlords Film Response

ASSIGNMENT: Historical Role Report

Simulation Score Tracker: Taiping_Student_Campaign_Tracker_Fillable.pdf

Historical Roles

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Download the Role Descriptions for this faction HERE

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom represents a revolutionary movement that blends religious belief, social reform, and military rebellion. Inspired by the visions of Hong Xiuquan, the Taiping seek to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and create a radically new society based on equality, moral purity, and divine authority. In the simulation, Taiping players must balance faith and practicality—expanding their influence, maintaining belief among civilians, and surviving internal power struggles while facing overwhelming military pressure. Their success depends not just on winning battles, but on convincing the population that Heaven itself is on their side.

Hong Xiuquan - Leader of the Heavenly Kingdom

Yang Xiuqing - Second-in-Command of the Rebels

Hong Rengan - Cousin to Hong Xiuquan and key strategist

Shi Dakai - Rebel General

Hong Xuanjiao - Prominent Female Rebel Leader

Li Xiucheng - Rebel Military Commander

Fu Shanxiang - Female Chancelloress of the Taiping Court

Chen Feng - Peasant Foot Soldier for the Taiping

Qing Dynasty

Download the Role Descriptions for this faction HERE

The Qing Dynasty represents the ruling imperial government fighting to preserve order, legitimacy, and survival in the face of unprecedented rebellion. Qing players must respond to the Taiping threat while managing corruption, military reform, foreign interference, and civilian unrest. In the role play, the Qing are not simply villains or defenders of tradition—they are a regime under existential pressure, forced to choose between reform and repression. Their challenge is to crush the rebellion without destroying the very authority and stability they claim to protect.

Empress Dowager Cixi - Matriarch of the Qing Court

Prince Gong (Yixin) - Younger Brother to the Emperor

Zeng Guofan - Loyalist General

Li Hongzhang - Loyalist General

Zuo Zongtang - Loyalist General

General Arigun (Manchu Bannerman Commander) - Imperial Army Commander

Governor Wei Jiyun - Provincial Governor

Minister Zhang Weilin - Imperial Court Leader

Foreign Powers

Download the Role Descriptions for this faction HERE

The Foreign Powers faction represents Western nations with economic, religious, and political interests in China during the mid-19th century. These players are not fighting for China’s future directly, but they shape it through trade, diplomacy, military intervention, and moral pressure. In the simulation, Foreign Powers must decide when to intervene, whom to support, and how deeply to entangle themselves in a civil war that could either stabilize or shatter their access to China. Their actions can tip the balance of power while raising questions about imperialism, influence, and unintended consequences.

Sir Arthur Pembroke – British Envoy to China

Captain Henri Dupont – French Military Advisor

Rev. Emily Parker – American Missionary Teacher

Col. Frederick Townsend Ward – Mercenary Leader (Ever-Victorious Army)

Charles Muller – Opportunistic Foreign Merchant

Captain Alexander Smith – Foreign Volunteer with Taiping (Fictional)

Thomas Greene – British War Correspondent

Peasants and Civilians

Download the Role Descriptions for this faction HERE

The Civilians faction represents the millions of peasants, scholars, merchants, refugees, and local leaders caught between competing armies and ideologies. They do not command empires, but they determine legitimacy, loyalty, and survival on the ground. In the role play, civilian players must make difficult choices about allegiance, resistance, cooperation, or flight—often prioritizing survival over belief. Their support or rejection can strengthen or undermine every other faction, making them one of the most powerful forces in the simulation despite having the least formal authority.

Lin Ziyang – Confucian Scholar-Gentry

Zhang Wei – Landless Peasant Sympathizer

Li Mei – War Refugee Mother

“Madam Black Tiger” – Bandit Queen

Chen Ming – Father Caught Between Two Sons

Wang Bo – Opportunistic Local Merchant

Dr. Huang Zhong – Village Healer