White Lotus Rebellion Begins

1796

In the mountainous border of Hubei, Sichuan, and Shaanxi, Buddhist-millenarian peasants rose against Qing corruption and taxation. The rebellion would take nine years and bankrupt the treasury to suppress. The dynasty's military weakness, once hidden by bannermen's reputation, was starting to show through the silk. Local militia organized by gentry, not imperial troops, eventually put down the revolt, signaling a dangerous shift of power away from Beijing.