[MICHAEL, Franz (ed), (1971), The Taiping Rebellion. History and Documents, Seattle: University of Washington Press]

THE TAIPING PLAN FOR REORGANIZING CHINESE SOCIETY
(From The Land System of the Heavenly Dynasty, 1853]

Every army must have attached to it two persons in charge of land division, two in charge of law, two in charge of money and grain, two in charge of receipts, and two in charge of disbursement; in each case one is the chief and one the assistant, which positions are held by a colonel and a captain respectively, concurrently with their regular position. Those who are in office shall administer the affairs, while those who are not in office shall also assist. In each army, with regard to all births, deaths, promotions, demotions, and other such matters, the corps general shall report to the corps superintendent, the corps superintendent shall report to the royally-appointed corps commandant, the royally-appointed corps commandant shall next report to the general, then to the imperial guard, the commander, the senior secretary, and the chancellor. The chancellor shall report to the chief of staff, and the chief of staff shall report to the Tian Wang. When the Tian Wang hands down his edict, the chief of staff will respectfully carry it out.

Those meritorious officials of the original following shall through successive generations enjoy heavenly emoluments; as for those who have since joined the cause, under each army every family shall provide for one man to serve as a private. In case of alarm, the headman shall lead them as soldiers to fight the enemy and capture the bandits. In peacetime the headman shall supervise them as farmers in cultivating the fields and offering up the produce to the superiors.

All fields are to be divided into nine grades: every mou of land, which during the two seasons, both early and late [i.e., a two-crop harvest], can produce 1,200 catties [of grain] shall be ranked as a superior field of the first class; every mou that produces 1,100 catties as a superior field of the second class; and every mou that produces 1,000 catties as a superior field of the third class. Every mou that produces 900 catties shall be considered as a medium field of the first class; every mou that produces 800 catties as a medium field of the second class; and every mou that produces 700 catties as a medium field of the third class. Every mou that produces 600 catties shall be considered as an inferior field of the first class; every mou that produces 500 catties as an inferior field of the second class; and every mou that produces 400 catties as an inferior field of the third class. One mou of superior field of the first class shall be considered equal to a mou and one-tenth of a superior field of the second class, and to a mou and two-tenths of a superior field of the third class; also to a mou and three-and-a-half jenths of a medium field of the first class, to a mou and five-tenths of a medium field of the second class, and to a mou and seven-and-a-half tenths of a medium field of the third class; also to two mou of an inferior field of the first class, to two mou and four-tenths of an inferior field of the second class, and to three mou of an inferior field of the third class.

The division of land must be according to the number of individuals, whether male or female; calculating upon the number of individuals in a household, if they be numerous, then the amount of land will be larger, and if few smaller; and it shall be a mixture of the nine classes. If there are six persons in a family, then for three there shall be good land and for three poorer land, and of good and poor each shall have half. All the fields in the empire are to be cultivated by all the people alike. If the land is deficient in one place, then the people must be removed to another, and if the land is deficient in another, then the people must be removed to this place. All the fields throughout the empire, whether of abundant or deficient harvest, shall be taken as a whole; if this place is deficient, then the harvest of that abundant place must be removed to relieve it, and if that place is deficient, then the harvest of this abundant place must be removed in order to relieve the deficient place; thus, all the people in the empire may together enjoy the abundant happiness of the Heavenly Father, Supreme Lord and Great God. There being fields, let all cultivate them; there being food, let all eat; there being clothes, let all be dressed; there being money, let all use it, so that nowhere does inequality exist, and no man is not well fed and clothed.

All men and women, every individual of sixteen years and upwards, shall receive land, twice as much as those of fifteen years of age and under. Thus, those sixteen years of age and above shall receive a mou of superior land of the first class, and those of fifteen years and under shall receive half that amount, five-tenths of a mou of superior land of the first class; again, if those of sixteen years and above receive three mou of inferior land of the third class, then those of fifteen years and below shall receive half that amount, one and one-half mou of inferior land of the third class.

Throughout the empire the mulberry tree is to be planted close to every wall, so that all women may engage in rearing silkworms, spinning the silk, and making garments. Throughout the empire every family should keep five hens and two sows, which must not be allowed to miss their proper season. At the time of the harvest, every sergeant shall direct the corporals to see to it that of the twenty-five families under his charge each individual has a sufficient supply of food, and aside from the new grain each may receive, the remainder must be deposited in the public granary. Of wheat, pulse, hemp, flax, cloth, silk, fowls, dogs, etc., and money, the same is true; for the whole empire is the universal family of our Heavenly Father, the Supreme Lord and Great God. When all the people in the empire will not take anything as their own but submit all things to the Supreme Lord, then the Lord will make use of them, and in the universal family of the empire, every place will be equal and every individual well fed and clothed. This is the intent of our Heavenly Father, the Supreme Lord and Great God, in specially commanding the true Sovereign of T’al-p’ing to save the world.

However, the sergeant must keep an account of money and grain figures in a record book, which he must present to those in charge of money and grain, and those in charge bf receipts and disbursements. For every twenty-five families there must be established one public granary, and one church where the sergeant must reside. Whenever there are marriages, or births, or funerals, all may go to the public granary; but a limit must be observed, and not a cash be used beyond what is necessary. Thus, every family which celebrates a marriage or a birth will be given one thousand cash and a hundred catties of grain. This one rule is applicable throughout the empire. In the use of all things let there be economy, to provide against war and famine. As for marriages in the empire, wealth should not be a consideration.

In every circle of twenty-five families, the work of the potter, the blacksmith, the carpenter, the mason, and other artisans must all be performed by the corporal and privates; when free from husbandry they are to attend to these matters. Every sergeant, in superintending marriages and funeral events in the twenty-five families, should in every case offer a eucharistic sacrifice to our Heavenly Father, the Supreme Lord and Great God; all corrupt ceremonies of former times are abolished.

In every circle of twenty-five families, all young boys must go to church every day, where the sergeant is to teach them to read the Old Testament and the New Testament, as well as the book of proclamations of the true ordained Sovereign. Every Sabbath the corporals must lead the men and women to the church, where the males and females are to sit in separate rows. There they will listen to sermons, sing praises, and offer sacrifices to our Heavenly Father, the Supreme Lord and Great God.

In every circle of twenty-five families, the diligent husbandmen will be rewarded and the idle husbandmen punished; should disputes arise among the families, both parties must go to the sergeant. The sergeant will hear the case; if it is not settled, the sergeant must bring both parties before the lieutenant. The lieutenant will hear the case; if it is not settled, the lieutenant will report the case successively to the captain, the colonel, the provost marshal, and the corps general. The corps general, in consultation with the provost marshal, must try to decide the case. Having come to a decision, the corps general must send up a report of the case to the corps superintendent, the corps superintendent must next report it to the corps commandant, the general, the imperial guard, the commander, the senior secretary, and the chancellor. The chancellor must report to the chief of staff, and the chief of staff must memorialize the Tian Wang. The Tian Wang will then issue an edict instructing the chief of staff, the chancellor, the senior secretary, the provost marshal, and others, to examine the case carefully; and if there is no discrepancy, then the chief of staff, the chancellor, the senior secretary, the provost marshal, and others shall report the case directly to the Tian Wang for his final decision. The Tian Wang will then issue an edict giving his verdict; and whether it be for life or for death, for giving or for taking, the chief of staff shall, in obedience to the edict, carry out the judgment.

Among all officials and subjects throughout the empire, those who universally keep and obey the Ten Commandments of Heaven and who obey orders and faithfully serve the state shall thus be considered loyal subjects, and shall be raised from a low to a high station, their descendants inheriting their official title. Those officials who break the Ten Commandments of Heaven, disobey orders, receive bribes, or engage in corrupt practices shall thus be considered traitors, and shall be degraded from a high to a low station and reduced to mere husbandry. Those subjects who obey the Commandments and orders and exert themselves in husbandry shall be considered honest and faithful, and either elevated or rewarded; but those subjects who disobey the Commandments and orders and neglect the duties of husbandry shall be considered as evil and vicious, to be either put to death or punished.

Throughout the empire there shall be annual recommendations to fill the various official vacancies; if those recommended prove satisfactory, the recommenders shall receive rewards, but if the recommended prove unsatisfactory, the recommenders shall receive punishment. As for those privates and subjects who obey the Commandments and orders and are diligent in husbandry, the sergeant shall enumerate their virtues, record their names and surnames together with his own name and surname as the recommender, and present it to the lieutenant; the lieutenant, having examined the individual within his jurisdiction of 100 familles and found the accounts correct, shall report the man, together with the name of his recommender, to the captain; the captain shall carefully examine the individual within his jurisdiction of 500 families, and if he finds the accounts correct, he shall report the man, together with the name of his recommender, to the colonel; the colonel shall examine the individual within his jurisdiction of 2,500 families, and if he finds the account correct, he shall report the man, together with the name of his recommender, to the corps general; the corps general shall examine the individual within his jurisdiction of the army, and if he finds the account correct, he shall report the man, together with the name of his recommender, to the corps superintendent; the corps superintendent shall next report to the corps commandant, the corps commandant shall next report to the general, the imperial guard, the commander, the senior secretary, and the chancellor; the chancellor shall then report to the chief of staff and the chief of staff shall report to the Tian Wang; the Tian Wang will then issue an edict transferring and selecting persons from the various armies throughout the empire who are recommended to serve under such and such a flag, as colonel, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, or corporal. Should any persons improperly recommend others, they shall be reduced to husbandmen.

All the various officials throughout the empire shall be promoted or demoted once every three years, in order to display the justice of the Heavenly Court. All those who improperly recommend others, as well as those who improperly accuse others, shall be reduced to husbandmen. When the year for promotion or demotion arrives, every headman shall recommend promotion or demotion for those under his command. Each lieutenant shall carefully examine the sergeants and the corporals under his command; if such and such a person indeed has a virtuous record, then record his virtuous acts, and if such and such a person indeed has a bad record, then record his bad deeds. He shall record the name of the individual, together with his own name as the person recommending promotion or demotion, and send both to the corps general. If it appears that a person can neither be recommended for promotion nor demotion, then retain him in his position and do not report it. Each captain shall also carefully examine the lieutenants, sergeants, and corporals under his command; and if such and such a person indeed has a virtuous record, then record his virtuous acts, and if such and such a person indeed has a bad record, then record his bad deeds. He shall report the name of the individual, together with his own name as the person recommending promotion or demotion, and send both up to the colonel. Each colonel shall carefully examine the captains and subordinate officers under his command; and if such and such a person indeed has a virtuous record, then record his virtuous acts, and if such and such a person indeed has a bad record, then record his bad deeds. He shall record the name of the individual, together with his own name as the person recommending promotion or demotion, and send both to the corps general. The corps general shall submit the names of those recommended for promotion or demotion by the colonels and subordinate officers, together with the names of those officers he himself has recommended for promotion or demotion, to the corps superintendent. The corps superintendent shall carefully examine those corps generals under his command; and if such and such a person indeed has a virtuous record, then record his virtuous acts, and if such and such a person indeed has a bad record, then record his bad deeds. He shall record the name of the individual, together with his own name as the person recommending promotion or demotion, and send both up to the royally appointed corps commandant. The royally appointed corps commandant shall carefully examine those corps superintendents under his command; and if such and such a person indeed has a virtuous record, then record his virtuous acts, and if such and such a person indeed has a bad record, then record his bad deeds. He shall record the name of the individual and his own name as the person recommending promotion or demotion and submit them together to the comptroller general and the commanding general. The comptroller general and the commanding general shall submit them to the commandants of the six boards and the chief of staff. The chief of staff shall directly report to the Tian Wang for his final decision. The Tian Wang will thereupon issue an edict on his final decisions, promoting the various corps superintendents who have been recommended for promotion by the various royally appointed corps commandants to either royally appointed corps commandants or imperial guards, and demoting the various corps superintendents who have been recommended for demotion by the various royally appointed corps commandants to either corps generals or colonels; promoting the various corps generals who have been recommended by the various corps superintendents to either corps superintendents or imperial guards, and demoting the various corps generals who have been recommended for demotion by the various corps superintendents to either colonels, captains, or lieutenants; promoting the various officers who have been recommended for promotion by the various corps generals to either one or two grades higher, or to corps generals, and demoting the various officers who have been recommended for demotion by the various corps generals to either one or two grades lower, or to husbandmen. When the Tian Wang issues an edict, the chief of staff shall proclaim it to the Lieh Wangs, and the Lieh Wangs shall proclaim it to the commandants and subordinate officials, who shall put it into execution instruct the people, examine whether they obey the Commandments and orders or disobey the Commandments and orders, and whether they are diligent or slothful. On the first seventh seven, the forty-ninth day, the Sabbath, the colonel shall go to a certain sergeant’s church, on the second seventh seven, the forty-ninth day, the Sabbath, the colonel shall then go to another sergeant’s church, visiting them all in order, and after having gone the round he must begin again. The captains and lieutenants shall do the same.

Each man throughout the empire who has a wife, sons, and daughters amounting to three or four mouths, or five, six, seven, eight, or nine mouths, must give up one to be a soldier. With regard to the others, the widowers, widows, orphaned, and childless, the disabled and sick, they shall all be exempted from military service and issued provisions from the public granaries for their sustenance.

Throughout the empire all officials must every Sabbath, according to rank and position reverently present sacrificial animals and offerings, sacrifice and worship, and praise the Heavenly Father, the Supreme Lord and Great God. They must also expound the Holy books; should any dare to neglect this duty, they shall be reduced to husbandmen. Respect this.