Early life

Hong was born in 18 February 1822 and worked as a village teacher in Guanlubu Village, Hua County, Guangdong. Although educated, he was unable to pass the imperial examinations. He was among the first of Hong Xiuquan's converts. In 1847, he accompanied Hong Xiuquan on his trip to Guangzhou and briefly studied the Bible there with Hong Xiuquan and Issachar Jacox Roberts.

In Hong Kong

During the early years of the rebellion, Hong was separated from the rebellion and had to flee to Hong Kong, where he met the Swedish missionary Theodore Hamberg and converted to Christianity. He helped with church work for the Basel Mission in Sheung Wan and learned much about Christianity. Hong provided Hamberg with important information on the Taiping rebellion, which Hamberg later used to write a book about the movement, The visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and origin of the Kwang-si insurrection, published in Hong Kong in 1854.

Hong also served as an assistant to James Legge, working on translations of Chinese classics into English, and on the Chinese Serial, the first Chinese language newspaper in Hong Kong. During this time he learned much about Western politics, economics, history, geography, astronomy and other sciences.

With the Taiping

When Hong Xiuquan called for his cousin Hong Rengan to come to Nanjing to help him rule, the Taiping administration was entrenched in a bitter power dispute. The powerbase of the movement had largely become split between the devout Taiping religious followers in Nanjing and the generals commanding the armies outside the city.

James Legge did not want Hong Rengan to have anything to do with the rebels because he distrusted and condemned their beliefs. When James Legge left Hong Kong for England he gave strict injunctions to Hong Rengan to remain in Hong Kong and to not join the rebel forces.

However Hong Rengan ignored his injunction and left Hong Kong in the spring of 1858, other missionaries gave him money and promised him a stipend for his family. He disguised himself as a peddler on his way to Nanjing.

Before his arrival, a previous power struggle, sometimes known as the Tianjing incident, erupted into a battle that killed over 20,000 Nanjing residents and the East King Yang Xiuqing, who was up to that point more powerful than Hong Xiuquan himself. It was in this environment that Hong Rengan was given the second most important position in the Taiping movement; only Hong Xiuquan himself was more powerful.

Hong Rengan was given this position because of his education, especially his knowledge of many aspects of Western politics, art and technology, acquired during his time in Hong Kong. He also came to Nanjing with a thoroughly Protestant mindset. This was in contrast to the largely Old Testament-dominated beliefs of the Taiping founders. Hong reformed the worship and prayer services into Protestant-style ceremonies. He also discouraged the use of the word "barbarian" to describe Westerners. These were a few of his early reforms.

However, most of Hong's energy was dedicated to centralizing the authority of Taiping administration and revitalizing its military successes. He advocated building railroads, gaining the support of Western powers, and building banks in the areas under Taiping rule. Because of his beliefs, Hong is sometimes noted as the first modern Chinese nationalist, and he was mentioned in early writings by both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China. These ideas, along with his clearly Protestant belief system, garnered the Taiping rebellion interest in Western circles. This interest would wane as Taiping troops moved closer to Shanghai and actively enforced their ban on opium within their realm.

Most of Hong Rengan's reforms were never implemented. Though he had shown strategic talent in the few campaigns he commanded, his ideas clashed with the pre-eminent military prince of the Taipings, Li Xiucheng. In a large mission to retake the upper Yangtze River, Li refused the orders of Hong and returned to Nanjing. The failure of this mission allowed Qing troops to mount a massive blockade of the Taiping area of control and eventually led to the collapse of the rebellion. Hong Rengan's rule was soon reduced to decrees endorsed by Hong Xiuquan, but they were never followed or enforced outside the city.

In 1864 Hong Xiuquan was found dead and the city of Nanjing soon fell to Qing forces. Hong Rengan and the other Taiping leaders fled the city and attempted to maintain their rule through the decrees of Hong Tianguifu, son of Hong Xiuquan. They were caught and sentenced to death. As seen in his confession before execution, Hong Rengan was the only prince of the Taiping rebellion to maintain his loyalty to the movement and never recant. He was executed in Nanchang (南昌), in Jiangxi, on 23 November 1864, shortly after the execution of the young Hong Tianguifu and Li Xiucheng.

生平

洪仁玕是洪秀全1843年创立的拜上帝教最先的信徒之一（另一人为冯云山）。1851年太平天国金田起义后，在广东的洪仁玕曾试图前往广西会合洪秀全，因清朝官兵在各地搜查严密而被迫折返。1852年洪仁玕到香港，认识瑞典籍传教士韩山明，不久返回广东，次年在广东从韩山明受洗。1854年洪仁玕曾到上海，欲到天京而未果，在伦敦布道会的墨海书馆居留了半年，后来回到香港，成为伦敦传道会传道人，并继续学习西方事物。

1858年6月，洪仁玕从香港出发，走陆路经广东、江西、安徽；次年4月，捻转到达天京。洪秀全见面后得知洪仁玕曾学习西方事物，大喜，封为军师、干王，让他总理天国政事。不过天朝其他干部对洪仁玕未立寸功而封王感到不服，洪秀全便陆续封其他有功将吏为王。

洪仁玕据他在香港多年所见所学的西方知识，提出《资政新篇》，作为太平天国长远发展的纲领。《资政新篇》除了有政治上团结领导的主张外，在经济上更提出要学习西方：兴商业、办银行、建设铁路、开矿、办邮政；而且还提出要有保护人身的司法制度、办报纸传递讯息及监督政府等等。外交上，《资政新篇》提出放弃万方来朝的幻想，向西方开放，双方平等对待。《资政新篇》的内容基本上包涵各种发展资本主义社会的要素，在某程度上比日后清廷的洋务运动及维新运动更为全面及彻底。但由于他并没有任何实际作战及行政经验，加上他提出的改革不设实际，在长期战争的情况不许可，所以一直未实行。曾国藩的幕僚赵烈文看过《资政新篇》后，亦称「于夷情最谙练……观此一书，则贼中不为无人」。

洪仁玕虽获任为军师，但他的实际权力不大，在1861年初开始失势，权力被削弱；而太平天国当时的客观环境亦没有机会让他认真推行《资政新篇》内的主张，最终《资政新篇》仍是纸上谈兵。

军事上，洪仁玕曾参与1860年太平军二破江南大营的策划，后来又建议分兵两路合取武汉以解安庆之围，但功败垂成。洪仁玕亦曾亲自带兵出战。

1864年7月天京陷落时，洪仁玕正在浙江湖州。8月洪仁玕伴随幼天王从湖州出走，计划进入江西会合其他太平军，再北上中原发展。在清军穷追不舍下，10月9日洪仁玕在江西兵败被俘。

1864年11月23日，洪仁玕在南昌被沈葆桢凌迟处死，临刑前做绝命诗一首并说：「人各有心，心各有志，故赵宋文天祥败于王坡岭，为张弘范所擒，传车送穷北，亦只知人臣之分当如此，非不知人力之难与天抗也。予每读其史传及正气歌，未尝不三叹流涕也，今予亦只法文丞相已。至于得失生死，付之于天，非吾所敢多述也。」

　　　　英雄吞吐气如虹，慨古悲今怒满胸。

　　　　猃允侵周屡代恨，五胡乱晋苦予衷。

　　　　汉唐突厥匈奴犯，明宋元辽鞑靼凶。

　　　　中国世仇难并立，免教流毒秽苍穹。

　　　　北狄原非我一家，钱粮兵勇尽中华。

　　　　诳吾兄弟相残杀，豪士常兴万古嗟。