In the 1830s in southern China a man named Hong Huoxiu failed the entrance exam to the Chinese civil service for time after the fourth exam in 1837 he began to enter delirium and have visions in one he claimed he was visited by a great paternal figure in the sky over the next few years he began studying the Christian literature which was brought in by early Protestant missionaries to the region and became convinced that the paternal figure was God and he was a brother of Jesus and began preaching along with the religious teachings he also preached against the Ching dynasty and in favor of great social and land reforms

First appealing to the population in this period of turmoil the increasing population of China left millions poor and unemployed and the ruling ching dynasty became the focus of rising discontent the Ching also Manchus in the more populous Han Chinese saw them as foreign invaders person 1842 the Ching were humiliated by the British in the First Opium War so by January 1851 Hong Huoxiu had gained tens of thousands followers and established the

Hong Huoxiu revealed his dream to relatives, and his message began to spread. Hong and some of his followers took to the road, selling writing ink and brushes to fund their travels.

During this journey, Hong wrote his own tract, “Exhortations to Worship the One True God,” to help win more converts.

Hong returned home to support his family and work on further tracts, but his disciples still traveled, vigorously spreading his ideas and forming a group known as Bai Shangdi Hui or the God Worshipping Society.

Many of these followers were the Hakka people, who had fled the Mongols in the 13th century and become an enclave treated as separate from regular Chinese society. They were primarily destitute laborers who sought protection from oppression.

Hong preached an early form of communism that stressed sharing property, mixed with religious ideas and laws based on the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament Bible. His promise of free land would soon bring in thousands more followers.

1862 British and French troops enter Nanjing in the summer of 1864 to find the people starving and Hong had already died possibly a food poisoning weeks earlier the heavenly kingdom therefore came to an end however many of the rebels continued fighting until 1871 the Taiping rebellion along with the countless other rebellions and Wars greatly weakened the Ching dynasty and was another disastrous event in China's century of humiliation a century which concluded with the overthrow of the monarchy in the early 20th century

The Taiping Rebellion resulted in the deaths of 100 million people, making it deadlier than World War I. The conflict caused widespread famine, destruction of cities, and immense economic devastation. Entire regions were depopulated, and the Qing Dynasty's grip on power was severely weakened, leading to further internal strife and eventual reforms. 

In today's digital age, the spread of misinformation and the invent of internet, social media algorithm have empower "charismatic leaders". Just as Hong's followers were swayed by his divine claims, people today can be easily misled by short video clips and sensational stories online.

Just remember to evaluate the sources of information and remain vigilant against charismatic not gonna name names but potentially deceptive figures. 

STAY AWAY FROM POPULISM!!