Five Pecks of Rice Rebellion

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The Five Pecks of Rice Rebellion (五斗米道 pinyin: Wudoumidao wg: Wu-Tou-Mi-Tao) was a religious rebellion at the end of the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) instigated by Taoist leader Zhang Daoling's grandson Zhang Lu. The name of the rebellion refers to the five pecks that were paid to the Taoist church for either cures (Zhang Daoling was a faith healer) or church dues. The rebellion became an example for the popular rebellions later instigated against dynastic governments.

[edit] History

Early in the 2nd Century AD, Zhang Daoling, the progenitor of the Taoist Church, used his popularity as a faith healer and religious leader to organize a theological movement known as The Way of the Celestial Master. His goal was to free peasants from the widespread poverty and corruption that oppressed them under the Han dynasty. He gathered many followers from the Sichuan area by not only providing a source of hope for the disparaged, but also by reforming religious practices into a more acceptable format. This created one of the first organized religious movements in China.

In 184 AD, his grandson and the successor of his son Zhang Heng, Zhang Lu, revolted against the Han Dynasty and created his own state, Zhang Han. This state continued for over 30 years until Zhang Lu's defeat and surrender to the general Cao Cao. After Zhang Lus's surrender, he relocated to the Han court where he continued to live until the Han Dynasty changed to the Wei. Zhang Lu then used his own popularity as a religious leader to lend legitimacy to the new Wei court, proclaiming that the Wei court had inherited divine authority from the Tao church, as well as from Confucian laws.

[edit] See also

Daoism
White Lotus
Three Kingdoms - The period of instability in China after the rebellion.
Yellow Turban Rebellion - Another rebellion around the same time
Zhang Lu
Way of the Celestial Master