Hong Xiuquan (1 January 1814  1 June 1864), born Hong Renkun, style name Huoxiu (╭), was a Hakka Chinese who led the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing Dynasty, establishing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom over varying portions of southern China, with himself as the 'Heavenly King' and self-proclaimed brother of Jesus Christ. By 1850 Hong had between 10,000 and 30,000 followers. The authorities were alarmed at the growing size of the sect and ordered them to disperse. A local force was sent to attack them when they refused, but the imperial troops were routed and a deputy magistrate killed. A full-scale attack was launched by government forces in the first month of 1851. In what came to be known as the Jintian Uprising, named after the town of Jintian (present-day Guiping, Guangxi) where the sect was based. Hong's followers emerged victorious and beheaded the Manchu commander of the government army. Hong declared the foundation of the ;Heavenly Kingdom of Transcendent Peace' on 11 January 1851. Following a failed attempt by the Taiping rebels to take Shanghai in 1860, Qing government forces, aided by Western officers, slowly gained ground. Hong Xiuquan died by suicide, odf illness or possibly of starvation in 1864.