Su Sanniang: The Bandit Turned Rebel General

A Note from SB Sarah: In 2015, Carrie will be writing a series for the site called Kickass Women in History, where she’ll profile different forgotten badasses from various periods of time, all of whom kicked ass in various ways. This is the unofficial first post in that series. Enjoy!


Gunpowder Alchemy
A | BN | K | AB
 In Gunpowder Alchemy, our heroine meets a woman who leads a band of rebels. Her name is Lady Su. I assumed that this was a fictional character until I read author Jeannie Lin’s blog. It turns out that not only is the character based on a real woman named Su Sanniang, but the real woman was even more amazing than her fictional counterpart. Lin’s blog and the book itself set off the curiosity bubbles in my brain, so I had to go looking for more information to satisfy them.

According to The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History ( A ) (which I covet madly, BTW), Su Sanniang (also known as Xiao Sanniang) was born around 1830 in the Guangdong Province of Southern China. Her husband was killed, and when the authorities did not punish the killer, she became a Robin Hood-style bandit to avenge his death. She is famous in legend as someone who stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

Eventually, Su Sanniang joined the Taiping Rebellion. The Taiping Rebellion wasn’t a small, local skirmish – it was a full-blown, devastating civil war. It lasted from 1850 – 1864 and at one point involved over one million soldiers, both men and women. The Rebellion was known for advocating equal rights for women, but also for mandating separation between women and men. When the men’s and women’s forces were divided, Su Sanniang became the leader of the female battalions.

Male and female soldiers, artist unknown
Male and female soldiers, artist unknown

According to The Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women ( A ), Su Sanniang learned martial arts and swordplay from her family. She was said to have powerful arms and “the air of a hero.” The last historical record of her was made during the siege of the city of Zhenjiang in 1854.

A scene from the Taiping Rebellion, artist unknown
A scene from the Taiping Rebellion, artist unknown

We don’t know if she survived the siege or how or when she died, but the legend of the wife-turned-bandit-turned-revolutionary endures to this day.

 

Comments are Closed

  1. rooruu says:

    Carrie, you might find the lovely Uppity Women series useful in your research. History, nonfiction, aimed at high school, fun and informative.

  2. Elyse says:

    My level of excite for this series is high. Kick-ass women all the way!

  3. Who doesn’t love kickass women in history? Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to more in 2015.

  4. L. says:

    I need to know more about this woman. Are there any books about her?

  5. Jeannie Lin says:

    So happy that Su Sanniang was the inaugural lady to be featured.

    There were several female leaders of the Taiping Rebellion and Su Sanniang actually led men as well as women (due to her prior history as a Robin Hood type bandit, she had a loyal following of men).

    I was totally intrigued by her story. Hope to feature my version of Lady Su in an upcoming novella.

  6. EC Spurlock says:

    Thanks to Carrie as well as Jeannie Lin for calling attention to the wonderful badass women of history (or maybe it’s time we changed that to HERstory?) Looking forward to future entries in this series of articles as well as to reading this very cool sounding series of books!

  7. Sara says:

    Coincidentally I’m reading Gunpowder Alchemy at the moment, tucked into my warm bed in Jiangxi province. I haven’t gotten to Lady Su let but now I’ll have to keep my eyes open for her.

    Loving the book so far, can’t wait for the next installment.

    I’ll be diligently checking my RSS for the next portion of these kickass women!

  8. […] month’s Kickass Woman is Su Sanniang.  She was a Robin Hood style bandit who became a general during the Taiping Rebellion.  She was […]

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