wolf_brother
Banned
I'd be surprised if it did. The main reason why Hong Xiuquan used and embraced it was because it gives him legitimacy by allowing him to claim to be the real "Son of Heaven". It's part of the Mandate system engrained in Chinese intellectual thought at the time. It's entire purpose was to make his rebellion more legitimate, and him the rightful "Emperor".
I'm not so sure about this. Hong very explicitly never claimed the title of emperor or the associated philosophical regalia, and even from the beginning of the Taiping Revolution Hong 'ruled' as merely first among equals. Hell, several other Taiping leaders claimed to be'chosen by god' in their own way; iirc one was the voice of god, another of Jesus, one was Jesus' other younger brother, etc.