Hong Xiuquan
Hong is the central figure of the Taiping Rebellion. The peasant prophet who believed himself to be the son of God. The military aspect of the war was quickly taken out of his hands after Hong appointed friends and families to vital "kingships" in the Taiping kingdom. Hong devoted the rest of his life to his theology, expanding on the unique aspects of Taiping Christianity
Hong Rengan
Hong Xiuquan's cousin, later crowned the Shield King. Hong's greatest contribution to the rebellion was his attempt to recruit western powers to the Taiping cause. He successfully gained western sympathy, but was unable to convert it to a larger interest within the Taiping; the rest of the leadership was indifferent to western help.
Zeng Guofan
The Qing official tasked with the creation of a new army that would eventually defeat the Taiping. In an interesting parallel, Zeng was native Chinese like Hong and devoted his life to Confucianism in an attempt to pass the civil service exams. Unlike Hong, Zeng was successful and became a high ranking bureaucrat. It makes one wonder how history might be different had Hong passed his tests.
The Empress Dowager Cixi
After the death of the Xianfeng emperor in 1861, the mother of the next emperor became queen regent. The second and last female imperial ruler of China, Cixi's life was mostly spent attempting to reform the dynasty after the war but was largely unsuccessful.
Frederick Townsend Ward
An American "filibuster," a mercenary in global colonial wars. Ward commanded the "Ever-Victorious Army," a multinational mercenary army nominally on the side of the Qing.
Charles "Chinese" Gordon
An officer the British expeditionary army who fought all over the British empire. He would lead the Ever-Victorious Army after Ward's death. The quintessential tip of the spear of British colonial warfare.
Further reading
Chinese Gordon's war. (1894, Aug 13). The Washington Post (1877-1922). https://libproxy.albany.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/chinese-gordons-war/docview/139131543/se-2