The name of the Heavenly Kingdom connotates major anti-Manchu ideals and also bears reference to the former Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, whose ripples of its own rebellion is still felt by the turn of the century. The "daming" 大明 means the revival of the Ming (a sentiment shared by many Chinese secret societies at the time), "shuntian" 顺天 refers to the proverb 顺天应时 (to follow the mandate of heaven and comply with the popular wishes of the people), and "tianguo" 天国 is a nod to the Taiping; a kingdom of God among mortals. Even though much of the Shuntian Kingdom draws inspiration from the Taiping, unlike the dictatorship-esque government Hong Xiuquan established, the Shuntian Kingdom advocated for a constitutional monarchy and a democratic republic, like the United Kingdom and the United States respectively. It advocated to return the government to the people through elections and emphasized all men were created equal, all the while retaining the core of Chinese culture and tradition.