Pre-Rebellion involvement

Wei Changhui was a wealthy native of Jintian, Guiping, Guangxi, who owned both land and a pawnshop. Wei was also educated and a member of a prosperous clan that had ensured that the market town of Jiantin was a safe haven for the God Worshippers. During the early days of the movement during the 1840s, Wei converted to God Worshipping by Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan. During the summer of 1848, Wei swore brotherhood to Hong Xiuquan, Feng Yunshan, Yang Xiuqing, Xiao Chaogui, Shi Dakai, and Jesus Christ.

During the Rebellion

Wei was a principal Taiping general since the early days of the rebellion. On December 4, 1851, Hong Xiuquan declared Wei to be the North King, Lord of 6,000 Years. Once the Taiping captured Nanjing, Wei began to coordinate the defense of the surrounding region and managed Nanjing's food supplies.

Tianjing Incident and Death

In order to consolidate his power, Yang Xiuqing began to humiliate and threaten Wei. Shortly before seeking a title commiserate with Hong Xiuquan's, Yang dispatched Wei, Shi Dakai, and Qin Rigang to separate provinces. Hong, viewing Yang's request as treasonous, alerted the three generals to return at once. Wei returned to Nanjing with three thousand troops on September 1, 1856 and found that Qin Rigang had already arrived. In consultation with Hong Xiuquan and his allies, the two generals decided not to wait for Shi Dakai's arrival. Instead, they and their troops immediately stormed Yang's palace and slew him before he could escape. They then slaughtered his family and followers within the palace, despite having agreed with Hong that only Yang was to die. At this point, six thousand of Yang's followers remained in Nanjing. Hong and his generals agreed to set a trap for those men. Hong pretended to arrest Wei and Qin Rigang for their actions and invited Yang's followers to watch as the two were beaten. Once the majority of Yang's followers were inside, the beatings ceased and Yang's followers were imprisoned inside the halls from which they were watching the beatings. The next morning, they were all systemically slaughtered. Killings of Yang's followers continued for three additional months.

Shi Dakai finally reached Nanjing in October and blamed Wei for the excessive bloodshed. Wei in turn suggested that Shi may be a traitor Having been warned that he could be assassinated next, Shi fled Nanjing, leaving the same day he arrived. That night, Wei and Qin Rigang stormed Shi's mansion and slaughtered his family and retinue. Shi then consolidated an army of 100,000 and demanded the heads of Wei and Qin. Wei directed Qin to block Shi's advance and began plotting to imprison Hong Xiquan. Hong Xiuquan was able to preempt those plans, however, and had his bodyguards kill Wei. Qin was lured back and killed shortly thereafter.

生平

韋昌輝出身于富農家庭，其父韋元玠有水田約260畝。昌輝多次以「韋正」之名，應考科舉，可是每次都落第，元玠後來為昌輝捐納監生。1848年，韋昌輝加入拜上帝會，後來元玠也信了教，傾盡家財資助拜上帝會。

金田起義後

1851年1月金田起義後，韋正式以其字為名，稱韋昌輝，被封「後護又副軍師」，領「右軍主將」，12月在「永安封王」時被天王洪秀全加封為五王中的北王，稱六千歲。1853年時，韋昌輝負責首都天京的防務。1854年北殿右二承宣張子朋激發水營嘩變（張子朋隨胡以晃西征上江，卻為了爭奪船隻，毆打水營兵士多人），東王楊秀清因此事杖責韋昌輝，加上其它事件，昌輝對秀清心存不滿，卻不敢表露出來，在楊秀清面前「尚有驚恐之心，不敢十分多言」。

死亡

楊秀清平日性情高傲，韋昌輝屢受其辱，韋昌輝的族兄因為跟楊秀清的妻舅爭執而惹怒楊秀清，楊秀清迫韋昌輝把族兄車裂。楊秀清又「逼天王親到東王府封其萬歲」。咸豐六年（1856年）約8月時，洪秀全密詔韋昌輝等人誅殺東王楊秀清，引發不久後的「天京之變」。八月初三日（9月1日），韋昌輝率三千精兵到達天京，當夜在城外與燕王秦日綱會合，初四日（9月2日）凌晨突襲東王府，楊秀清及其家人被殺，韋昌輝在殺死楊秀清之前，曾當面對他說：「爾欲奪位，我奉二哥令殺爾。」楊秀清的部屬及他們的家人亦被大量屠殺，總計被殺的官民「前後所戮不下三萬人」。11月，翼王石達開抵達天京後，責備韋昌輝濫殺，二人不歡而散，石達開當夜逃出城外，韋昌輝其後盡殺翼王府中家屬及部屬。石達開從安慶起兵討伐韋昌輝，此時在天京以外的太平軍大多支持石達開，韋昌輝在勢急下攻打天王府，最終敗于效忠天王的將士及東王餘眾，韋昌輝被殺，「支解之，割其肉方二寸許，懸城中各柵」，死後被革除爵位。在此期間，韋昌輝因為怕石達開占據制高點大報恩寺向城內發起炮轟，遂下令毀掉該中古世界七大奇蹟之一的大報恩寺。

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