Anti-government symbol of protection.
The Red Spear Society was created in Northern China in the 1920s. In Northern China, this community posed a threat to official control. The Red Spear Society was usually commanded by Buddhist monks who fought with red spears. The color red stood for catastrophe protection. The Red Spear Society was founded to assist tenants in defending themselves against warlords, robbers, tax collectors, Japanese, and Chinese communists. The Red Spear Society rose up against Liu Zhennian, the Nationalist warlord ruler, from 1928 to 1929. Liu increased taxes and brutalized the tenants with his soldiers. The Red Spear Society formed to oppose the treatment of the tenants. Despite winning some engagements and establishing their own proto-state, Liu eventually destroyed the revolt. The Red Spear Society was thought to have a membership of over 3 million people.