49 Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Uprising or Boxer Rebellion was a Chinese rebellion against foreign influence in areas such as trade, politics, religion, and technology that occurred in China during the final years of the Qing Dynasty from November 1899 to September 7, 1901.[1] By August 1900, over 230 foreigners, tens of thousands of Chinese Christians, an unknown number of rebels, their sympathizers, and other innocent bystanders were killed in the ensuing chaos. The brutal uprising crumbled on August 4, 1900, when 20,000 foreign troops entered the Chinese capital, Peking (Beijing). The European powers saw China as an imperialistic opportunity where they could gain influence and power without territorial sovereignty. Internal weakness in China and the suspicion that China might even implode resulted in the European powers negotiating more and more concessions by way of trading posts that were virtually independent colonies. The local population grew more and more unhappy with the presence of foreigners, suspecting their motives, resulting in the rebellion. When the rebellion was crushed, yet more concessions and monetary indemnity were claimed from China by the Russians, Germans, French, and British. The experience of the events leading up to and surrounding this rebellion continue to affect China’s perceptions of the world and its relations in the present day.
Anti-foreign movement
In 1839, the First Opium War broke out, and China was defeated by Britain. In view of the weakness of the Qing government, Britain and other nations such as France, Russia, and Japanstarted to exert influence over China. Due to their inferior army and navy, the Qing Dynasty was forced to sign many agreements which became known as the “Unequal Treaties.” These include the Treaty of Nanking (1842), the Treaty of Aigun (1858), the Treaty of Tientsin (1858), the Convention of Peking (Beijing) (1860), the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895), and the Second Convention of Peking (Beijing) (1898).
Such treaties were regarded as grossly unfair by many Chinese. They had always considered themselves to be superior to foreigners, but their prestige was sorely damaged by the treaties, as foreigners were perceived to receive special treatment compared to Chinese. Rumors circulated of foreigners committing crimes as a result of agreements between foreign and the Chinese governments over how foreigners in China should be prosecuted. In Guizhou, local officials were reportedly shocked to see a cardinal using a sedan chair decorated in the same manner as one reserved for the governor. The Catholic Church’s prohibition on some Chinese rituals and traditions were another issue of contention. Thus, in the late nineteenth century, such feelings increasingly resulted in civil disobedience and violence towards both foreigners and Chinese Christians.
The rebellion was initiated by a society known as the Righteous Harmony Society (Yihe Quan) or in contemporary English parlance, “Boxers,” a group that