THE BOXER REBELLION

INTRODUCTION
Boxer rebellion started in china from late1890s onwards
Boxers were Chinese rebels who were anti foreign and
anti Christian. Initially they were a secret society but later
got organized into a threatening large group.
The Boxer religious ideology was compounded of all
three of the Chinese systems, but more of Taoism in its
makeup than Buddhism and only an influence rather
than an element of Confucianism.
The Chinese people regarded the Christian missionaries,
both Catholic and Protestant as foreigners and hence
their enemies.
The foreign missionaries for Boxer were Primary Devil
and the Christian converts were the Secondary Devil
both equally deserving death.
BOXERS
They were Chinese secret group, the Society of
Righteous and Harmonious Fists or I-ho-chuan who
performed calisthenics rituals and martial arts, which
they believed that would enable them to withstand the
bullets and other forms of attack.
The Westerners referred to these rituals as shadow
boxing, from here they get the name BOXERS.
They came from various parts of the society, but most of
them were peasants, particularly from Shandong and
Zahili province.
Struck by Natural disaster- flood and famine
Territorial and commercial expansion by foreign powers
Boxer blamed their poor living standard condition on the
colonizers.
BOXERS
BOXERS
They were either illiterate or semi literate
Initially they were anti Qing, however once they got the support of
the Dowager Princess Ci Xi in 1898, to attack on Christians and
foreigners, they sided with the Qing dynasty.
However this is debatable.
Originally opponents of the Ci Xi and the Qing
Dynasty in general, the Muslim troops, called
the Kansu Braves, joined forces with the Qing
imperial army after the Qing decided to
oppose the foreigners. The Braves played a
prominent role in the siege of the foreign
legations, and killed a Japanese diplomat in
the streets of Beijing

WOMEN BOXERS
Red Lanterns
These Lanterns had a supreme leader in the person of a woman, Hung-lien
Sheng-mu i f 1i , who was said to be a person of very modest origin but
tremendous magic powers.7he Boxers.
The Red Lanterns were said to be able to fly and to set fire to any object they
wished to burn.4 They also had to go through a period of training which ranged
from 48 days to five months.5 To begin with, they were taught an incantation and
then went to a river or a pond to practise walking on water.
Their supreme leader, Huang-lien Sheng-mu, had both healing power and the
uncanny ability to undo the screws of foreign cannon. Their magic was believed
to be less fallible than that of the Boxers, because they themselves were women.
Woman was, according to the Boxers, their curse, for she was dirty.
THEORIES ABOUT BOXERS
Whether they were formed to oppose Qing Dynasty or support it.
There are a number of contradicting views among the historians:
Most widely held view- began with opposition to Qing Dynasty, by
1890 they started supporting them
Boxers were recruited by Qing to oppose foreign influence.
Victor Purcell- Boxers were originally opposed to the ruling Qing
Dynasty, but then changed from anti Qing position to one who
supports them.
Joseph Esherick- Disagrees with Purcell and says- From beginning,
Boxers were a Loyalist movement and they were never anti
dynastic.- pro Qing and anti foreign from start.
We need to consider both the alternatives since the views among
the historians are divided.
Was it a momement from below or was it created by above?
Fairbank- In the sequence of event, each side aroused the other
RISE OF BOXERS
A range of factors that led to the emergence of boxers:
Foreign exploitation and humiliation
Strong anti- Christian feeling in China
Economic difficulties due to foreign encroachment
Natural disasters
Anti Westernization- Railroads

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES IN CHINA
Qing Dynasty Empress
Ci Xi
EMPRESS CI XI AND THE BOXER
REBELLION
The Boxer uprising was a peasant movement, however, it
wouldnt have been of such a ferocious character had
Empress of Dowager not played such an important role.
She supported the Boxers as they attempted to kill all the
foreigners in Beijing, but the Western armies arrived and
defeated the Boxers.
As the Boxers began their attacks, the Western powers
were slow to realize that the Dowager Empress intended
to support the Boxer raids. Ci Xi hoped to use the Boxers
to either drive out the foreigners or at least loosen their
grip on China.
She was very manipulative of the entire movement. If the
Boxers succeeded she would take the credit; if the
Boxers failed they would take the blame.
THE ARMY OF EUNUCHS
Eunuchs were among the Dowager Empresss key attendants. They
made a considerable sacrifice in order to gain a powerful position in
government. This great sacrifice was to get their genitals were cut
off . Most of the eunuchs attending Ci Xi were volunteers.
The operation to castrate the volunteers was performed by a
specialist called a knifer.
The genitals, referred to as the Thrice Precious, were cut off as
close to the body as possible to avoid leaving a stump. A pewter
plug was then inserted in the urethra and the wound bandaged.
The new eunuch was made to walk around to prevent blood clots.
For three days he was denied anything to drink to prevent urination.
After that the bandages were removed and the plug taken out. If
the urine flowed like a fountain, the operation was declared a
success. Complete recovery took three months. The genitals were
preserved in a jar as proof of the eunuchs status.
NATURE AND EXTENT OF REBELLION
From May of 1900 Boxer raids increased.
Between June 13 and 14 the Boxers attacked Christians and foreigners
in Beijing and Tianjin.
The Qing government told the foreigners that their diplomats in Beijing
were well-defended by Imperial troops and there was no need to send
troops.
On 20 June, Clemens von Ketteler, the German minister in Beijing, was
killed by Boxers. The following day the Dowager Empress declared war
on all the foreign powers.
Purcell gives 4 reasons behind this war:
The vent anger against the foreigner
Rise patriotic feelings among the Chinese people
Remove foreign military influence from the capital
Eliminate foreigners


THE LEGATION MAP OF BEIJING
French troops on the
road to Peking
A French Cartoon of
1898 criticising other
powers for their
Colonial interest in
China (the French
character to the right
is looking on with
concern)
NATURE AND EXTENT OF REBELLION
The Boxer uprising was crushed by superior
foreign weaponry and technology. The Boxers,
despite all their rituals, were not invulnerable to
bullets.
By the time the uprising was brought under
control, however, 250 missionaries across China
had been killed.
When the foreign troops arrived in Beijing, Ci Xi
was smuggled to safety. After the peace terms
were arranged she returned to the capital.
CHINESE REFUGEES FLYING AWAY FROM
TAINING DURING THE REBELLION
In the late 1890s
Herbert Hoover, the
future 31st President
of the United States,
took his new bride to
Tianjin in north China
to pursue his career
as a geologist. Hal
Wert describes how
the couple became
embroiled In Beijing in
1900.
IMPACT OF THE REBELLION
The Boxer Protocol
Peace Treaty was made that kept the foreign troops out of
important regions in Central and Southern China in order to avoid
such a repetition of the rebellion.
The rebellion proved to be extremely catastrophic as the Chinese
people had to face an even greater tax burden, as the Imperial
government raised the money to pay the massive indemnities
imposed by the foreign powers.
However, in the longer term the Boxer Rebellion triggered some
major historical changes.
The Boxer uprising was also a clear reflection of an emerging
nationalist movement, which transformed China in the twentieth
century.
The decisions made by Ci Xi and her court during the uprising
indicated that the Qing dynasty was incapable of ruling China.

IMPACT OF THE
REBELLION
The Boxer rebellion paved the road
for the Revolution of 1911, which
eventually marked the end of the
Qing dynasty.
It accelerated the demand for reform
and revolution.
GERMAN TROOPS RETURN TO BEIJING AFTER
THE REBELLION
INSIDE THE FORBIDDEN CITY CELEBRATING THE VICTORIES OF THE ALLIES
CAPTURED BOXERS
CAPTURED BOXERS
BOXERS EXECUTION
BOXERS WAITING TO BE
EXECUTED
BOXERS ON THEIR WAY TO
EXECUTION

CHINESE BOXERS EXECUTED BY
JAPANESE
BOXERS BEING EXECUTED
THANK YOU