Boxer Rebellion Begins

Setting the scene

By 1899, China was humiliated by foreign powers—Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and others had forced unequal treaties, taken concessions, and built railways. The Qing Dynasty was weak and corrupt. A secret society called the Yihe Quan (Fists of Harmony and Justice), known to Westerners as Boxers, practiced martial arts and believed rituals made them immune to bullets. They blamed foreigners and Chinese Christians for China's problems and began attacking missionaries and converts in Shandong province.

What happened

The Boxer Rebellion began in earnest in 1899 and spread to Beijing by June 1900. The Boxers, supported by Empress Dowager Cixi, besieged the foreign legation quarter in Beijing for 55 days, killing 230 foreigners and thousands of Chinese Christians. An eight-nation alliance—Japan, Russia, Britain, France, US, Germany, Italy, and Austria—sent 20,000 troops, who captured Beijing on August 14, 1900, lifting the siege. Allied troops then looted Beijing and executed suspected Boxers.

Why it still matters

The Boxer Protocol of 1901 forced China to pay $335 million in reparations, execute officials, and allow foreign troops in Beijing. The rebellion further weakened the Qing Dynasty, which fell in 1911. It demonstrated China's vulnerability and fueled Chinese nationalism, leading to the 1911 Revolution and eventually the Communist victory in 1949. For Western powers, it confirmed their dominance in China but also showed the costs of imperialism. The rebellion's anti-foreign sentiment echoes in Chinese politics today, with the 'century of humiliation' narrative central to CCP legitimacy.

Background

A multinational force later intervened to relieve besieged legations.