The Boxer Rebellion in China 1899-1901 – Viewing Guide

Vocabulary of Note

• Unequal Treaties of the 19th century – A series of “agreements” between foreigners including the United Kingdom, France, the US, and Russia with China, Japan, and Korea that imposed harsh terms following their military defeat. These treaties were not fairly negotiated agreements, and favored foreigners with steep payments, protection, and economic advantages and severely curtailed the independence of the Asian country in question.
• Wealthy gentry – The elite class of China who were educated, often scholar-officials in the administration and landowners, and powerful local leaders who resented foreign, Christian influence.
• Treaty protections – The terms of the unequal treaties that allowed foreigners to station troops in China, and required China to protect missionaries and other foreigners; the treaties led to much anti-foreign, anti-Christian sentiment especially as missionary influence spread.
• Taiping Rebellion – A 14-year civil war in China caused by widespread poverty and discontent with the Qing dynasty led by a progressive, Christian movement called the Taipings that killed between 20–30 million people from 1850–1864, seen as foreign-influenced.
• Humiliations of the 19th century – See the Unequal Treaties above as an example of the defeats that China suffered by foreigners including two Opium Wars and treaty terms that imposed trade rules favorable to foreigners, debt payments, and permitted foreign influence in the country.
• Open Door Policies – An agreement to guarantee open, equal privileges to Chinese trading ports so that no one country could get an unfair advantage there.
• Indemnity – The debt a country is forced to pay under terms of a surrender after a military conflict. China’s indemnity to the foreign powers after losing the Boxer Rebellion was 450 million taels of silver – twice the annual revenue of the Qing dynasty.

Names of Note

• Empress Dowager Cixi / the Regent – Powerful mother of the Qing emperor who ruled for him.
• The Boxers – A secret anti-foreign north China society known as the “Harmonious Fists” who believed their martial arts practices made them invincible.

Outline of Presentation – with [Timecode]                                  

Background

• The Unequal Treaties, which were associated with what China called the ‘century of humiliation’ (from 1850–1950), protected foreigners in China, especially Protestant missionaries. This led to growing resentment among Chinese who feared the weakening of Confucian values and ultimately a failed rebellion against them
• Unequal treaties led to resentment of protected Protestant missionaries [00:14]
• Confucian elites call for violence against missionaries, and spread rumors of savage behavior by foreigners [00:52]
• Qing government has to protect the foreigners and their Chinese Christian converts [01:27]

The Boxers

• The Boxer Rebellion is fueled by anti-foreign and anti-Christian sentiment by peasantry [02:00]
• The Boxer Rebellion directed at foreigners and was a desperate attempt to drive them out [02:44]
• The “Boxers” were north Chinese martial arts sect who thought themselves invincible [02:52]

Attack on Beijing

• After attacking Christians, the Boxers as patriotic rebels went to Beijing and attacked the foreign embassies [03:53]
• Empress Dowager Cixi sides with the Boxers to keep legitimacy with Chinese [04:55]
• Foreigners are holed up in Beijing legation (embassy) for 55 days during siege [05:17]

Foreign Militaries Intervene

• Foreign militaries intervene and the Qing court change sides [05:58]
• The result is foreign troops stay in Beijing for 50 years until WWII, a foreign occupation of Beijing [06:15]
• China is not colonized but is severely weakened and a crippling indemnity [07:45]

Legacy

• One legacy is a lasting negative impression of Chinese by Westerns [08:21]
• The aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion is part of the “Century of Humiliation” that China refers to, one which began with the Opium War and the Unequal Treaties, 1839–42, followed by the Second Opium War and the sack of the imperial palaces