CHINA IN THE 20TH CENTURY

TIMELINE
THE BOXER THE THE WAR
REBELLION WARLORD AGAINST THE ERA OF MAO ZEDONG
PERIOD JAPAN

THE CULTURAL
WORLD WAR 1 WORLD WAR 2 REVOLUTION

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

FOUNDATION
OF THE CCP
THE
FOUNDATION OF
THE END OF THE THE PRC, 1949
QING EMPIRE

THE CIVIL WAR ERA

THE BOXER REBELLION, 1900-1901

KEY QUESTIONS:

WHO WERE THE BOXERS?

WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE BOXER REBELLION?

WHAT CAUSED THE REBELLION?

WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR CHINA?

CHINA IN 1900
The Qing dynasty had ruled China as emperors since the middle of
the 17th century. At the start of the 20th century, power was in the
hands of the Dowager Empress, Cixi, who had dominated the
court for many years as a regent and ruled in the name of the
emperor.

China’s great size made it difficult to control and its wealth and
natural resources had attracted the attention of European imperial
powers as well as the Japanese during the second half of the 19th
century.

A period of humiliation for China at the hands of foreign powers,

along with natural disasters such as flooding and drought as well
as economic problems meant that the empire was facing a crisis in
1900.
Foreign Imperialists
China was not strong enough to resist the
many demands of the foreign empires who
sought concessions and bases in China and
whose activities and arrogance angered and
impoverished ordinary Chinese people.

The empire was seen as weak for having

conceded so much to the foreigners. Many
feared that China would be broken up and
destroyed if nothing was done.
What is the
message
of this
cartoon?
The 1897 murder of
two German
Christian
missionaries in
Shandong led to
foreign powers to
make further
demands in a
“scramble” for
concessions, where
each power was
determined to carve
out areas of
domination.
Anti-Christian Anger
Christian missionaries and their
Chinese converts caused many in
China to feel that their culture was
under attack. Western medicine and
lack of respect for traditional religious
practice in China created demands
that western religious encroachment
be stopped. The empire was criticised
for giving too much freedom to foreign
ideas and attacks on Christians grew.
Economic Hardship
Western imports were cheaper than local
products.
New railways undermined traditional
methods and foreign powers were able
to acquire resources at low prices
leading to bankruptcy, hunger and
unemployment.
The Chinese government was forced to
raise taxes which added to poverty and
foreigners were blamed.

The Chinese population had been rapidly

increasing.
Natural Disasters
Severe flooding of the Yellow River in
Shandong Province during 1898 was
followed by severe drought.

Many believed that the foreigners had

angered the spirits of the natural world and
caused these disasters.
The Rise of the Boxers
Anti-foreigner and anti-Christian groups
were dominated by young men who joined
martial arts groups aiming to attack the
foreigners. They often had spiritual ideas
and believed they were invincible, able to
avoid bullets and were justified in their
activities as the empire was unwilling to
defend them from foreigners.
They called themselves “The Society of
the Righteous and Harmonious Fists”.
Official Support
Some local governors supported the activities of the
boxers. The governor of Shandong YU- HSIEN
gave them money, food and legal protection.

Yu-Hsien made them a semi

official force, the Righteous
and Harmonious Militia.
He urged the Empress to
support the boxers as well.
Official Support
The imperial court was in a difficult
position. The Empress did not want
to further anger the foreign powers,
but she realised how popular the
boxers had become among ordinary
people. In the end, she declared
that they were no longer to be seen
as bandits in January 1900.
The boxers gave a martial arts
display at the royal court in April,
and in June the Empress declared
war on all foreigners.
It was a fateful decision.
The Attack on the Legations
On June 29th, the boxers began to attack
the diplomatic complex in Beijing where the
foreign powers had their embassies. Cut off
from outside help, the foreigners organised a
defence of the legations with what forces
they had.
Although outnumbered by the boxers, the
foreign forces held out for 55 days. The
failure of the empress to fully commit
imperial troops meant that the boxers could
not overcome the foreign powers’ defences.
Defending the Legations
8000 JAPANESE

4800 RUSSIANS

3000 BRITISH

2100 AMERICANS

800 FRENCH

2000 Chinese Christians

A Relief Force is Despatched
8 foreign nations created a relief force that landed on
the coast and seized Tianjin in July.
The End of the Uprising
By August, the relief force
ended the siege of the
diplomatic compounds. The
boxer rebellion was ended.
The Empress fled from the
imperial court to Xi’an,
certain that the foreigners
would want revenge for the
uprising.
The Boxer Protocol
September 1901

It was left to veteran Chinese

diplomat Li Hongzhang to negotiate
a treaty with the eight foreign powers.
It led to even more humiliation for
China, as the foreigners demanded a
huge indemnity (payment) and
further concessions in China.
He was able to ensure that the parts
of China that had not taken part in
the rebellion were not subject to the
protocol
The terms of the Boxer
protocol were yet another
sign of the weakness of
the Empire in the face of
foreign interference.
3 VIDEO CLIPS (and a movie)
The Boxer Rebellion l HISTORY OF CHINA
8 MINUTES

When America, Russia, And Germany Were Allies: The Relief Of

Peking (1900)
13 minutes

THE BOXER REBELLION EXPLAINED - BOXER REBELLION

DOCUMENTARY
18 minutes

55 Days at Peking (1963)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdGxLZ5qzE
THE BOXER REBELLION, 1900-1901

KEY QUESTIONS:

WHO WERE THE BOXERS?

WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE BOXER REBELLION?

WHAT CAUSED THE REBELLION?

WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR CHINA?

Lesson 2: The Boxer Rebellion