Revolt Boxers

The Revolt of the Boxers or Révolte of the Boxers (義和團起義, or simplified Chinese 义和团起义) took place in China, primarily of 1899 to 1901. She is opposed to the Christian establishments, and more largely to the foreign influences in the country, than they are Western or Japanese. The movement, repressed by a coalition, the Alliance of the eight nations (Empire Austro-Hungarian, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America), weakens still a little more the Chinese government already shaken by the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895.

A anti-colonial movement

China has a long tradition of secret societies . That of the Boxers, probably appeared at the beginning of the 18th century reaches its apogee towards 1896 - 1897 in the province of the Shandong. Its name of Boxers comes from what its members practiced a Martial art resembling Boxe. The official name of the company was however “Yi He tuan” (militia of justice and the harmony), or “Yi He quan” (fists of justice and the harmony). These militia, initially opposed to the imperial dynasty Qing, especially developed in reaction with the proselytism and excesses of the Western missionaries established on the Chinese territory. These anti-Western revolts resulted in attacks against the foreign missions, the “Christians of rice” (converted to eat), like with all imported technologies of occident (lines of telegraph and ways of railroad), primarily in the North-East of the country, where the European powers and Japan ease had started to extend their concessions.

The murder of two German missionaries in November 1897 brought the capture of the port of Qingdao by the Germany, a movement of appropriation of concessions which was quickly followed by the Russian with Lüshun (also named Port-Arthur), French (with Zhanjiang) and Britanniques (with Weihai), pushing a little more nationalist and xenophobe fires among the population. The boxers left the shade in March 1898, preaching openly in the streets under the slogan “Reverse the Qing, destroy the foreigners”. This movement can also be interpreted like a reaction against the Réforme the hundred days (June 11th - September 21st 1898) which, carried out by the modernistic ones such as Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and Tan Sitong, aimed to modernize and occidentalize the country with forced march in the same way that Japan had done it at the beginning of the era Meiji. The attempts at modernization initiated by the emperor Guangxu had already shown their limits in 1895, with the defeat against the Japanese forces. The experiment was this time stopped by his/her aunt the empress dowager Ci Xi supported by the preserving forces within the army which, approaching the Boxers, started to draw aside the modernistic generals who repressed the rebellion (such Yuan Shikai) and to proclaim edicts of recognition and support towards the secret societies, to the great displeasure of the foreign delegations (January 1900).

After a last fixing with the imperial troops in October 1899, the activity of the boxers concentrates against the missionaries and their converts, considered as agents with the pay of the “foreign devils”. At the beginning of June, nearly 450 Western troops penetrate in the Chinese capital to protect the foreign delegations. The revolt reaches its paroxysme : insurrectionists (from now on supported by elements of the army and whose slogan is changed of “Support Qing, let us destroy the foreigners”) attack the Western districts of the towns of Tianjin and Beijing. The Japanese chancellor Sugiyama is assassinated the June 6th, the German minister von Ketteler the 20. Several tens of thousands of Boxers hold the city and besiege the district of the embassies.

55 days of Beijing and alliance anti-boxers

The conflict between the imperial court and the foreign powers is from now on open. A task force of almost 20 000 men is assembled to go to help the besieged delegations. Formed of troops resulting from eight nations (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Russia), it reaches soon 45 000 men and is placed under the command of Lord Seymour. After the catch of Tianjin the July 14th, Beijing fall the August 14th : it is the end of the episode known as of the 55 days of Beijing .

One month after the fall of the imperial capital, allied manpower reaches the 100 000 men, of which 15 000 French and 18 000 German. The German count Von Waldersee takes the direction of the operations mid-October, and will organize several operations of “cleaning” in the area during the following months. From October 1900 in spring 1901, the German troops assemble several tens of punitive forwardings in the back-country during which an exemplary and single violence by its width is spread. Assassinations, rapes, plunderings, destruction of assets strike without discrimination of statute, sex or age. The purpose of this terror financed by the emperor Guillaume himself is openly asserted to impose the respect to the Chinese and to prevent any other revolt.

To the fall of Beijing, the imperial court leaves as for it in “inspection autumn” and leaves the capital for Xi' year, leaving the first vacuum of any representative of the capacity. Peace negotiations succeed the September 7th 1901: the Protocole of the Boxers (also called Treated unequal) obliges the imperial government to pay with the occupying powers repairs of 450 million money taëls (an enormous amount for the time), to destroy the forts of Dagu, the establishment of a permanent guard in charge of the protection of legations, prohibition for the Chinese to penetrate in the international zone, like making sure of the execution of ten high ranking officials implied in the support for the rebellion. The management of the product of the customs is entrusted to a Western banking syndicate.

Epilog

Nearly 30.000 Christian Chinese were assassinated, less than 300 foreigners and an unknown number of Boxers perished in the engagements. The empire left the conflict to knees, humiliated and put de facto under foreign supervision (the stations for example were placed under the control of French civils servant, the customs under that of the British). This defeat will in addition contribute to reinforce the feeling pro-republican within the population, which will end ten years later to the fall of the Qing dynasty and the proclamation of the République of China.

The country remained occupied and had to pay repairs until the beginning of the Années 1930. Russia increased its influence on the territories of the Manchu North-East, until the conflagration of 1905 against Japan.

See too

55 days of Beijing , American film of 1963 telling the seat of the district of the delegations.
Alliance of the eight nations

Zh-yue: 義和團

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