The Boxer Rebellion
Summary
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Beginning in 1898, Chinese peasants banded together to form a secret society known as the I-Ho-Ch'uan (Righteous and Harmonious Fists), and called the Boxers by the Western Press. They practiced boxing, martial arts and calisthenic rituals which they believed would make them invulnerable to bullets. At first, the Boxers wanted to destroy the Ch'ing dynasty which had ruled China for over 250 years, and since they considered it a threat to chinese culture, they wanted rid China of all foreign influence. When the Empress Dowager supported the Boxers and their ideas, they decided to focus on ridding China of foreign influence. By late 1899, the Boxers were attacking Christian Missionaries and Chinese Christians. By May 1900, the Boxers had come out of the countryside and began attacking Peking (Modern day Beijing). To protect their countrymen and protect their interest in China, an international force of 2,100 soldiers were sent to stop the rebellion. On June 18, 1900, the Empress Dowager officially ordered all foreigners to be killed. Several foreign ministers and their families were killed before the international force could protect them, but on August 14, 1900, the international force that took Peking subdued the rebellion once again.
Serena Zingale, Asha Khan, and Karen Chen
Junior Division: Grade: 7th
Junior Division: Grade: 7th