Everything Everywhere Daily: The Boxer Rebellion (Encore)

Host: Gary Arndt
Date: December 31, 2025

Episode Overview

In this encore episode, Gary Arndt examines the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), a pivotal anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising in China. He traces its roots from decades of humiliation and foreign exploitation to its explosive confrontation with Western powers, and explores the rebellion’s impact on Chinese nationalism and modern history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background: The Century of Humiliation

• Period: 1839 to 1949, termed the "Century of Humiliation" by China.
• First Opium War (1839) and Second Opium War (1856):
  • British and, later, French intervention forced China into “unequal treaties.”
  • These events led to loss of sovereignty, economic exploitation, and foreign spheres of influence.
• Other major impacts:
  • Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864): Internal conflict causing ~10 million deaths.
  • Sino-Japanese War (1894-95): China lost to Japan, resulting in more humiliating agreements.
  • Rise of missionaries and Western infrastructure: Missionaries gained immunity, converted temples, and disrupted traditional lines.

“It should come as no surprise that many Chinese found this deeply humiliating. This resulted in a rise of nationalism and anti-foreign and anti-Christian sentiment.”
— Gary Arndt (04:46)

2. Social and Economic Pressures

• Natural disasters: Northern China faced droughts, floods, and famine in the 1890s.
• Economic exploitation: Railroads and Western business ventures disrupted traditional communities, causing unemployment and loss of cultural practices.
• Missionaries: Viewed as agents of foreign dominance, enjoying extraterritorial rights, buying temples, and converting them into churches.
• Desecration of cemeteries: Railroads built through ancestral tombs fueled resentment.

3. Rise of the Boxers (Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists)

• Origins: Martial artists and peasants from impoverished Shandong province.
• Beliefs: Combined martial arts with folk spirituality, including beliefs in supernatural invulnerability.
• Foreigners called them "Boxers" because their martial arts resembled shadow boxing.
• Initial targets: Both foreigners and the Chinese Qing dynasty, considered outsiders (Manchurians) and corrupt.

"Their martial arts could not stop bullets...and so they called these people boxers. At the time, the term martial arts didn’t exist, so boxing was really the only word they had."
— Gary Arndt (08:30)

4. Escalation to Violence (1899–1900)

• Spread of violence: Movement grew rapidly, culminating in attacks on railways, telegraph stations, foreigners, Chinese Christians, and Western properties.
• Death tolls: By 1899, hundreds of foreigners and thousands of Chinese Christians killed.
• Official response: Local Qing officials often turned a blind eye, hoping the movement would channel anger away from the dynasty.

5. Empress Dowager Cixi and Official Support

• Power behind the throne: Empress Dowager Cixi recognized the rebellion’s popularity.
• Policy shift: She shifted from opposition to supporting the Boxers, hoping to use them to expel foreign influence and restore Qing legitimacy.
• Boxer slogan: "Support the Qing, destroy the foreigners." (16:26)
• Boxers’ actions: Escalated violence, burned churches, attacked Chinese Christians, advanced on Beijing.

6. The Siege of the Legation Quarter

• Foreign embassies endangered: All foreign embassies and staff located in Beijing’s Legation Quarter.
• Allied response: Eight-Nation Alliance formed (Britain, France, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, US).
• May 30: Foreign diplomats request 435 international Marines for protection.
• Events:
  • June 5: Boxers cut Beijing’s railroad connections.
  • June 10: Allied relief force, led by Admiral Seymour, turned back.
  • June 13: Boxers enter Legation Quarter. First slogan: "Support the Qing, destroy the foreigners." A Japanese diplomat killed.
  • June 20: Siege of Legation Quarter begins; 473 foreigners, 409 soldiers, and ~3,000 Chinese Christians trapped.
  • The “International Gun”: British barrel, Italian carriage, Russian shells, American crew (18:45).

“They had only one artillery gun to defend themselves, which was dubbed the International Gun... because the barrel was British, the carriage... Italian, the shells were Russian, and the crew... American.”
— Gary Arndt (18:45)

7. International Intervention and Suppression

• June 21: Empress Dowager Cixi and the Emperor side with Boxers. De facto declaration of war on foreigners.
• Relief force: Led by British General Alfred Gaselee; ~55,000 soldiers, mainly Japanese.
• August 14: Allied troops break the siege. Empress Cixi and Emperor flee Beijing dressed as peasants.
• Russia’s move: Uses the chaos as pretext to occupy Manchuria, sending >100,000 troops.

“Peasant Boxers, with little in the way of weapons and a martial art that couldn’t actually stop bullets, were no match for the combined armies...”
— Gary Arndt (21:26)

8. Aftermath: The Boxer Protocol (1901)

• Harsh terms:
  • Execution of Boxer leaders.
  • Reparations: 450 million taels of silver (~$19.6 billion today) at 4% interest through 1940, totaling ~$41 billion modern dollars (22:10).
  • Ban on anti-foreigner secret societies.
  • Emperor’s personal apology to Japan and Germany.
  • Foreign troops allowed in China, arms import ban for two years.
• Reparations investments: Eventually, several nations reinvested reparations into Chinese education; payments by Germany and Austria suspended after WWI.
• Deepened foreign control: Treaty further weakened the increasingly unpopular Qing dynasty and intensified nationalist sentiment.

9. Legacy of the Boxer Rebellion

• Increased humiliation but sparked reform:
  • Another lopsided treaty increased resentment.
  • Weakening of Qing led to its 1911 collapse.
• Historical reputation: Both the Republic of China and People’s Republic view the Boxers as forerunners to revolution and self-determination.
• Death toll: Estimated ~100,000, mostly Chinese Christians.

“While the Boxer Rebellion ultimately failed, it was an important milestone in China, ultimately reclaiming its own fate in the 20th century.”
— Gary Arndt (25:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the root causes:

  “Natural disasters, combined with economic exploitation, caused widespread suffering.” (05:52)

• On the Boxers’ supernatural beliefs:

  “They included the idea of gaining supernatural powers, such as invulnerability to bullets.” (09:13)

• On the alliance:

  “It was a rather odd alliance in that the parties had no agreements or treaties. They simply just worked in concert with each other.” (15:30)

• Empress Dowager Cixi’s gamble:

  “Ultimately, the gamble made by the Emperor Dowager did not pay off.” (22:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Century of Humiliation & Background: 02:08–05:50
• Social Effects & Missionary Activity: 05:51–08:10
• Origins and Rise of the Boxers: 08:11–11:00
• Spread and Escalation: 11:01–13:50
• Empress Dowager and Official Support: 13:51–17:35
• Siege of Legation Quarter: 17:36–19:45
• Eight-Nation Alliance and International Response: 19:46–22:00
• Boxer Protocol and Aftermath: 22:01–24:00
• Legacy and Influence: 24:01–25:32

Summary & Takeaway

Gary Arndt presents the Boxer Rebellion as a vital turning point in Chinese history. The episode delves into the national trauma inflicted by foreign intervention and the roots of anti-foreign sentiment, explaining how these events shaped China’s path in the 20th century. While the rebellion failed militarily, it fueled a sense of nationalism that ultimately toppled the imperial system and inspired future generations to strive for Chinese autonomy and dignity.

For anyone curious about global history’s ripple effects, this episode is a concise yet powerful journey through the seismic upheavals that remade China for the modern age.