Global 9

Unit 4: China- Imperialism

Name ____________________________________

OVERVIEW:

In 1900, in what became known as the Boxer Rebellion (or the Boxer Uprising), a Chinese
secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising
in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there. The rebels,
referred to by Westerners as Boxers because they performed physical exercises they
believed would make them able to withstand bullets, killed foreigners and Chinese
Christians and destroyed foreign property. From June to August, the Boxers besieged the
foreign district of Beijing (then called Peking), Chinas capital, until an international force
that included American troops subdued the uprising. By the terms of the Boxer Protocol,
which officially ended the rebellion in 1901, China agreed to pay more than $330 million in
reparations. (http://www.history.com/topics/boxer-rebellion)

Video Guide: The Boxer Rebellion (Safari Montage History Channel: In Search of History)
1. Why did the Chinese refer to their land nation as The Middle Kingdom?

2. What did foreigners want from China that made her so attractive?
3. What area did Britain gain as a result of the Treaty of Nanjing at the end of the
Opium War?
4. Who was in charge in the places known as concession areas?
5. Why did the Chinese feel such a strong sense of crisis by 1900?

6. What role did Christian missionaries play in the build up of hatred against
foreigners?

7. What did the Chinese view the missionaries as?

8. What role did nature play in causing the Boxer Rebellion? (How was the flood
& drought interpreted by the Boxers?)

9. What did the Boxers believe had to be done to regain the favor of the gods?

10.
What did the Boxers believe happened to the warriors body when spirit
possession happened?
11.

Why is the term Boxer Rebellion a poor way to characterize the event?

12.

What role did the Empress CiXi play in the Boxer Rebellion?

13.
How did the militant advisors trick the Empress into using Imperial
Soldiers in the attack on the foreigners?
14.
How did the actions of the Boxers and the Imperial Soldiers reinforce the
view of the foreigners that the Chinese were uncivilized?

15.

What was the explanation for the Boxers who died?

16.

How did the rest of the world find out about what was happening?

17.
How long did the siege last against the foreigners until the troops
arrived?
18.

What did the Empress do that shocked people?

19.

How many Chinese died in the overall event?

20.

What happened to the Imperial Palace?

21.

What happened to the rest of the city?

22.

How much was China made to pay the foreign governments?

23.

What last act did the Empress perform after returning to the throne?

24.

Why was this so significant?

25.

What reforms took place after the Boxer Rebellion?

BOXER REBELLION: AFTERMATH

The Boxer Rebellion formally ended with the signing of the Boxer Protocol on September 7,
1901. By terms of the agreement, forts protecting Beijing were to be destroyed, Boxer and
Chinese government officials involved in the uprising were to be punished, foreign legations
were permitted to station troops in Beijing for their defense, China was prohibited from
importing arms for two years and it agreed to pay more than $330 million in reparations to
the foreign nations involved.
The Qing dynasty, established in 1644, was weakened by the Boxer Rebellion. Following an
uprising in 1911, the dynasty came to an end and China became a republic in 1912.
(http://www.history.com/topics/boxer-rebellion)

Did You Know?

America returned the money it received from China after the Boxer Rebellion, on
the condition it be used to fund the creation of a university in Beijing. Other nations
involved later remitted their shares of the Boxer indemnity as well.