Chronicles of the Late Qing: The Boxer Uprising

The ornate pillars of the late Qing Empire had long since been hollowed out by termites.

In the year of Gengzi, Empress Dowager Cixi faced the most agonizing year of her life: overseas, royalists rallied to her cause, while Sun Yat-sen called for revolution in Guangdong.

The southeastern provinces joined together in mutual defense, outwardly loyal to the Qing court but estranged from it in reality. With the tacit approval of the court’s hardliners, the Boxers spread rapidly, bringing disaster to Beijing and Tianjin.

The Eight-Nation Alliance marched on the capital unopposed, and in an instant, disaster struck the city.

The two palaces fled west in panic, remaining on the road for a year and four months.

At the emperor’s command, Li Hongzhang headed north to negotiate with the foreign powers, completing the final political mission of his life.

After the Boxer Protocol was signed, the Qing court set about healing its wounds and launched the New Policies, trying to patch up an empire already riddled with holes.

With sharp, commanding prose and a solid, multifaceted structure, this novel recreates in sweeping detail the Gengzi Incident, a historical event that shocked the world and changed the fate of the Chinese nation.

Drawing on an in-depth study of Qing history, the author has composed a stirring and tragic national epic, one that resonates like a great bell and inspires deep reflection.