The Upheaval of 1900

If you haven’t studied the late Qing dynasty, you can’t claim to understand Chinese history.

If you don’t understand the Boxer Uprising, you can’t claim to understand modern China.

The year 1900 was the most tumultuous and complicated year of the entire Qing dynasty.

A clash between the far left and populism, each dragging the other along, brought a national catastrophe on a century-wide scale.

The Guangxu Emperor was deposed and a new heir was appointed. The Boxers wreaked havoc in Beijing and Tianjin. Cixi declared war. The German ambassador was killed, and foreign legations were attacked. The Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China. The southeastern provinces defied imperial orders. The Self-Strengthening Army rose in rebellion. Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong failed in their attempt to become emperor. Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor fled west. The Boxer Protocol was negotiated and signed. Li Hongzhang died.

There is always something that leaves you sighing in disbelief!

There is always an image that leaves you stunned for a long time!