The Boxer Rebellions
Those who accepted the religion of the "foreign devils" were ridiculed and ostracized by their communities. Often the opposition spilled over into more violent expressions. Christians were beaten. Some were even killed for their faith. The missionaries, too, faced great persecution. Missionaries were considered by many people to be tools of imperialism and colonialism, sent by their nations to gain control over the hearts and minds of the Chinese people while their governments raped the land of its natural resources. The outrage against foreigners reached its peak in 1900, when a secret society called "The Boxers" instigated a nationwide attack against foreigners. Most were able to flee the carnage, but many missionaries were located in remote rural areas of inland China, far from the safety of the large coastal cities. The Boxers brutally massacred more than 150 missionaries and thousands of their Chinese converts. Those brave souls who had come to serve our nation sacrificially and bring the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to us were slaughtered. They had come to share Christ and to improve our lives by building hospitals, orphanages and schools. We repaid them with death (Yun 18-19).
The Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists was a secret society that led an uprising in 1900. This society was known as "the Boxers" to Westerners because of their physical exercises they performed, believing the exercises would transform their bodies to be able to withstand bullets. Thus, the uprising was known as the "Boxer Rebellions". The Boxers led the insurrection against Westernization, the influence of Japan in China, and Chinese Chrsitians. Hence, they forcefully and violently drove out all foreigners, killing many and destroying foreign property. Most of the Boxers were peasants who blamed foreigners for their poor living conditions. Earlier, Japan and the West forced the Qing Dynasty to accept wide foreign control in economic situations. There had been other rebellions before the Boxers, but they had ultimately failed because China lacked a central military. The Empress declared war on all foreign nations in 1900 with dipplomatic ties in China. In 1904, the Boxer Rebellions were suppressed by eight countries, including the United States of America. This action rescued the captured foreigners in Beijing. One year later, the Boxer Rebellion was doused. Unfortunately, the Boxer Rebellions weakened the Qing Dynasty, which eventually crumbled in 1912, when China became a republic ("Boxer Rebellion").