![]() ![]() Then, in 1899, a drought arrived and stretched into 1900. To make matters worse, the Yellow River had flooded in 1898, wiping out harvests in Shandong. Western modernization efforts, especially the railroads, had rendered entire Chinese industries obsolete. In December 1899, Minister Conger wrote to Secretary Hay of “a very critical state of affairs among the missionaries and their converts in Shandong.” This fragile state was the result of extreme poverty among Chinese workers, and the workers blamed the Westerners for their misfortune. Shandong (Shantung) Province, the cradle of the Boxer Rebellion, was home to 55 Christian schools. ![]() By 1900, the Presbyterian Church ran 10 hospitals, 150 schools, and 51 churches in China. Meanwhile, outside the walls of Beijing, Christian missionaries flooded the Chinese countryside, establishing local schools and hospitals as they sought to convert local populations to Christianity. Unfortunately, European powers were more interested in carving China into spheres of influence in the so-called Scramble for Concessions. minister in Beijing was Edwin Conger, and his goal was the “Open Door” policy coined by Secretary of State John Hay, in which each nation would have equal access to trade in China. ![]() The Legation Quarter in Beijing, home to the diplomatic representatives of Western nations, spanned about three quarters of a square mile and was bordered by the Tartar Wall to the south and the wall of the Imperial City to the north. The resulting treaties of Tianjin allowed for foreign envoys to reside in Beijing as well as for Christian missionaries to move freely throughout China. The French joined in, and the Anglo-French force defeated the Chinese and burned the Summer Palace in Beijing. Dissatisfied with the treaty terms, the British seized upon the Arrow incident-in which Chinese authorities boarded the British ship Arrow to capture suspected pirates-to instigate the Second Opium War (1856–60). The British victory led to the Treaty of Nanjing (Nanking), which allowed for British merchants to trade in five Chinese cities. When the Chinese government attempted to ban the opium trade and curb its growing population of addicts, Great Britain fought the First Opium War (1839–42). To Western nations competing for great-power status, China with its population of 450 million offered opportunities for “economic supremacy.” In 1839, Great Britain capitalized on this vast market of consumers by shipping opium to China. Relief of the Foreign Concessions, Capture of the East Arsenal, 21–27 JuneĪssault on the Walled City Delayed, Capture of the West Arsenal, 2–9 July Its foes were Qing imperial troops and the “Boxers,” a Chinese secret society that channeled resentment of foreign influence, especially Christian missionaries, into widespread violence against Westerners and Chinese Christians. The eight-nation relief force of troops from the United States, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia first had to fight its way from the port at Dagu (Taku) through the city of Tianjin (Tientsin) and villages in the Chinese countryside, hampered by blistering heat, destroyed railroads, and internal rivalries. The legations had been under siege since 20 June, and the legation guard would be forced to hold out for 55 days until an international relief force arrived at Beijing on 14 August. The Tartar Wall surrounded the city of Beijing (then Peking ), home to legations of eight foreign powers, including the United States. Marine Private Dan Daly single-handedly defended his position on the Tartar Wall from as many as 200 Chinese attackers, a feat that would earn him his first Medal of Honor. ![]()
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