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| At the end of the 19th century,
there were more than 1,300 churches of different sizes in Shandong
Province, which were very powerful. There were constant occurrences
of criminal cases in which the churches forcibly took property
and injured or killed people. As the local governments dared
not interfere in these matters, angry peasants took hoes and
broad swords in their own hands and, calling themselves the
Boxers, took revenge on evildoing missionaries and converts.
The Boxers posted notices, accusing the churches of "causing
disastrous disorder in China, wasting national wealth, demolishing
temples, destroying Buddhist statutes and occupying civilian
graveyards, which had evoked resentment and hatred among all
the people." They explained their slogan saying, "justice
is benevolence and harmony is propriety," which meant they
acted in accordance with moral standards set by the ancestors.
Like previous peasants rebellions in Chinese history, the Boxers
also employed superstitious means, such inviting spirits to
enter the human body, drawing magic characters and reciting
incantations, and claiming themselves to be invulnerable to
death or injury by spears, swords or bullets. Soon tens of thousands
peasants and people from all walks of life, who were patriotic
and respectful of Haven and ancestors, got together. The Boxer
Uprising quickly spread to north and northeast China and involved
approximately 1 million people. In some villages and towns,
conflicts that occurred were often characterized by the burning
down of churches, the dislodging of missionaries and the killing
of Chinese Christians. |
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