Did the Boxers deserve a bad rap?

The Boxers did not deserve a bad reputation as they were less educated and did not understand the goals of the western missionaries. The Boxers, which “was a secret society…consisting largely of people who had lost their livelihoods due to Imperialism and Natural Disasters”, were “made desperate by disastrous flood and widespread opium addiction.” They believed that these problems originated from the foreigners and, in a way, they did. However, with floods and droughts popping out whenever more foreigners arrived, the Chinese started to believe that the gods are punishing them for the Chinese Christians and the western missionaries. The Boxers, who only wanted to protect their country, decided to act and attacked a few German missionaries. However, this was only because the Germans were killing innocent Chinese citizens because their leader was afraid of the buff, strong Boxers (as explained by the tour guide). The Boxers never wanted to kill, but even the “most peaceable people” can succumb to immense pressure from other countries. A rebellion similar to the Boxer rebellion is the American Revolution. Even though America was not affected by many countries, its people were enraged by the high taxes set by the British government. Interestingly, the American Revolution indirectly caused The Boxer Rebellion by forcing the British to try and sell opium to China.

Mannaismayaadventure. “Boxer Rebellion – in China.” Mannaismaya Adventure’s Blog, 15 June 2011, mannaismayaadventure.com/2011/06/15/boxer-rebellion-in-china/.