“Do not impose on others what you yourself don’t desire.” –Confucious
The Boxer Rebellion is an event that can be seen as an effect of previous years of humiliation and War. This event led to the eventual fall of the Qing Dynasty. While the Boxers receive a positive name in Chinese history textbooks, in the west, they are known as violent terrorists. Having read multiple sources and viewed from different perspectives, I conclude that the Boxers do not deserve a bad reputation. First, we must understand the beginning of the Boxer Rebellion in 1898. The trigger to the series of events revolving around the Boxer Rebellion all began when two German missionaries were murdered in Qingdao, in 1898. Although it might seem like the boxers overreacted by killing the two missionaries, their anger and frustration are accumulated over the long-term after the Second Opium War. Years of suffering led to the burst of people’s dissatisfaction and pressure. By 1860, Many treaties were signed, including the Treaty of Tianjin, which not only legalized opium but also allowed foreign nations to build legation quarters in the heart of Beijing. Foreigners start to pour in China, taking over provinces such as Shandong and Hongkong. These provinces eventually became the targets of missionaries. They built churches on farmlands and spread foreign beliefs among the Chinese. Many Chinese saw this as a threat, as it is replacing their traditional cultures, yet the government was too inadequate to reject the imperial powers, forcing the commoners to stand up for themselves as a way to protect and retain their culture. This resembles the reaction of many Africans during the Scramble of Africa, where Africans attempted to resist imperial powers, specifically missionaries, by refusing to trade, and by starting rebellion wars, however, they were unsuccessful due to the overwhelming military power/supplies of foreigners. After both the Opium Wars, the Qing government lost much credibility and power, standing in a vulnerable position against imperial nations. They not only lost money but lost land, as well as laws that kept foreigners in order. These losses resulted in the ultimate fall of the Qing Dynasty since the government no longer holds enough power to protect its people. The Qing government was generally forced to obey all requests of the foreign nations. This left the upset citizens no other choice, but to rebel, using violence, attempting to make a change themselves. History is not simply black and white, a lot of times, our claim and view on a historical subject/event cannot be directly “Yes or No”. Admittedly, violence is never the best solution, thus, it was wrong for the boxers to practice such violent actions. However, forcing religion or belief on a nation’s citizens disregarding many of its traditional cultures is also inconsiderate. The boxers could have chosen to protest their dissatisfaction in a more peaceful way, like how Gandhi did to free India; similarly, imperial nations could also spread their influence in a less forceful manner in order to come to more mutual agreements with China. In the end, it truly narrows down to who made the mistake first to spark the chain of events that continues to occur starting from the trade of Opium.
“Treat others the way you want to be treated.”–The Golden Rule