In 1900, peasant nationalists from northern China rose up against Christian missionaries and Western political and business interests in China. Because of their peculiar brand of mysticism and martial arts, they became known in the West as "Boxers." The Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi craftily saw that letting this rebellion go on was a good way to push Western powers out of China with little effort on her part. For 55 days, about 900 foreigners and several thousand Chinese Christians were besieged within a few acres of the capital city. Preston uses few original Chinese sources, but the story is compelling, notes are plentiful, and maps and illustrations abundant.
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The review of this Book prepared by David Loftus
