EIGHT-NATION ALLIANCE

The 'Eight-Nation Alliance' () was an alliance of 8 nations (Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) which put down the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900. The military contingent from the United States was called the China Relief Expedition.
At the end of the campaign, the imperial government was forced to sign the unequal Boxer Protocol of 1901.

Contents

Leading factors

Events

Perception by modern Chinese

See also

References

Leading factors

At the end of the 19th century, resentment towards foreigners was on the rise due to continued colonization of China by Europeans, Americans and Japanese, increasing number of Western colonies and concessions in China, extraterritorial legal and trading privileges and influence over China, with Empress Dowager Cixi's passive approval. Social differences and the technology gap encouraged these sentiments. These resentments grew to the extent that destruction and violence against foreign companies, personnel, and even items such as violins, automobiles, phone lines etc. was carried out. Diplomats were assassinated, businesses vandalized and items were set on fire in the streets.
Although the Qing government formally condemned these violent actions, they failed to prosecute the people that carried out the acts, and it is thought that they encouraged them from behind the scenes.
With their commercial interests in China under threat and the necessity to relieve the joint legations under siege in Peking by the Boxers, the eight-nation alliance sent troops to quell the uprising.

Events

Troops of the eight countries entered and occupied Beijing on August 14, 1900. Empress Dowager Cixi, the Emperor, and higher officials fled the Imperial Palace for Xi'an, and sent Li Hongzhang for peace talks.
Participants of the Eight-Nation Alliance were responsible for the ransacking and pillaging of many historical artifacts of Chinese origin, such as those found in the Summer Palace, and instigated the burning of many prominent Chinese buildings in an effort to rout the Boxer rebels. ''"Following the taking of Peking, troops from the international force, except British and American, looted the capital city and even ransacked the Forbidden City, with many Chinese treasures finding their way back to Europe."''Kenneth G. Clark THE BOXER UPRISING 1899 - 1900. Russo-Japanese War Research Society However, the neutrality of the statement is questionable, since the British Museum has one of the finest Chinese Artifacts Collections in the world.
In fact, the Eight-Nation Alliance is most remembered today in China for the destruction of the Old Summer Palace, once considered the crown jewel of the empire. Priceless artifacts were destroyed in the Palace fire, set by the Alliance soldiers, including a large number of books and scrolls dating as far back as the Tang Dynasty.

Perception by modern Chinese

This event has been largely viewed by the Chinese around the world with shame and as foreign aggression. The events have been made into film a number of times.
Though the reaction of the Boxers against foreign imperialism in China is regarded by some as patriotic, the violence that they caused in committing acts of murder, robbery, vandalism and arson cannot be considered much different from the events of other rebellions in China, if not worse. However, the actions of the Eight-Nation Alliance soldiers, who committed similar acts of looting, murder, and rape after taking over the capital city are considered equally heinous.
In January 2006, ''Freezing Point'', a weekly supplement to the ''China Youth Daily'' newspaper, was closed partly due to its running of an essay by Yuan Weishi, a history professor at Zhongshan University, who criticized the way in which the Boxer Rebellion and 19th century history about foreign interaction with China is now portrayed in Chinese textbooks and taught at school. History Textbooks in China Translation. Published in the Freezing Point (Bingdian) weekly supplement of China Youth Daily

See also

★ Boxer Rebellion

References