The Boxer Rebellion: The Dramatic Story of China's War on Foreigners that Shook the World in the Summer of 1900

Preston has written a very accessible book, suitable for the “weekend” historian. It chronicles not just the siege of the Peking legations but also the scope of entire rebellion to include the battle at Tiensen, the seizing of the forts at Taku, and the trials and tribulations of both relief forces under first Admiral Seymour and the second under General Gaselee.Preston’s book is not the be all definitive exhaustive account of the Boxer Rebellion, however nor is it a glossy high overview, it is somewhere in between – it provides enough information for you to come away feeling you understand what happened without getting bogged down in a lot of details you will soon forget.Preston starts with a brief overview of what was going on in China leading up to the Summer of 1900 uprising, it’s general causes (unemployment, xenophobia, anti-Christian sentiment, etc) and then goes into a very chronological telling of the events in the legations and the foreign armies struggling to come to their aid throughout the summer. She punctuates her narrative of events through dozens of first hand personal accounts to stress her narrative and give it “relatability”.I feel compelled to address a negative criticism I see in some of the reviews, and that is that Preston does not provide much in the way of the strategic thought process of the Chinese Imperial Court. Preston addresses that quite clearly, in that the Court’s view of the event was little recorded, non-cohesive, and/or many of the Imperial advisors & generals were executed during or shortly afterward by the Dowager Empress. Thus the Chinese source documents on the event are sorely lacking/non-existent. However Preston does her best to provide the conjecture of historians as to the Imperial Court’s decision making at every stage of the book.While unable to provide much in the way of first hand accounts from the Imperial Court, Preston goes out of her way to provide a balanced picture of both sides. She informs the reader several times that the Europeans were no saints. For example she drives home the fact that while the Foreigners pooled their food and were able to eat fairly well, they did not share their food with the some 3,000 Chinese Christian converts who sought refuge in the legation area. The Christian Converts quite literally starved to death right before their eyes, and it appears it did not occur to the Foreigners that they should share their food with them.Preston has included many good maps in the book which help to orient the reader as to where the legations were relative to each other, and how far from Peking the Relief Forces were located. For reasons known only to the Publisher they are not included in the table of contents, so I suggest you leaf through the book prior to reading and locate the maps in the book for your reference while reading.My one main gripe with the book (and the main reason I am deducting 1 star) is the lack of a Glossary of “Characters” in the book. Preston discusses and uses the first-hand accounts of dozens of individuals, and I constantly found myself having to first go to the index and then to that person's introductory page to get a fix on who that person was. For example, was George Morrison a reporter or a member of Sir Claude MacDonald’s legation? Was Fu -Hsiang Tung a Chinese General or an Imperial Advisor, and if the latter Pro or Anti-Western? Etc. All of this could have been simplified with a Glossary.Despite that quibble in the end I enjoyed this book, found it informative, and recommend it to those who are curious about this moment in history, which was definitely more important and deadly than the “riot” I had previously thought it to be.Cons: Lack of Glossary of Personages.Pros: Easy to read style of writing, laid out in a very logical progression, plenty of maps, and great first-hand accounts.

From my reading of Diana Preston's LUSITANIA, I was familiar with her style. It is accessible to general readers, her narration is orderly and moves forward quickly, and she sticks to the story without boring you with pedantic commentary. And--though I've yet to read a book that was genuinely EXCITING from beginning to end--the Boxer Rebellion seemed a relatively exciting subject. So I bought and read THE BOXER REBELLION.What a fine read it was!China in 1900 experienced a movement of fanaticism similar to contemporary Islamic terrorism. Instead of paradise, the Boxers engaged in rituals to make themselves invulnerable. Instead of Zionists and American imperialists, the Boxers targeted western foreigners who were slicing off pieces of China, exploiting Chinese workers, and polluting ancient religion and culture with Christianity and technology. Similar to simple-minded terrorists, the Boxer solution was simply to eradicate foreigners.A few diplomats were slaughtered, Catholic and Protestant missionaries were slaughtered by the dozen, and Chinese who had converted to Christianity were slaughtered by the thousand. But the diplomats in the foreign quarter of Peking thought the Boxers were only a temporary thing. It would all blow over. To the contrary it intensified, and the Dowager Empress (who was really empress in everything except title) sided with the Boxers. The foreigner quarter became surrounded.Most of the 70 photos were taken during the historical period, and some are actually of the siege. Talk about relevance! The maps are excellent too, showing you important things like the layout of the embassies (called "legations" then). Unfortunately neither Ms Preston nor the publisher thought to include a list of the maps, requiring me to paperclip the ones I frequently referred to. Also, with more than a dozen characters that were repeatedly mentioned, readers should have been given a list of dramatis personae. An index is provided, but that was not nearly as convenient as a list would have been. Notes, sources, and bibliography are abundant.Depending on what you are looking for, the book's title may be misleading. It is NOT an exhaustive scholarly history of the Boxer Rebellion. If you are like I was, however, and are looking only for a good read, the title is good enough. The book focuses on the fifty-five day siege in Peking and on other struggles of missionaries and foreigners trying to escape the encroaching doom of the Boxers. With a smooth-flowing account interspersed with anecdotes and quotes taken from letters, diaries, and journals of participants, Preston immerses you into the cold logic of harrying, real adventure.But unlike 9/11, the victims had a fighting chance. And there was a cavalry.

Just finished this book and the detail is amazing. The Western powers sectioned off China and there was a great deal of resentment festering among the Chinese. The Boxers, so named because of their maritial skills, arose due to this resentment. Christian Chinese and missionaries were dealt with very cruelly. The Dowager Empress encouraged this hatred. The foreign legations in Peking were surrounded by imperial forces allied with the Boxers. They had to endure a lengthy siege. This was the first instance of countries acting together to prevent a massacre. The author later visited Peking to see many of the sites mentioned in her book. Highlighted is the courage and fortitude demonstrated by the ladies. Highly recommended. A great read.

An excellent history of a relatively neglected conflict. It puts into context many of the present days issues. Also it shows how many of to-days problems have echoes from the past. I am very glad to be aware of the contents of such a well written book. I was interested originally because of my grandfather who had a medal for taking part whilst in the Royal Navy.

Very descriptive of the events of the period in part provoked by the presence of Christian missionaries

Used for research and provided both vital evidence and critical historical analysis. Highly recommend as both an educational tool and great read. Arrived in used, but good condition as said.

Great book