The Gathering Storm: China in 1900
The summer of 1900 marked a pivotal moment in late Qing Dynasty China, as the imperial court grappled with internal dissent and foreign pressure. The Boxer Rebellion, an anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising led by the secret society known as the “Righteous Harmony Society” (义和团), had gained momentum in northern China. What began as a grassroots movement against Western influence soon escalated into a full-scale crisis, with Boxer fighters besieging foreign legations in Beijing and attacking Chinese Christians.
At the heart of this turmoil stood two unlikely figures: Yuan Chang and Xu Jingcheng, high-ranking officials in the Qing government. Unlike many of their contemporaries, they recognized the catastrophic consequences of supporting the Boxers. Their story is one of moral courage, political defiance, and ultimate sacrifice—a testament to the enduring conflict between blind nationalism and reasoned statesmanship.
The Voices of Reason: Three Fateful Memorials
As the Boxer movement gained imperial favor, Yuan and Xu submitted three memorials to the throne between June and July 1900, each more urgent than the last. These documents were extraordinary in their clarity and foresight:
1. First Memorial (June 20, 1900)
Authored primarily by Xu Jingcheng, a former diplomat to Russia and Germany, this document systematically dismantled Boxer claims. Xu exposed their supposed “invulnerability rituals” as fraud, citing eyewitness accounts of Boxers being gunned down. He warned that attacking foreign legations would violate international law and provoke military retaliation.
2. Second Memorial (July 8, 1900)
Co-written after the murder of German envoy Baron von Ketteler, this memorial condemned the alliance between Boxer mobs and government troops under General Dong Fuxiang. It highlighted the rebels’ failed siege of the legations, noting that 50,000 Boxers couldn’t defeat 400 defenders—proof of their military uselessness.
3. Final Memorial (July 23, 1900)
A desperate appeal written as foreign armies advanced toward Beijing. Yuan and Xu identified corrupt officials like Gang Yi and Xu Tong as enablers of the crisis. Their most radical proposal: execute pro-Boxer ministers to prove the court’s innocence to foreign powers.
The Clash of Ideologies
The memorials reveal a profound ideological divide:
– Boxer Delusions vs. Realpolitik
While Boxers claimed supernatural powers and promised to “Support the Qing, Destroy the Foreign” (扶清灭洋), Yuan and Xu argued this slogan was treasonous. “Those who can ‘support’ the Qing today,” they wrote, “are the same who may overthrow it tomorrow.”
– Diplomatic Savvy
Xu’s experience abroad shaped his understanding of international law. He emphasized that harming diplomats would guarantee foreign invasion, citing the Spring and Autumn Annals and European diplomatic norms.
– Critique of Official Complicity
The memorials indicted provincial leaders like Yu Lu for inflating military victories and the court for tolerating Boxer rituals—even describing how officials were forced to kneel before Boxer altars.
Execution and Legacy
On July 28, 1900, Yuan and Xu were arrested and executed as “traitors.” Eyewitnesses reported their composure in prison, where they penned final letters (later burned by Boxers). Their families received their bodies with secret funeral rites, avoiding public mourning due to political sensitivities.
Yet their predictions proved tragically accurate. Within weeks, the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing, forcing the Qing court to flee. The Boxer Protocol (1901) imposed crushing indemnities and humiliation—precisely the outcome Yuan and Xu had warned against.
Modern Reverberations
Today, Yuan and Xu are celebrated as national martyrs in China. Their memorials endure as masterpieces of political rhetoric and ethical statesmanship, comparable to Seneca’s defiance of Nero. Key lessons resonate:
– The perils of conflating patriotism with xenophobia
– The role of individual conscience in authoritarian systems
– The timeless tension between short-term populism and long-term strategy
Their final words—”We die without regret if it awakens the court to the danger”—echo across centuries, a reminder that courage often speaks truth to power when it is most dangerous to do so.
In an era where nationalism and globalism again collide, the legacy of these two officials challenges us to distinguish between blind loyalty and true service to one’s country. As Yuan wrote to his family before his execution: “A minister’s duty is to deliberate on state affairs—how could mobs understand this?” Their story is not just Chinese history; it is a universal lesson in the cost of wisdom.