Kwang-Hsu’s reform edicts--A Boxer proclamation--The Loo or
Assembly halls--Boxers’ distinguishing colours--How the Boxers were
armed--Invulnerability--Occult powers--Boxer war song and initiation.
Two years ago the Emperor Kwang-Hsu’s reform edicts alarmed corrupt
officials, whose rights of extortion over the superstitious and
ignorant classes they to a certain extent limited. These edicts were
probably the principal cause that gave a sudden impetus to the present
movement. The monks, who in former times had all over China brought
about the assassination of hundreds of Catholic converts, were now
taking advantage of the opportunity and attempting a similar game on a
more gigantic scale.
[Illustration: A CHINESE SOLDIER]
Here is a Boxer Proclamation, a translation of which appeared in the
_Japan Mail_:--
“The Chinese Empire has been celebrated for its sacred teaching. It
explained heavenly truth and taught human duties, and its civilising
influence spread as an ornament over river and hill.
“But all this has been changed in an unaccountable manner. For the past
five or six generations bad officials have been in trust, bureaus have
been opened for the sale of offices, and only those who had money to
pay for it have been allowed to hold positions in the Government. The
graduation of scholars has become useless, and members of the College
of Literature and scholars of the Third Degree are in obscurity at
home. An official position can only be obtained as the price of silver.
The Emperor covets the riches of his ministers, these again extort from
the lower ranks of the mandarinate, and the lower mandarins in turn (by
the necessity of their position) must extort from the people. The whole
populace is sunk in wretchedness, and all the officials are spoilers
of their food. The condition of the Yamêns is unspeakable. In every
market and in every guild nothing can be done unless money be spent.
The officials must be bribed. All sorts of exactions are made. These
officials are full of schemes, none of which are in accordance with the
three principles. Having forfeited their heaven-derived disposition,
they are unreasonable and unregulated. They are all alike; ill-gotten
wealth is their one object. Right has disappeared from the world. There
is nothing but squabbling and extortion on all hands, and lawsuits
are unnumbered. In the Yamêns it is of no avail to have a clear case;
unless you bribe you will lose the day. There is no one to whom the
aggrieved may appeal; the simple multitudes are killed with oppression,
and their cry goes up to heaven itself and is heard of God. Though
spiritual beings and sages were sent down to teach right principles, to
issue good books, and to instruct the multitude, few, alas! heeded.
Who is there that understands? The evil go on their course rejoicing,
while the spiritual powers are conscious that their teaching has been
vain.
[Sidenote: THE LIGHT OF THE RED LAMP]
“Now in anger the heavenly powers are sending down multitudes of
spirits to earth to make inquiry of all, both high and low. The
Emperor himself, the chief offender, has had his succession cut off
and is childless. The whole court, both civil and military, is in an
unspeakable condition. They indulge blindly in mere amusement and
disregard the widow’s cry, repenting of nothing and learning nothing
good.
“Greater calamities still have overtaken the nation. Foreign devils
come with their teaching, and converts to Christianity, Roman Catholic
and Protestant, have become numerous. These (Churches) are without
human relations, but, being most cunning, they have attracted all the
greedy and covetous as converts, and to an unlimited degree they have
practised oppression until every good official has been corrupted, and,
covetous of foreign wealth, has become their servant. So telegraphs
and railways have been established, foreign rifles and guns have been
manufactured, and machine-shops have been a delight to their evil
nature. Locomotives, balloons, electric lamps, the foreign devils think
excellent. Though these foreigners ride in sedans unbefitting their
rank, China yet regards them as barbarians of whom God disapproves,
and is sending down spirits and genii for their destruction. The first
of these powers which has already descended is the Light of the Red
Lamp, and the Volunteer Associated Fists, who will have a row with
the devils. They will burn down the foreign buildings and restore the
temples. Foreign goods of every kind they will destroy. They will
extirpate the evil demons and establish right teaching--the honour of
the spirits and the sages; they will cause to flourish their sacred
teaching. The purpose of Heaven is fixed, a clean sweep is to be made.
Within three years all will be accomplished. The bad will not escape
the net, and the goodness of God will be seen. The secrets of Heaven
are not to be lightly disclosed, but the days of peace to come are not
unknown. At least the Yiu Mao years (1902-1903). The song of the little
ones ends here in a promise of happiness to men, the joy of escape from
rapine. This last word is the summary of all.
“Scholars and gentlemen must by no means esteem this a light and idle
curse, and so disregard its warning.”
[Illustration: A PRISONER BUDDHIST PRIEST WAITING TO BE SHOT]
The proclamations of the secret societies were couched in very
plausible terms, and it is interesting to note how cunningly, while
rousing the passion of the populace against all reforms, and while
urging that foreigners should be driven out of the country, the leaders
themselves remained well under cover in their usual underhand way of
procedure. “Restore the temples,” they suggest, “... and establish
right teaching.”
At the beginning of the outbreak in the north there suddenly appeared
swarms of these priests sneaking about in all foreign settlements,
instigating servants to crime, and preaching the extermination of
foreigners. In more peaceable times these ruffians were seldom to
be seen in any foreign concession, for in any part of China these
monks are allowed to demand three days’ free board and lodging in any
monastery, and they manage to obtain a similar privilege in almost
every native household, so they must have had some special reason for
coming in such numbers into foreign settlements, where they got nothing
without paying for it.
[Sidenote: TO EXTERMINATE FOREIGNERS]
In their _Loo_, or assembly-halls where their meetings were held, the
favourite hour for the practice of the Ih-hwo-Ch’uan exercises was in
the Tiger Watch (the third watch). These _Loo_ were hearths or camps
where the so-called Boxers assembled. The Empress-Dowager bestowed on
these meeting-places the name of assembly-halls--a similar character in
Chinese writing to the one applied to the meeting-places of Buddhist
Lamas of Tibet and Mongolia.
[Illustration: 爐]
In small cities and villages these meetings were carried on in the
open air, and thousands of fanatics attended them. The Ih-hwo-Ch’uans’
distinguishing colours were red and yellow, the two Buddhist colours.
While fighting the members wore, according to rank, yellow or red
girdles, garters, and turbans or caps. Some also wore a kind of
insignia--a small apron, bright red in colour, and dipped in the blood
of the man who owned it. On their great red banners--one of which I was
lucky enough to secure--they had various inscriptions in black. One of
their favourite mottoes was: “Assist China to exterminate foreigners.”
Another, “Reverently, sincerely and heartily.”
In battle a number of the Boxers were armed with Mannlicher and
Mauser rifles provided them by the Government, but most of them used
old-fashioned flintlocks, muzzle-loaders, spears, tridents, and single
and two-handed swords with hilts bound in red cloth.
They rushed wildly into the field, imbued with the idea, suggested
to them by the monks, that he who fought for the Ih-hwo-Ch’uan was
invulnerable. “Rifle or cannon bullets or pieces of shell,” preached
the monks, “may strike a Boxer in any part of his anatomy, but
cannot penetrate the body of a sacred member of the Ih-hwo-Ch’uan.
When hit, the bullet will bounce back without injuring him in the
slightest degree.” Nevertheless, while urging their satellites to go
on bravely to the front under repeated assurances of being absolutely
bullet-proof, the monks themselves took good care to keep well in the
rear or under cover. In fact, in most cases they cleared well out of
bullet reach until the fight was over. This, they explained, was done,
not from cowardice, but in order to pray for those who fought for their
cause.
At the attack on Tientsin city, after various incantations and sundry
displays of occult powers, impressive to the minds of the ignorant and
superstitious, these hordes of fanatics were let go against the foreign
troops. They came running on like madmen, brandishing their swords,
some with wild yells, others chanting the Ih-hwo-Ch’uan war song, the
translation of which is as follows:--
Strike towards heaven and its gates will be opened,
(and here they raised the right arm and made pretence to strike the sky
with their swords.)
Strike towards the earth and its gates will give way!
[Illustration: “Strike toward Heaven, and its gates will be opened.”
“Strike Earth, and its gates will give way.”]
[Sidenote: STRIKE TOWARDS HEAVEN]
(A hard stamp on the ground with the right foot followed these words.)
You must practise the Ih-hwo-Ch’uan,
For the leaders will soon appear.
They rushed wildly forward, but, incantations or no incantations,
the bullets of the Allies went through them all the same. The fact
must have caused them some surprise. The machine guns did terrific
execution, and the Japanese cavalry, dashing to and fro, left the field
covered with dead and wounded.
[Illustration: “STRIKE TOWARDS HEAVEN AND ITS GATES WILL BE OPENED”]
It is said that the survivors called the monks to account for the heavy
losses, but the priests had a ready answer.
“It is not our fault,” said they. “Those men died because they were
not sufficiently initiated or because they did not have enough faith
in our cause. Those that gave up all for the Ih-hwo-Ch’uan came out of
the battle without a scratch.” Here they pointed at the few--mighty
few--that had come off the field, scared out of their wits, but still
alive.