Before proceeding to describe the series of military events that culminated in the relief of the Foreign Legations in Peking and the occupation of the capital of China by the contingents of the Allied Powers, it may be of interest to discuss the background of the Boxer movement. The real origin of the I-ho-ch'uan, or 'Fists of Patriotic Union', commonly known as the 'Boxers', is difficult to trace, one argument is that it was the outcome of the cession of Kiao-chou to the Germans, and had for its object the defence of the province of Shan-tung against the invasion of the foreigners, others maintain that it is really an old society, which the general state of unrest had brought to life again. Whatever its origin, it is now a matter of history that the obscure society, which in the beginning might have been easily suppressed, grew rapidly into a vast and dangerous association of brigands, which the Government soon found beyond its powers to control.
During many centuries the Chinese empire has been a hotbed of secret societies, of which some were political and anti-dynastic, whilst others are of a more harmless nature, and were originally founded with the object of mutual protection of their members either against the illegal exactions of unjust officials or the depredations of robber bands. One of the oldest societies the Ko-lao-hui 'Elder Brother' society was initially founded for mutual protection of its members, an offshoot of the parent society is the Ta-tao-hui 'Big Knife' society, which has its head-quarters in Ho-nan, and was said to be violently anti-foreign, and especially anti-Catholic.
The Boxer schemed to conceal their real activities and knowing the aversion of the Government to all secret societies, the leaders were careful to profess great loyalty towards the Throne, and adopted as their motto the saying 'Exalt the dynasty and destroy the foreigners'. Furthermore, they had gained the favour of Yu-hsien, the anti-foreign Governor of the Shan-tung province, who probably had no faith in their pretensions to supernatural gifts, but saw a chance of carrying out his designs against the
Foreigners through the Boxer society.
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