Around 1900, after many years of succumbing to the superior .

             military of the West, the Chinese stood up for their country. China .

             was a weak, backwards, country, exploited by the West. They felt that .

             they could counter the foreign domination, but reforms were useless .

             because they needed the West to help with the reforms. But something .

             sparked their confidence, and they believed themselves to be able to .

             conquer any foreign power. This spark was the Society of Harmonious .

             Fists, commonly known as "Boxers." Combined with unhappy people, and .

             new weapons technology, the Chinese rebelled against the foreign.

             powers.

             The first reason of this confidence was the Boxer Society, which .

             formed in North China after the Sino-Japanese war, but wasn't well .

             known until 1898 in Shantung. This organization was actually a cult, .

             following strange and absurd practices of defense. It had no central .

             leaders, and the practices varied in different locations. Their goal .

             was to rid China of the foreign menace. The boxers were different from .

             most other rebels of their time. They would conduct public physical .

             exercises that were supposed to make a magical shield to protect one .

             against foreign bullets and shells. These looked similar to a boxers.

             training exercises so the westerners nicknamed the members of the .

             Society of Harmonious Fists "Boxers." Rather then using foreign .

             weapons, they relied on magical spirits and swords, knives, staves, .

             and polearms to drive the foreign devils from their precious home .

             country. The membership of this group consisted of mostly the .

             criminals, poor, and illiterate of China who wore a simple uniform .

             consisting of a red armband, sash, or waistcloth. These people truly .

             believed that magic would protect them, and help remove the foreigners .

             from China. That gave them enough confidence to try to destroy the .

             foreigners. Missionaries were killed, railroads were destroyed, and .

             churches were burned all in the name of independence from foreign .