Boxer

“Boxers” was a name that foreigners gave to a Chinese secret society known as the Yihequan (“Righteous and Harmonious Fists”). The group practiced certain boxing and calisthenic rituals in the belief that this made them invulnerable. It was thought to be an offshoot of the…

…band of people called the Yihequan (“Righteous and Harmonious Fists”), who believed that a mysterious boxing art rendered them invulnerable to harm. The group’s origin is generally supposed to have been in the White Lotus sect, though it may have begun as a self-defense organization during the Taiping Rebellion. At…

…be known as the “Boxers”), and foreigners and Chinese Christian converts were killed. This led to the outbreak of what became known as the Boxer Rebellion, which eventually spread to Beijing.

…the main instigators of the Boxers—members of a secret society known as the Yihequan—who lead the fighting. The political representatives of 11 countries are living in a compound within Peking but are hopelessly outgunned by the Boxers. Nevertheless, the British representative, Sir Arthur Robertson (David Niven), persuades the others to…