What 1900 Chinese uprising targeted foreign influence?

The 1900 Chinese uprising that targeted foreign influence was the Boxer Rebellion. Also called the Boxer Uprising or Yihetuan Movement, it began in northern China amid intense resentment of foreign political, economic, religious, and military power.

The Boxers were members of an anti-foreign movement whose followers practiced martial arts; English observers called these practices “Chinese boxing.” Many villagers opposed foreign concessions, Christian missionaries, railway construction, and the growing protection given to Chinese converts. Droughts, floods, and economic hardship deepened the anger.

In 1900, the movement spread toward Beijing. The Qing court eventually supported the Boxers and declared war on foreign powers, prompting an international expedition known as the Eight-Nation Alliance. The alliance captured Beijing and defeated the uprising. The conflict formally ended with the Boxer Protocol, signed in 1901, which imposed heavy penalties on China.

A common mix-up is confusing the Boxer Rebellion with the Taiping Rebellion. The Taiping movement was a much earlier civil war, lasting from 1850 to 1864, and sought to overthrow the Qing dynasty rather than primarily oppose foreign influence.