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The tumultuous period known as the Boxer Rebellion, alternatively termed the Boxer Uprising, Boxer Insurgency, or Yihetuan Movement, unfolded in China between 1899 and 1901. It marked a fervent anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian sentiment among the populace, particularly in Northern China. Led by the Militia United in Righteousness, colloquially known as the Boxers due to their proficiency in Chinese martial arts, this uprising bore witness to a confluence of social, political, and environmental grievances.

Following the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, apprehensions surged among villagers in North China concerning the encroachment of foreign spheres of influence. Moreover, resentment simmered against Christian missionaries, whose presence was intertwined with privileges granted by the ruling authorities. These missionaries were perceived as exploiting their status to conceal their proselytizing activities. The year 1898 saw Northern China grappling with a succession of natural disasters, including devastating floods and parching droughts along the Yellow River. The Boxers, attributing these calamities to foreign and Christian interference, commenced a campaign of violence across Shandong and the North China Plain from 1899 onwards. Their actions were marked by the destruction of foreign-owned infrastructure, such as railways, and the targeted assault or execution of missionaries and Chinese converts.