Mu Mo (German plenipotentiary), Qi Gan (Austrian plenipotentiary), Yao Shi Deng (Belgian plenipotentiary), Ge Luo Gan (Japanese plenipotentiary), Rou Ke Yi (American plenipotentiary), Bao Wo (French plenipotentiary), Sa Dao Yi (British plenipotentiary), Sa Er Wa Ge (Italian plenipotentiary), Xiao Cun Shou Tai Lang (Japanese plenipotentiary), Ke Luo Bo (Dutch plenipotentiary), Ge Er Si (Russian plenipotentiary), and our Qing Dynasty's Prince Qing and Li Hongzhang convened today to discuss this matter and ultimately reached the conclusion that: According to the document dated December 22, 1900 (Western calendar), which corresponds to the first day of the eleventh month in the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu, on December 27, 1900 (Western calendar), or the sixth day of the eleventh month in the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu, it received the Qing Emperor's approval, and this matter is now considered satisfactorily resolved, leaving everyone satisfied.
(Attachment 1)
Article 1
1. Regarding the murder of Minister Ke, the German plenipotentiary, a decree was issued earlier on June 9 of this year (Western calendar), corresponding to April 23 in the lunar calendar:
(Attachment 2)
The Emperor dispatched Prince Chun, Zai Feng, as a special envoy to the German Emperor to express the Qing Emperor's and the nation's condolences. Prince Chun has already departed from Beijing on July 12 of this year (Western calendar), which corresponds to May 27 in the lunar calendar, as per the imperial edict. Additionally, the Qing Dynasty has announced plans to erect a monument at the murder site, in accordance with the rank of the minister, inscribed with the Qing Emperor's sorrow over this murder, written in both Latin and Chinese characters. Previously, on July 22 of this year (Western calendar), which corresponds to June 7 in the lunar calendar, the Qing plenipotentiary minister had already negotiated with the German plenipotentiary minister.
(Attachment 3)
Now, a large archway has been constructed at the murder site, which commenced construction on June 25 (Western calendar), corresponding to May 10 in the lunar calendar.
Next, let's talk about the punishment for the main culprits who harmed the people of our nation. On February 13 and 21 of this year (Gregorian calendar), which corresponds to the 25th day of the 12th lunar month last year and the 3rd day of the 1st lunar month this year, the Emperor has issued successive decrees convicting them, with the specific charges as follows:
(Attachments 4, 5, 6)
Princes Zaiyi and Zailan have both been sentenced to death, with execution suspended. However, if the Emperor chooses to show mercy, they may be exiled to Xinjiang, where they will be imprisoned for life without the possibility of commutation. Prince Zhaoxun, the Left Minister of the Censorate, Yingnian, and the Minister of Justice, Zhao Shuqiao, have all been sentenced to death. The Governor of Shanxi, Yuxian, the Minister of Rites, Qixiu, and the Right Vice Minister of Justice, Xu Chengyu, have been sentenced to immediate execution. The Assistant Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel, Gangyi, Grand Secretary Xu Tong, and former Governor of Sichuan, Li Bingheng, have all passed away, and their official positions have been revoked. Additionally, the Minister of War, Xu Yongyi, the Minister of Revenue, Lishan, the Left Vice Minister of Personnel, Xu Jingcheng, the Cabinet Scholar and Minister of Rites, Lian Yuan, and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Yuan Chang, who were persecuted last year for their strong opposition to those egregious illegal acts, were reinstated to their official positions by the Emperor on February 13 of this year (which is the 25th day of the 12th lunar month last year) to clear their names.
Prince Zhaoxun committed suicide on February 21 of this year (which is the 3rd day of the 1st lunar month); Yingnian and Zhao Shuqiao committed suicide on February 24 (which is the 6th day of the 1st lunar month). Yuxian was executed on February 22 (which is the 4th day of the 1st lunar month); Qixiu and Xu Chengyu were executed on February 26 (which is the 8th day of the 1st lunar month). On February 13 of this year (which is the 25th day of the 12th lunar month last year), the Emperor issued a decree to dismiss Gansu Governor Dong Fuxiang, with additional punishment to be determined after the charges are confirmed. On April 19, June 3, and August 19 of this year (which corresponds to the 11th day of the 2nd lunar month, the 17th day of the 4th lunar month, and the 6th day of the 7th lunar month), the Emperor issued a series of decrees punishing all provincial officials who confessed to their guilt in last summer's tragic incident.
On August 19 of this year (which is the sixth day of the seventh month in the twenty-seventh year of the lunar calendar), the Emperor issued an edict suspending the examinations for civil and military officials for five years due to the locations where foreigners were murdered and mistreated in the towns. Due to the murder of Japanese Embassy Secretary Sugiyama Akira, the Qing Emperor, to demonstrate his concern, issued a decree on June 18, 1909 (which is the third day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar), sending Deputy Minister of Revenue Na Tong as a special envoy to the Emperor of Japan to express condolences on behalf of the Qing Emperor and the state.
Subsequently, the Qing government agreed to erect monuments at the graves that had been desecrated and disturbed in various countries to signify the cleansing and washing away of shame. This matter was discussed and agreed upon with the plenipotentiaries of various countries, with the monuments to be erected by the embassies of each country, while the costs for erecting the monuments would be covered by the Chinese government: ten thousand taels of silver for each grave in the Beijing area and five thousand taels for graves in the provinces. All these payments have been made. A list of the graves for which monuments were erected is attached later.
Then, the Qing government agreed to prohibit the import of firearms and materials for their manufacture into China. On August 17, 1901 (the fourth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar), the Qing Emperor issued a decree prohibiting imports for two years, and if the countries deemed it necessary to continue the prohibition, they could issue a decree to extend this ban.
Finally, the Qing Emperor agreed to pay customs duties of four million five hundred thousand taels to be paid to various countries. This amount represents the total compensation stipulated in Article 2 of the treaty dated December 22, 1900 (the first day of the eleventh month in the twenty-sixth year of the Guangxu era) for personnel from various countries and the Chinese people.
(A) This four million five hundred thousand taels of silver, when converted to gold at the then-current international exchange rate, is detailed below: one tael of customs silver is equal to 3.055 marks in Germany, 3.595 crowns in Austria, 0.742 dollars in the United States, 3.5 francs in France, 3 shillings in the United Kingdom, 1.407 yen in Japan, 1.0796 florins in the Netherlands, and 1.412 rubles in Russia (one ruble in Russia is equivalent to 17.424 kopecks in avoirdupois measure). This four million five hundred thousand taels of silver, calculated at an annual interest rate of 4 cents, will be repaid by China over 39 years, according to the table in Appendix 13, on an annual basis.
The principal and interest of this debt will be paid in gold, or exchanged into gold according to the market exchange rate on the repayment date. Repayment will commence on January 1, 1902, and conclude in 1940. Repayment will be made annually, with the first repayment date set on January 1, 1902. Interest will be calculated from July 1, 1901. However, China can also defer the payment of interest for the first six months from July 1 to December 31, 1901, and repay it within three years starting from January 1, 1902, but the deferred interest will be calculated at an annual rate of 4%. Interest will be paid every six months, with the first payment date set on July 1, 1902.
(B) All matters related to this debt will be handled in Shanghai. Each country will send a bank director to Shanghai to collaborate with Chinese officials to receive and distribute all repayments of principal and interest. Should any interference occur, the bank will issue a receipt.
(C) China will hand over all promissory notes to the foreign ministers of the countries represented in Beijing for safekeeping. These promissory notes will later be divided into smaller denominations, each bearing the signature and seal of a Chinese special envoy. The aforementioned bank directors should manage this work and the distribution of promissory notes in accordance with the instructions from their respective governments.
(D) The funds for repaying the promissory notes must be submitted to the bank directors for safekeeping on a monthly basis.
As for raising the import tax to five percent of the value of the goods, all countries have now agreed, but there are two conditions:
First, the current import tax collected based on valuation must be changed to a per-item collection method as soon as feasible. After the change, the standard for estimating the value of goods will be based on the average prices of various goods upon unloading in 1897, 1898, and 1899, that is, the market price excluding import tax and miscellaneous fees. Before the change, the tax will continue to be collected based on the original valuation. In simple terms, this means changing from taxing based on valuation to taxing per item, and in the future, the valuation will be based on the average price of goods in 1897-1899. Before the change, the old method will still be used.
Second, improvements must be made to both the Beihai and Huangpu Rivers, and the Chinese government will allocate funds to help. The tax increase will take effect two months after the signing of this treaty. Except for goods already on the way within ten days after the signing date, all other goods will no longer be exempt from tax. In other words, improvements to the waterways are necessary; the tax increase will be implemented two months after signing, and goods already on the way within ten days after signing will be exempt.
Article VII: The Qing government agrees to demarcate the boundaries of each country's embassy for exclusive use and residence, to be managed by the embassies themselves. Chinese nationals are prohibited from residing within embassy boundaries, and the embassies can also defend themselves. The specific boundaries are detailed on the map in Appendix XIV. In other words, embassies have their own territory, Chinese nationals are not allowed in, and the embassies are responsible for security.
The line on the east side is marked with numbers such as "ten," "eleven," "twelve" on the map; the line on the north side is marked with numbers such as "five," "six," "seven," "eight," "nine," "ten" on the map; the line on the west side is marked with numbers such as "one," "two," "three," "four," "five" on the map; the line on the south side is marked with numbers such as "ten," "two," "one" on the map; this line traces the remnants along the southern side of the city wall, following the battlements. On January 16, 1901, which corresponds to November 26 of the previous year in the Chinese lunar calendar, in the terms appended to that document, the Chinese government agreed to allow each country to send troops to secure their embassy.
In accordance with the terms of the document dated January 16, 1901, which falls on the 26th day of the 11th month in the lunar calendar, the Chinese government agrees to jointly determine the locations where troops from various countries are stationed to ensure that the passage from Beijing to the sea will not be interrupted. The current troop locations are Huangcun, Langfang, Yangcun, Tianjin, Junliangcheng, Tanggu, Lutai, Tangshan, Luanzhou, Changli, Qinhuangdao, and Shanhaiguan. The Qing government will issue the following edicts over the next two years across various prefectures, departments, states, and counties: First, on February 1, 1901, which corresponds to the 13th day of the 12th month of the previous year in the Chinese lunar calendar, it is strictly forbidden to collude with the enemies of any nation, and those who violate this will face execution. (Appendix Fifteen) Second, on an unspecified date in the Western calendar, which corresponds to an unspecified date in the lunar calendar, an edict details the punishment methods for various crimes. Third, on an unspecified date in the Western calendar, which corresponds to an unspecified date in the lunar calendar, it stipulates that if foreigners are harmed or mistreated in any town, that town must cease all civil and military examinations. Well, on the first day of the second month of this year, which corresponds to the 13th day of the 12th month of the previous year in the Chinese lunar calendar, officials in each province, both civil and military, are responsible for ensuring the safety of their regions! If any harm comes to foreigners again or if treaties are violated, it must be addressed immediately; otherwise, their official positions will be revoked, and there will be no negotiations or rewards! (Appendix Sixteen) This imperial decree has been disseminated nationwide.
Next, let's talk about Article 11. The Qing Dynasty agrees to discuss changes to the commercial treaties as requested by each country, as well as matters related to trade, in order to make things simpler and more convenient. According to the compensation agreement in Article 6, China is responsible for improving the waterways of the Beihe River and the Huangpu River. How will this be done? First, the river channel rehabilitation of the Beihe River began in 1898, and the foreign officials working with China have already sent people to carry out repairs. Once the affairs in Tianjin are handed back to us, China will send people to work with the foreigners. China will allocate 60,000 taels of silver annually from customs to pay the engineering team's wages. Second, a River Management Bureau has been established for the Huangpu River, responsible for the rehabilitation of the river channel. The people in this bureau represent both China and foreign countries, maintaining the commercial interests of Shanghai. This bureau is expected to spend 460,000 taels of silver each year for the next twenty years. This money will be shared equally, with China contributing half and the foreign participating countries contributing the other half. The specific powers, responsibilities, and income details of this bureau are outlined in the following documents. (Attachment 17)
Finally, let's discuss Article 12. On July 24 of this year, which corresponds to our June 9, it was announced that the Office of the General Affairs of All Nations would be renamed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, moving it ahead of the six ministries as requested by the countries. This edict has appointed the ministers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Attachment 18)
Now, let's rephrase this in modern spoken Chinese. First, regarding the etiquette for the audience of the envoys from various countries, we have all discussed it, and the plenipotentiary minister of China has issued several letters of notification, with the specific content clearly outlined in the following Attachment 19.
Next, I need to clarify that all the content mentioned above, as well as the documents later issued by the plenipotentiaries of various countries, are based on the French text. The Qing Dynasty completed all matters as mentioned above on December 21, 1900 (the first day of the eleventh month of the 26th year of Guangxu), satisfying the demands of various countries, which allows China to resolve the situation resulting from the disturbances of the summer of 1900, and the various countries have consented. Therefore, the plenipotentiaries from each country, acting under the authority of their respective governments, declare: except for the troops stationed at the embassies as stated in Article 7, all other foreign troops will withdraw from Beijing on a specified date in a specified month of 1901 (which corresponds to a specified date in a specified month of the Chinese lunar calendar).
Except for the places mentioned in Article 9, foreign troops will also withdraw from Zhili Province on a specified date in a specified month of 1901 (which corresponds to a specified date in a specified month of the Chinese lunar calendar). We have now drafted the above terms into twelve identical copies, signed by the plenipotentiaries from each country, with each plenipotentiary retaining one copy and the Chinese plenipotentiary retaining one copy as well.
Signed in Beijing on the [specific day] of [specific month], 1901.
On the [specific day] of [specific month], in the 27th year of Guangxu.
