Since the year of Gengzi (1900), Tianjin has been experiencing severe drought for several months. A pig butcher even prayed for rain, but it didn't help at all. Following that, fires broke out one after another both inside and outside the city of Tianjin, with so many shops burned down in a single night that they were too numerous to count. Moreover, the fires occurred on the main streets, such as Fuyi Street, Guodian Street, Danzi Street, and Hebei Street. These places are the most bustling and prosperous areas of Tianjin, filled with wealthy merchants and a wide array of goods, with shops standing shoulder to shoulder, all of which were reduced to ashes. The total financial losses were at least a million taels. However, despite the heavy losses from the drought and fires, the lives of ordinary people were largely unaffected. But after the Dragon Boat Festival, the Boxer Movement began stirring up trouble, clashing with foreigners, and this time it escalated into violence.
In early February, reports emerged from places like Baoding, Zunhua, and Mianzhou in Zhili that some individuals claiming to be "Divine Masters" had emerged, specifically adopting children as disciples, teaching them incantations, claiming they could summon the protection of famous generals from previous dynasties, and training them in martial arts. They claimed that once trained to a certain level, they would become invulnerable to swords and arrows. Before long, belief spread among more people, including adult men, and in rural villages, eight or nine out of ten were believers. Initially, they referred to it as "Yihe Quan" (Righteous and Harmonious Fist). As more people joined, it spread across the three northern provinces, and the authorities barely intervened, leading to even more practitioners. Later, it was renamed "Yihe Tuan" (Boxer Society), and they were classified according to their level of training: those of higher rank wore a bagua (eight trigrams) sash across their chests, yellow cloth around their waists, and yellow bands on their legs; those of lower rank wore red cloth around their waists and red bands on their legs, practicing martial arts day and night. At that time, while the entire country seemed to be in a frenzy, there were no reports of them causing any trouble yet. Around March, news emerged of churches being burned in Zunhua.
In April, Baoding was really burning! Both the Catholic and Christian churches were burned to the ground. They also targeted the churchgoers, killing anyone they saw; at first, it didn't affect the Southerners, but later, because many Southerners worked for foreigners, they became increasingly resentful. The telegraph office, railway, and train stations were all connected to foreigners, so they became targets as well. They referred to Southerners as "Er Maozi" and others as "San Mao" or "Si Mao," categorizing them based on the work they did, with very few able to escape. The foreign Christians in Baoding were dealt with harshly, and when the Boxers felt there was nothing left to stir up, they began burning everything from Liulihe to Changxindian, Fengtai, and Luofa, all the way to Tianjin. At that time, it was just around the Dragon Boat Festival, and when they reached Tianjin, although they had become quite arrogant, they still did not dare to cause trouble openly.
In mid-May, the railways in Beijing were also burned by the Boxers. The foreigners immediately dispatched troops to Beijing to protect the embassy. Outside Dagu, warships from various countries began to arrive, and over three thousand soldiers were sent to Tianjin to prepare for the defense of the foreign concessions. At this time, the Chinese army also gradually arrived, but at first, everyone initially didn’t pay much attention. However, the foreigners were afraid that the Boxers would take the opportunity to sneak into the concession and set fires, so the defenses tightened; after ten o'clock each night, anyone without a pass couldn’t move freely, while everything else was similar to usual. Some timid people, fearing trouble, fled to the south early, and about 40% of the people fled, while the remaining individuals thought the Boxers were just a bunch of nobodies who wouldn’t amount to anything. Unexpectedly, they banded together, turning the joke into a serious threat, and in the end, it spiraled out of control!
At ten o'clock in the evening, fire suddenly broke out in Tianjin, when the Boxers burned down a church! There were three churches in total in Tianjin, and the priests had already fled the city. The church had been guarded by troops from Tianjin County, but it was burned to the ground that night. After the church was burned down, the atmosphere grew tense. The Boxers strutting around with no fear in the city and its outskirts. When officials and soldiers encountered them, they opted to steer clear of them.
The gentry and merchants wanted to ask the officials and soldiers for protection, but they had to offer bribes such as food supplies. The Boxers also spread rumors that they would torch the concessions on the night of the 19th, destroying the foreign buildings. As a result, the foreigners in the concessions were on high alert. By two o'clock that night, the Boxers indeed started fires in the areas of Chenjiagouzi and Zhufu Village. The clamor was deafening, and flames lit up the night; they tried to breach the concessions. The foreign troops, seeing they were not far away, fired cannon rounds to drive them back. While hundreds of Boxers were killed, many residents were caught in the crossfire, and it wasn't until dawn that things finally calmed down.
On the afternoon of the 20th, news came that fighting had broken out in Tanggu, and the officials and Boxers joined forces specifically to attack the foreigners. No one believed it, but it turned out to be true. That day, tensions escalated; people in the concessions were not allowed to go out, and those outside were not permitted to enter, resulting in nearly empty streets and shuttered shops.
On the afternoon of the 21st, cannon fire suddenly erupted, and the crack of rifle fire was as dense as beads on a string, with shells falling into the concessions. It was the officials and soldiers who were firing! Residents living there, if they knew anyone at the foreign firms, hurriedly took their families to seek refuge in the firm’s basements.
That night, the gunfire grew even more intense, and flames shot into the sky as foreign soldiers were burning down the Xian Nong Tan and the Lu Bao Railway Company, and the flames spread all the way to the concession archway. Just before dawn, the cannon fire shook continuously several times, and countless foreign and civilian homes were destroyed. Residents, helping the elderly and carrying young children, cried as they ran for their lives. The streets were filled with people, some even in disheveled clothing and barefoot, desperately trying to escape. Shells flew overhead, and bullets rained down like a torrential storm; occasionally, a shell would land and explode, and those hit either died or were injured. Therefore, the cries echoed loudly, and the scene was beyond words. Along the way, they encountered foreign soldiers checking passes; if they couldn't show one, they were labeled as spies and shot on the spot. Only members of the church could be spared. As a result, it's unclear how many civilians were killed. Those foreign buildings, which were usually said to be sturdy, could withstand the shelling, but the windows and roof tiles flew everywhere with the sound of cannons.
By dawn on the 25th, the gunfire gradually subsided, indicating that the troops were retreating to the west. However, from the 21st to the dawn of the 25th, the gunfire hadn't let up for a moment! Several foreign houses were destroyed.
Because cannons could only attack from a distance and could not shoot at close range, the shells flew overhead. Although one or two bombs did fall, they exploded into pieces and had little impact, causing minimal casualties. However, in the Haidao Road area, countless Chinese were killed by cannon fire; it was absolutely tragic!
On the 26th, although the sound of gunfire was less intense, it could still be heard intermittently. By the 27th, the gunfire had decreased further, and at 4 PM, foreign reinforcements arrived, causing the Qing army and the Boxers to retreat north. By evening, the gunfire had completely stopped. It is said that on the 24th, a foreign officer in the concession was shot dead by a Chinese with a handgun for unknown reasons. Since then, the concession prohibited Chinese people from entering; anyone caught entering would be shot. Many Chinese were unaware of this ban, and dozens were shot on the spot without warning. On the 26th, foreign soldiers attempted to hunt down Chinese hiding in various foreign firms, wanting to kill them all due to the shooting of the foreign officer. Later, the foreign firms made great efforts to protect them, thus avoiding a disaster. However, in the previous five days, thousands of Qing soldiers and Boxers had been killed by foreign soldiers!
General Nie Shicheng's troops made the foreigners very wary. During the battles, the foreigners remarked that, although the Qing army was large, they posed little threat; what was truly frightening was General Nie's troops. The Nie army was brave and always led the charge; even if those in front fell from gunfire, those behind would continue to charge forward. Their bravery was unmatched by any other troops. Therefore, since General Nie's army was defeated, the foreign soldiers' arrogance became even more brazen.
On the afternoon of the 28th, the sound of cannons boomed again, as the foreign soldiers pursued the Qing army. On the 29th, the foreign soldiers bombarded the Chinese naval base, but our troops did not retaliate. On the 30th, the foreign soldiers wanted to shell Tianjin city and also intended to send troops to occupy the city walls; however, they learned that there were still many officials and soldiers in the city, and they were too wary to attack for the moment. By June 1st, the foreign soldiers had breached the Haiguang Temple machine factory and then occupied it.
Tianjin also had an Eastern Depot, which was another machine factory that used to manufacture gunpowder, shells, and bullets.
On the second day of the first month, foreigners wanted to capture the East Bureau, but they had no effective plan. Thousands of soldiers were also stationed at the East Bureau, and if they bombarded with cannons, the East Bureau had too many explosives stored. In case they exploded together, the concession would remain in danger; if they sent troops to attack, there were also cannons in the East Bureau to fight back, and there would definitely be heavy casualties. After half a day of discussion, they still couldn't come up with a viable solution.
However, the foreigners felt that if they couldn't take down the East Bureau, the concession would not be safe. So they decided to send troops over and shoot from a distance with rifles. Surprisingly, the East Bureau refrained from returning fire, only using guns to retaliate. On the night of the second day, the Chinese soldiers retreated in defeat, with significant casualties, and the East Bureau eventually fell into the hands of the foreigners. The news of their victory spread through the concession, and the foreigners were all delighted, congratulating each other.
On the third day of the first month, the foreigners heard that the Beijing Imperial Commissioner had been killed, and they wanted to search for those responsible for the killing of Chinese people. Fortunately, various Western merchants said they had not received accurate information, so they escaped a disaster. By the morning of the fifth day, gunfire erupted again, as Chinese soldiers fired upon the concession while foreign soldiers bombarded Tianjin City with cannons. The gunfire did not stop until the evening.
However, the sound of rifle fire continued through the night. On the sixth day, the sound of gunfire sporadically continued, and by three o'clock in the afternoon, the officials and soldiers attacked the concession again, and the sound of gunfire resumed until the evening. Both sides suffered losses. At five o'clock in the morning on the seventh day, cannon fire was heard, followed by rifle fire in the afternoon, and a major battle broke out between the two sides. Suddenly, it started raining heavily in the afternoon, and both sides fought in the rain without rest, continuing until one o'clock in the middle of the night before ending. Numerous Western-style buildings were destroyed during this battle.
On the morning of the eighth day, both sides engaged in combat again until the afternoon. On the ninth day, foreign soldiers set their sights on powerful German-made cannons in the naval camp, wanting to claim them for themselves, so they specially sent troops to seize them, resulting in yet another significant battle that day. In the afternoon of the tenth day, both sides began long-range bombardment with large cannons. By the eleventh day, close-quarters combat resumed. On this day, Japanese soldiers also sent a large force to attack Tianjin City, but were defeated by Chinese forces, suffering significant casualties.
On the 12th, the foreign troops bombarded Tianjin with cannons, firing over a hundred shots. They climbed to high places and used telescopes to look into the city, and all they could see was dust swirling and flames shooting up. That day, the British also brought in eight large cannons, reportedly capable of leveling villages and city walls within a three-mile radius with just one shot. If they fired fifty shots across all of Tianjin, not a single tile would remain. The British soldiers had initially intended to fire several shots but were halted by Germany and Russia, resulting in only a few shots being fired. They stopped not because they felt sympathy for the Chinese, but because there were many businessmen from both countries doing business in Tianjin. If Tianjin suffered too much damage, their business would not only be ruined, but their future prospects would also be severely impacted, so they did everything they could to prevent that. That day, eight or nine undocumented Chinese individuals were also killed in the concession area.
On the 13th, the Chinese navy fiercely bombarded the concession with cannons—it was intense! The foreigners had other intentions and did not retaliate at all. By nightfall, with the soldiers at the rear and the Boxers at the front, they attacked the concession together. The foreigners resisted with rifles until dawn before stopping. According to statistics, over two thousand Boxers died, while the soldiers suffered very few casualties. The situation was like this: the soldiers despised the Boxers because they spread rumors and incited the populace, claiming they could dodge bullets, only to end up dying in battle; after the fighting started, the soldiers suffered many casualties, while the Boxers hid in the village and didn't dare to come out to fight. So the soldiers were enraged, searching for them everywhere, forcing them to be the vanguard in battle, or face merciless killing! The Boxers had no option but to charge forward recklessly. When they saw the foreign soldiers shooting, they knelt and prayed for protection. When the front line died, the ones behind were scared and wanted to run, which only infuriated the soldiers further, causing them to shoot at them. So that night, many Boxers died, but actually, many were killed by their own people, not all by the foreign soldiers.
On the 14th, the consuls from various countries sent a letter to Governor Yuxi, stating, "If you continue to bombard the concession, we will certainly retaliate by shelling Tianjin City!" Governor Yuxi's response was resolute.
That afternoon, two new cannons, known as "Lyddite guns," were shipped from England with immense destructive power! When fired, anyone within a hundred yards who smelled the gas would die immediately. This weapon was universally recognized as prohibited and had only been used once in Africa before. After receiving Governor Yuxi's response, the foreigners promptly dispatched troops from Japan, Germany, and Russia—totaling eight thousand men—to attack Tianjin City from two directions. The overconfident Japanese soldiers charged in, ultimately stepping on landmines, resulting in six to seven hundred casualties.
On the second day, the 15th, Western soldiers began bombarding with artillery, using all kinds of cannons, totaling about four to five hundred. Yuzhi, the commander, saw that the Chinese troops defending the city could no longer hold their ground, so he had to lead everyone to retreat north. The Japanese troops subsequently took control of the west gate of Tianjin City. The naval battalion also faltered under continuous artillery bombardment and retreated. The armies of Germany and Russia then entered through the east gate.
By the 16th, inside and outside Tianjin City, there was no trace of the Chinese army. There were dead bodies everywhere in the city, and the buildings had been reduced to rubble. Moreover, due to the Western soldiers' use of poison gas artillery, many of the deceased had no wounds on their bodies. After the artillery shells landed, green gas would emerge, and those who inhaled it through their nostrils were completely unaware of how they had perished. Even three hours after the city was breached, Western soldiers saw some Chinese soldiers standing against the wall with guns in hand, their eyes wide open as if they were about to shoot. But upon closer inspection, they realized these soldiers had succumbed to poisoning, just leaning against the wall so they did not fall down. The potency of the poison gas artillery was genuinely horrifying!
Among the various armies attacking the city, Japanese troops were the bravest, hence they suffered the most casualties. This was because when the Japanese troops first arrived, some foreign soldiers perceived them as diminutive and did not have a majestic appearance, so they looked down on them a bit; the Japanese troops were eager to assert their prowess before the international community, but it was also thanks to the help of the poison gas artillery that they were able to seize the initiative.
From the east gate to the drum tower, the city remained largely intact; the south and north gates were also hardly damaged; only the west gate had piles of dead bodies and only about ten to twenty percent of the buildings were left standing. Because the Western soldiers entered through the west gate, it suffered the most damage. The streets outside the city were not entirely devastated, but suffered approximately forty percent damage. Residents and storefronts displaying the phrase "Great Japanese Subjects" were granted protection by the Japanese troops.
On the 17th, foreign troops looted wealthy households and pawnshops within and around Tianjin, looting the silver held in various government offices. On the 18th, the foreign soldiers posted a notice to pacify the people, and the city began to calm down somewhat.
From Majiakou to the French Concession, a once-thriving area filled with tall buildings now lies in ruins. Not a single building remains. From the French Concession to Tianjin city, there used to be shops and houses, but after the war, only rubble remained, leaving a scene of utter devastation. Even two miles beyond Zhakou, not a single intact building could be found. Fortunately, the Customs Road above Zhakou, Dongxin Street, Gongnan, Gongbei, all the way to Guodian Street, remained unharmed. Starting from the end of Guodian Street to Gueyi Street, all the way to Zhenshi Street, everything was burned down. Guyi Street was lined with prosperous shops, including well-known establishments like Wuhua Building, Bowei Foreign Firm, Ruilinxiang, Longju, Hengli, Hongxing Building, Qingxiangyuan, Yichengwen, Chengwenyi, Chengheyi, etc., each with significant capital ranging from three to four million, or tens of thousands, or even just tens of thousands, all reduced to ashes.
Just think about it, a once-prosperous and beautiful place now lies in chaos and ruins. Those who care cannot help but hate those incompetent villains who betray the nation! Think about it, a place that was once so beautiful, now turned into a pile of rubble; who wouldn't feel a deep sense of heartbreak? Those who sincerely work for the country, seeing this scene, how can they not hate those who harm the nation and the people?
