The Boxer rebellion targeted foreign and Chinese Christians. Beginning in 1899, Boxers spread violence across Shandong and the North China Plain, attacking or murdering Christian missionaries and Chinese Christians. They decided the "primary devils" were the Christian missionaries, and the "secondary devils" were the Chinese converts to Christianity. Both had to recant or be driven out or killed. Boxers burned Christian churches, killed Chinese Christians and intimidated Chinese officials who stood in their way. Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic missionaries and their Chinese parishioners were massacred throughout northern China, some by Boxers and others by government troops and authorities. Yuxian implemented a brutal anti-foreign and anti-Christian policy. The Baptist Missionary Society, based in England, opened its mission in Shanxi in 1877. In 1900 all its missionaries there were killed, along with all 120 converts. By the summer's end, more foreigners and as many as 2,000 Chinese Christians had been put to death in the province. Journalist and historical writer Nat Brandt has called the massacre of Christians in Shanxi "the greatest single tragedy in the history of Christian evangelicalism." During the Boxer Rebellion as a whole, a total of 136 Protestant missionaries and 53 children were killed, and 47 Catholic priests and nuns, 30,000 Chinese Catholics, 2,000 Chinese Protestants, and 200 to 400 of the 700 Russian Orthodox Christians in Beijing were estimated to have been killed. Collectively, the Protestant dead were called the China Martyrs of 1900.
The Boxer rebellion targeted foreign and Chinese Christians Beginning in 1899 Boxers spread violence across Shandong and the North China Plain attacking or murdering Christian missionaries and Chinese Christians They decided the "primary devils" were the Christian missionaries and the "secondary devils" were the Chinese converts to Christianity Both had to recant or be driven out or killed Boxers burned Christian churches killed Chinese Christians and intimidated Chinese officials who stood in their way Orthodox Protestant and Catholic missionaries and their Chinese parishioners were massacred throughout northern China some by Boxers and others by government troops and authorities Yuxian implemented a brutal anti-foreign and anti-Christian policy The Baptist Missionary Society based in England opened its mission in Shanxi in 1877 In 1900 all its missionaries there were killed along with all 120 converts By the summer's end more foreigners and as many as 2000 Chinese Christians had been put to death in the province Journalist and historical writer Nat Brandt has called the massacre of Christians in Shanxi "the greatest single tragedy in the history of Christian evangelicalism" During the Boxer Rebellion as a whole a total of 136 Protestant missionaries and 53 children were killed and 47 Catholic priests and nuns 30000 Chinese Catholics 2000 Chinese Protestants and 200 to 400 of the 700 Russian Orthodox Christians in Beijing were estimated to have been killed Collectively the Protestant dead were called the China Martyrs of 1900