500 



The National Geographic Magazine 



that there is a fair prospect of the in- 

 crease of Japanese influence in China 

 as a result of her increased prestige. 



China is a vast country of twenty-six 

 times the size of Japan in area.* Its 

 population, which is eight times that of 

 Japan, is described by some writers as 

 being conspicuously marked by the ab- 

 sence of patriotism and cohesion and 

 by its extreme conservatism. The gov- 

 ernment is strongly decentralized, only 

 a feeble and limited power being actu- 

 ally wielded by the central authorities. 



China has long remained insensible 

 to foreign influences. She has had a 

 number of severe trials during her long 

 intercourse with the western nations, 

 but all the earlier complications appear 

 to have had the effect of making her 

 more repugnant to western intimacy. 

 The process of the awakening of China 

 has indeed been long and tedious. The 

 result of the Japan-China war of 1894 

 sharply stung her pride, but the effect 

 was only temporary, and she was fast 

 falling back to her old, sweet slumber. 

 But the capture of Kiaochow by Ger- 

 many as the price of the massacre of 

 two missionaries ; the seizure of Port 

 Arthur and Talien-Wan by Russia ; the 

 lease of Wei-hai-wai and extension of 

 the Kowlung concession by Great Brit- 

 ain ; the acquisition of Kwang-Chow 

 Bay by France, and other great events 

 which followed in succession soon after 

 the Japan-China war were a little too 

 much even for the peaceful and patient 

 Chinamen. "The worm turns," indeed. 

 These severe stings finally aroused the 

 patriotism of the people to such in- 

 tensity that it soon degenerated into a 

 general anti-foreign movement. The 

 consequence was the event of 1900 — 

 known as the "Boxer Trouble" — by 

 which China added the most unique 

 chapter to the history of the world. 

 The foreign legations in Peking were 

 besieged and attacked by the regular 

 troops of China, all the communica- 

 *Area of— Sq. miles. 



Japan 162,000 



China 4,218,000 



United States 3,507,640 



tions with the outside world were en- 

 tirely cut off during nearly three 

 months, while the interior of the Em- 

 pire was swept by the same anti-foreign 

 tidal wave. 



The Powers sent expeditionary forces 

 to Peking for the relief of their repre- 

 sentatives and people. After a series of 

 severe fighting, the foreign troops took 

 possession of China's capital. The im- 

 perial family fled in confusion to 

 Shansi, a town far out in the interior of 

 China and beyond the reach of the 

 foreign troops. The allied foreign 

 forces made a triumphal march through 

 the imperial palaces, and the city of 

 Peking, together with the territory 

 along the lines of communications to 

 the sea, was placed under foreign mili- 

 tary government. Palaces were oc- 

 cupied by foreign troops, looted and 

 destroyed and the lives and property of 

 the Chinese were placed in the most 

 hazardous position. A joint conference 

 of the Powers was held and the famous 

 Peking Protocol was signed on Sep- 

 tember 7, 1901 — the terms having been 

 literally dictated. An enormous in- 

 demnity was imposed upon China and 

 within a distance of a rifle shot from 

 the Imperial palace, the real abode of 

 the Great Son of Aeoru and reigning 

 sovereign of China, a strong fortifica- 

 tion called "Legation Quarter" was 

 thrown up for the residence of foreign 

 ministers and people and was strictly 

 guarded by foreign troops. 



This was a very severe lesson for 

 China. For the first time in her his- 

 tory, China was made to really feel 

 foreign influences. Reform decrees 

 were issued one after the other. Stu- 

 dents began to be sent abroad in search 

 of western knowledge. China was 

 awakening. 



Just at this juncture, another daz- 

 zling event transpired in the territory 

 of China, right under the nose of the 

 Pekinese — that is, the Japan-Russian 

 war. The Chinese watched this gi- 

 gantic struggle with the keenest inter- 

 est. The superiority of the western 



