◎Early Modern History

After the Opium War in 1840,the great powers invaded China one after another,forcing the decaying Qing Dynasty to sign a series of unequal treaties,which made China a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.However,the people of Baoding never gave up their struggle and hope.

Boxer Uprising (Yihetuan Movement) in Baoding In the spring of 1900,the Boxer Uprising rose,and the anti-imperialist patriotic enthusiasm among the people of Baoding soared.In April,the Boxers of Laishui attacked a church and killed Yang Futong,a deputy general of the Qing government responsible for suppressing the Boxer Uprising.In May,the Boxers captured Zhuozhou City and demolished the railway from Liulihe to Zhuozhou.Zhang Decheng and Wang Decheng,leaders of Boxers in Baoding,even led the people to fight against the Eight-Nation Alliance’s invasion and defend Tianjin and Beijing.After the fall of Beijing,Boxers of Baoding still fought against the encirclement and suppression from foreign invaders and the Qing army in Baoding and the western mountainous areas.Although the Boxer Uprising finally failed,the Boxers’ anti-imperialist patriotic movement fully reflected the heroic and unyielding will and spirit of the people.

Xinhai Revolution (The Revolution of 1911) in Baoding In 1900,after Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing,armies of the invaders arrived in Baoding in succession.They committed rape,arson,murder everywhere on the pretext of searching for members of the Boxers.Taking open spaces in the city as execution grounds,they killed a lot of innocent people.After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895,the Qing Dynasty further bowed its knees to the great powers while cruelly suppressed the people’s movements,which aroused great indignation among the people of the whole country.At that time,Baoding became one of the important origins of the Revolution of 1911 in the north of China.The revolutionary thoughts were first spread among schools.Wu Yue,a student of Zhili University,founded Zhili Vernacular Newspaper to publicize new ideas.Chen Youyun publicized revolutionary ideas among the students and developed members of Tong Meng Hui (China Federal Association) in Baoding.Hu Egong and others organized the“Gong He Hui”(China Republican Association) in Baoding.During that period,a number of progressive groups emerged in succession and became important revolutionary forces against imperialism and the Qing Dynasty in the north.They planned many revolutionary actions.Although they were eventually suppressed,they dealt a heavy blow to the reactionary rule of the Qing Dynasty and warlords and strongly supported the revolutionary struggle nationwide.