Book cover of The Origins of the Boxer Uprising

Book description

In the summer of 1900, bands of peasant youths from the villages of north China streamed into Beijing to besiege the foreign legations, attracting the attention of the entire world. Joseph Esherick reconstructs the early history of the Boxers, challenging the traditional view that they grew from earlier anti-dynastic sects,…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Origins of the Boxer Uprising as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

If the White Lotus marks the beginning of China’s rebellious nineteenth century, the Boxer Uprising (1900-1) emphatically brought it to its end. This account of the Boxers, written by scholar Joseph Esherick, although the oldest of the books recommended here, almost certainly served as their intellectual forerunner. Esherick’s iconoclastic approach upended traditional descriptions of the event and indeed transformed the way that scholars of China viewed rebellions as a whole. Moving away from the well-worn western perspective of the very missionaries and diplomats who were the targets of the anti-foreign, anti-Christian, and anti-modern movement, Esherick offers a richly textured description…

If you love The Origins of the Boxer Uprising...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like The Origins of the Boxer Uprising?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Origins of the Boxer Uprising.

Browse books like The Origins of the Boxer Uprising

Book cover of The White Lotus War: Rebellion and Suppression in Late Imperial China
Book cover of The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams, and the Making of Modern China
Book cover of Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

190

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like The Origins of the Boxer Uprising, you might also like...

Book cover of Broken Boots, Redeemed Soul: A Veteran’s War with Sin and Salvation

Broken Boots, Redeemed Soul: A Veteran’s War with Sin and Salvation by Brian Lofton,

Broken Boots, Redeemed Soul: A Veteran’s War with Sin and Salvation, is a raw and faith-centered memoir about life after military service—and the internal battles many never see. Brian Lofton shares his journey through addiction, shame, identity loss, and spiritual distance, revealing how the hardest struggles often begin after…

Book cover of No Color Is My Kind

No Color Is My Kind by Thomas R. Cole,

No Color is My Kind tells the stories of the desegregation of Houston, TX, in 1960, the life of civil rights leader Eldrewey Stearns, and the author's relationship to Stearns.

They met in a psychiatric case conference while Stearns was hospitalized at the University of Texas Medical Branch. After his…

5 book lists we think you will like!