The Boxer Rebellion: China's War on Foreigners, 1900

Fuelled by hatred of foreigners and all they stood for, the ferocious uprising of Chinese peasants and ensuing siege of Peking in the summer of 1900 sent shockwaves around the world. Diana Preston brings thundering to life this 55-day confrontation between the 'Boxers', so-called for their martial-arts skills, and the Westerners - such as the young Herbert Hoover - that they terrorised. Based on diaries, letters, memoirs and extensive research, this is a fast-paced and exciting narrative that skilfully captures the human interest, folly, irony and tragedy of this historic upheaval.