Beleaguered in Peking

In June 1900, the violently nationalistic Boxer rebels invaded China’s capital city with cries of ‘Kill kill, burn burn!’ They were determined to kill all foreigners and destroy all things foreign, and the non-Chinese in the city along with hundreds of Chinese Christians, fled to the walled Foreign Legation Quarter, where they mount a desperate 55-day stand against seemingly insurmountable odds. In this first-hand account, American doctor Robert Coltman takes us inside the besieged legations, describes the diplomatic missteps, daring sorties, broken friendships and international camaraderie under fire