Journalists are supposed to cover the story, not become it. But in 1900, four ambitious American war correspondents, armed with pens, revolvers, and an appetite for front-page glory, did exactly that. In the desperate pursuit of a scoop deep inside Qing China, they stumbled into a rural village, provoked a sacred site, fired a gun, and, knowingly or not, sparked the chain reaction that helped ignite the Boxer Rebellion.
In this episode, we unravel the jaw-dropping tale of how yellow journalism, nationalist rage, cultural ignorance, and frontier bravado collided to fuel one of the most explosive anti-foreign uprisings of the 20th century. You'll meet the real-life characters behind the headlines, explore the murky events in Pingluo that escalated into nationwide chaos, and trace how history quietly buried the role of the American press in lighting the fuse.
Topics Covered:
The rise of the Boxer movement and anti-foreign resentment in Qing China
The cultural and spiritual motivations behind the Boxers' beliefs
How four U.S. reporters became catalysts for violence in Pingluo
The ripple effects that led to mass killings, the siege of Beijing, and foreign invasion
The lasting consequences of sensational journalism on war, imperialism, and memory
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