Boxer Rebellion Research Paper

Rebellions and insurgent groups are a reoccurring phenomenon in world history. Bands of men, patriotic to a cause, standing up against their governments and people they feel threatened by are truly some of the most interesting cases to study. Each case is different and has its own story to tell. In China, during the late 1800’s and very early 1900’s, many martial arts groups were forming in order to protect their towns and villages against banditry. The ideology of these groups was strongly influenced by Chinese religious ideals. China throughout the centuries has been exposed to millions of ideas from people all over the globe about human life, true existence, and what comes after. This religious culture has shaped every facet of Chinese life …show more content…
Popular Religion and Taoist Magic
Throughout the centuries, China has been introduced to millions of ideas about human life and what comes after. Popular Religion refers to the beliefs and religious practices that belonged to all Chinese people, regardless of social status, gender, economic position, or religious affiliation. Popular Religion was made available to everyone in China and was practiced by virtually everyone. The practices went alongside the three main Chinese religious philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. This meant that, for example, a Taoist man could also engage in the same popular religion practices that a Buddhist man did and vice versa. According to historian Joseph Esherick, “at the village level, the sharp boundaries between the ‘secular’ and the ‘sacred’ to which modern Westerners are accustomed, simply did not exist.” Popular Religion taught about ancestor worship, yearly festivals, funeral rites and rituals, filial piety, exorcisms, and the procedures for visiting graves. In Popular Religion, it was believed that there was an …show more content…
The word tao can be translated to mean “road” or the “way.” Taoists believe that tao is the only substance and that it is the “totality of all things whatsoever. Taoism, put broadly, is a system of practices and beliefs that encourage one to find their way to gaining acceptance of their true place in nature. “The religious quest is for liberation of the spiritual element of the ego from physical limitations, so that it may enjoy immortality or at least longevity.” The act of each person individually finding their own peace would grant them the power to transcend above all things physical and spiritual.
I have heard that one who is good at taking care of his life will not encounter wild bulls or tigers when traveling by land, and will not [be wounded] by weapons when in the army. [in his case] wild bulls will find no place in which to thrust their horns, tigers no place in which to put their claws, and weapons no place in which to insert their points. And why? Because in him there is no place of

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