Chinese Boxing- A Play by Mark Kitto

About

Chinese Boxing is an entertaining one-man play with a hard-hitting message about China and 'The West', inspired by the siege of the foreign diplomatic quarter, known as the Legations, in Peking during the Boxer Uprising in 1900 (as seen in the film '55 Days at Peking' with David Niven)

The play is set in 1912, the year of the foundation of the Republic of China. Sir Claude MacDonald, former British Minister to Peking, commander of the defence during the Siege and a China expert, prepares to give an illustrated lecture to your local branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.

To set the scene Sir Claude says he will 'take you back to Peking in 1900' and he may do just that, to the Imperial Palace, where you might even hear the story from the Chinese point of view while the battle rages right outside.

The ramifications and echoes of the Siege of the Legations, 'the most exciting episode ever known to civilization' according to contemporary newspapers, are still felt and heard today.