After enduring a number of harsh setbacks including war and natural disaster, Chinese peasants in the late 19th century began an anti-colonial, anti-Christian uprising that grew and became known as the Boxer Rebellion (the Chinese militia practiced Chinese martial arts like kung fu which was known at the time as “Chinese boxing”, hence why they were referred to as “Boxers”). Gene Luen Yang captures the broad strokes of the historical event, from the Boxers’ perspective, in this book.
Yang’s comic is a compelling blend of historical fact and magical realism told in an accessible style that both informs and entertains. What’s most impressive about the book is that it tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the Boxer Rebellion without ever coming across as pedantic or instructional - you unconsciously learn simply through reading the story. It’s a great example of the “show, don’t tell” dictum.
Through the main character of Little Bao you learn why the Chinese came to despise the Christians and the foreign powers, how the Boxers’ cause had its roots in Chinese mythology and incorporated kung fu, and the extremes the movement went to as it gained momentum. Although, it is meant to be somewhat one-sided as the story is told from Bao/the Boxers’ perspective (the companion book, Saints, I guess provides the other perspective for balance - I haven’t read it yet), so take it with a pinch of salt, but it at least provides an understanding of why these people felt they needed to do what they did.
That said, Yang doesn’t shy away from showing the horrible cost of war to both sides and in particular the despicable things Bao ends up doing in the name of patriotism. I liked that our sympathetic main character becomes far less sympathetic over time and that he wasn’t some one-dimensional hero but a complex person prone to bad decisions like anyone.
As much as I appreciated the ease with which Yang communicated historical facts, I think this was also the book’s weak point too in regard to certain parts. Bao begins having visions of Ch’in Shih-huang, the first Emperor of China, and later receives a magical sword. What little I know about the Boxer Rebellion is that Chinese mythology did play a part in their ideology but I’m not sure if there was a leader like Bao in the movement or if he felt and thought the same things he did. If it’s Yang making it up for narrative reasons, should it have been included in a book as full of real history as this?
Similarly, there are some odd comedy and romance scenes that sit awkwardly amidst the brutality of what happened during the rebellion. I get that Yang’s trying to make the material more palatable to a wider audience but the effect is a little corny and Disney-fied which takes away from the authenticity of the story.
Speaking of Disney, the art and the way a lot of the material is handled is very deliberately done in a style to appeal to younger audiences but I also really enjoyed Yang’s art. Before battle, the Boxers go through a ritual to transform into (in their minds) Chinese gods, granting them superpowers and invulnerability, and the designs are beautifully detailed and brightly coloured by Lark Pien.
Parts of the book could’ve used a more intrusive omniscient narrator to include more historical facts, mainly to explain the weird magical realist stuff that seems to drive much of the action, but overall I really liked Boxers, which was informative, illuminating and very engaging. Written and drawn confidently and stylishly with great skill, Gene Luen Yang brings to life a part of Chinese history for a modern audience with this enthralling comic.
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