"On 20 June 1900, Baron von Ketteler, the German Minister, was assassinated in a Peking Street. By 4pm the first shots fired into the legation quarter and the siege of foreigners by Boxers and imperial troops had begun." "Among the besieged were 148 women from America, Europe, Russia and Japan, and Maud, the Baron's American widow. What were their experiences and feelings? How did they cope with 79 children for two months, without enough to eat, often under fire? This book tells their story - of courage, grief, humour, friendship, ill-health and hard work - mostly through their own accounts. It identifies the women for the first time as individuals: missionary teachers and doctors, 'globe-trotters', and wives of diplomats, officials, railway engineers, merchants, bankers, and the owner of the Peking Hotel." "Most forgotten have been the hundreds of Chinese women refugees and their children, many badly injured and bereft. Their story contrasts with that of the Sisters of the Red Lantern who supported the Boxers with their magic in their struggle to rid China of foreigners. The Chinese ruler who loomed over these events, whether in charge or manipulated, was the Empress Dowager, Tz'u-hsi. Her relations with diplomatic wives allow fresh insights into what took place. They may well have affected later exchanges between China and the West."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved