The much-studied 1900 Siege of Peking by the Boxers and the subsequent looting by foreign troops is here seen through the eyes of some of the besieged foreign women. Memoirs and diaries, and also some probably fictional accounts shed light on what happened, and also on uncharted heroisms, cruelties and misunderstandings related to the 1900 events and their aftermath. The enigmatic Empress Dowager is discussed in the epilogue. Black-and-white photographs, biographical summaries, bibliographies, and index.