Old photos: Beijing in 1900 under the lens of the German army, Qing army officers were arrested, and were the common people arrested young men?

A horse-drawn carriage on the streets of Beijing. The last years of the Qing Dynasty were a historical stage characterized by internal and external troubles and disasters. Because of the popularity of photography, people used cameras to capture real scenes of that era. Today we publish a set of old photos taken in 1900 by German soldiers invading China, in Beijing, including the city appearance, people's lives and coalition activities.

Coalition officers and traders. On August 15, 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing. Prior to this, the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled, and the Qing army followed Huxi. The rich and powerful people in the city also ran away, leaving only the miserable civilians left. The coalition forces established the "Beijing Management Committee" to carry out colonial rule.

En Hai, who was arrested by German soldiers, was wearing shackles. Enhai was a member of the Zhengbai Banner of Manchuria and Zhang Jing of the Eighth Gun Division of the Shenji Battalion of the Qing Dynasty Imperial Guard. In June 1900, he shot and killed the German Minister to China Klind. After the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, the Japanese army captured Enhai and handed him over to the German army. On December 31 of the same year, he was beheaded by the German army at the place where Klind died in Dongdan Archway. Eunhae is 25 years old this year and looks like 52 years old.

The German troops marched near the south entrance of the Great Wall. After the Eight-Power Allied Forces occupied Beijing, the German army continued to advance westward and invaded Shanxi. At this time, there were no Qing troops stationed near the Great Wall, and they encountered only slight resistance on the way into Shanxi. Please note that in the red box in the photo, a German soldier is urinating against the wall.

The main gate of the outer city is Yongding Gate. In the photo, there are signs of damage to both the city tower and the archery tower. The British army dug open the west side of the city wall under the Yongding Gate Tower and built a railway to the west gate of the Temple of Heaven to facilitate the transportation of supplies by train.

Under the supervision of French soldiers, coolies are eating. During the invasion of China, the Eight-Power Allied Forces forced ordinary people and captured Qing soldiers to serve as coolies, transporting weapons, grain, wounded soldiers, and looted property. The British army even formed an army composed of Chinese people in Shandong and fought for them when they attacked Tianjin and Beijing.