There seems to be a lot of things to commemorate, which makes people feel dizzying, but there is one commemoration that all of us should not forget anyway, and that is the centenary of the Boxer Movement. The seemingly legitimate commemoration is next year, but in fact it is the day when the movement failed (1900). Many important events have taken place in modern China. Which one has the greatest influence on westerners? I'm afraid it can only be the boxer movement. At least at that time, China really became the focus of western media and ordinary people.

At this time a hundred years ago, the whole northern China was in a state of fanaticism. Every village has a boxing ring, and every family practices Shenquan. Boxers with red cloth heads and broadswords abound in the streets of Beijing and Tianjin. Even girls with little feet practice "red lanterns" and "black light" (it is said that red lanterns are practiced by girls and black light is practiced by adult women), and they dance guns and knives like men. Apart from some political and social factors, I am afraid the most important thing is its invulnerability. This kind of magic is not supported by modern science and is suspected of "feudal superstition". Secondly, they did nothing in front of foreigners' guns. Thirdly, they also affected the positive image of the Boxer Rebellion. Therefore, in many research works since the founding of the People's Republic of China, this kind of magical skill, which is ubiquitous in the actual boxer movement, has actually been avoided. Or a brush, or even a word, the traditional function of "hiding the saints" of historiography has been fully brought into play here.

What is the "invulnerability" of the boxer rebellion? In fact, this is an ancient "folk magic" in China. It can be seen from time to time in the official archives of suppressing rebels in Ming and Qing Dynasties, but the Boxer Rebels did "carry forward". It is impossible to reproduce the original appearance of history, but fortunately, it was only a hundred years after the incident, and the information at that time was still there, leaving many memories of the parties. It is not difficult to discuss this problem now. Analysis shows that there were at least four situations in which boxers were "invulnerable" at that time.

The first is the performance effect of hard qigong. There is indeed a kind of kung fu called "Iron Shirt" in China Wushu (for example, school children's kung fu, also called golden bell jar or golden bell buckle). This kind of kung fu is very difficult to practice, and it has to be polished and rubbed countless times every day, such as falling into a bunker from a bar, hitting the whole body with a barbell and hammer, soaking in a special potion, and being lucky to breathe. Even at night, you should sleep on a hardwood board, and nothing can be padded. Keep practicing for three to five years, and kung fu can be achieved. According to people in the martial arts circle, with preparation, ordinary cold weapons can resist, but muskets (even shotgun) are still difficult to resist. The Boxer Movement originated in Lu Zhi, the hometown of traditional martial arts. There are several Kung Fu masters and two seniors in the Boxer, such as the famous monk who is sincere in boxing, which is well documented as "full body qigong (Kung Fu)". Determined and Zhao Shuqiao, who were sent by the Western Pacific to check the authenticity of the "invulnerability" of the Boxer Rebellion, were once cheated by a big brother, so it is estimated that he is so gullible. As for why the bird milling can't penetrate his stomach, it may be that it tampered with the gunpowder.

The second case is a simple method that looks like hard qigong. At that time, almost all places were "invulnerable" fighters. How many people can really practice "iron shirts"? Most of them are cut corners quickly. It is an indisputable fact that the Broadsword Society in Southwest Shandong has a relationship with the Boxer Rebellion. On the eve of the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion, Ruan Zutang of Xuzhou Road sent someone to make an unannounced visit to the Broadsword Club. According to his report, the broadsword club has a so-called "golden bell jar" exercise. "When learning the law, the poor are not subject to the instrument, and the powerful are rewarded with six thousand in Beijing. Burn lamps and incense, and take new wells for it. Painted in white cloth, the characters are vulgar, and there are words such as Zhou, Peach Blossom Fairy, Golden Shield Armor and Golden Body Protection. Communicators can't write books or read books, so they send more people instead of writing books. In addition, he put a spell on him, read the spell and burned it. He washed his face and made him kneel down to drink, that is, he inhaled into the lamp and blew it all over his body, and then verbally attacked the used bricks and sticks. A machete can be used on the night of chanting, which means that a firearm can't be hurt when chanting for a long time. It's roughly like a method of luck. When you are angry, you can slam with a knife and drink the blade if you are slightly frustrated. " A complicated ceremony like this, burning lamps and incense, supplying well water, chanting and swallowing symbols, is actually to create a mysterious atmosphere and use "divine power" to help the poor, so the "magical effect" of the knife can be achieved on the day of chanting. In fact, this is just the "trick" of inheriting the professional master, that is, using the mechanical principle to make the knife cut just right without hurting the hand, and the operator actually has no strength, so a slight setback will change the stress angle and still hurt. Of course, people who really practice hard qigong are said to recite incantations, but others mainly practice. This simple method is the opposite.

The third situation is actually an extension of the second. In the heyday of the Boxer Rebellion, Boxers all over the country gave full play to the "people's initiative", greatly simplified the ceremony, and combined with witches and gods, immediately came to the gods, and nothing happened. In fact, boxers enter a certain qigong state when practicing martial arts, and they have a little martial arts background. If their temperament and psychological state are more compatible, they will easily enter this qigong state, and they will often have some extraordinary "abilities" after entering the state, such as jumping high and flying far. Coupled with the teacher's proper guidance and good luck, the knife can't be cut with the line of sight. At this time, the knife has been unable to cut. Of course, some people are not so good. According to the people at that time, boxers of the Boxer Rebellion went to the boxing arena, and many people would jump into a trance, foam at the mouth and be unconscious, as described by famous anthropologists Malinowski and Fraser, but there were also so-called "enlightened people" and "after the gods, they still had self-awareness and would not be in a coma". There is even the so-called "man of destiny", who "has something to do with God and gets something for nothing, but if he thinks enough, his God will fall". In fact, the "open-minded" and "marginal" States of the latter two are very poor. If you don't practice, something will happen. Therefore, at that time, there were often records of "losing your gun" and "losing your knife" in the boxer world, that is to say, when you practice at home, your knife and gun may also "enter".

The last situation of the Boxer Rebellion's invulnerability is actually pure Jianghu deception, which can also be said to be a kind of magic and trick. The Boxer Rebellion is a mixture of good and evil, and Jianghu artists naturally have to blend in. Originally used to resist or scare foreigners, the "invulnerability" spell has become a magic show here. Zou Weishan, the county magistrate during the Boxer period, recorded a "magic performance" of the Boxer in Shanhaiguan in Guan Yu Chronicle. According to his records, the scene at that time was quite sensational: "At that time, there were stories all over the street, and all the people saw them. They filled their chests with guns and guns. The Boxers stood a hundred paces away and hit each other with guns and marbles, but they didn't enter. Everyone was shocked and thought that they had not seen it. Those who went to the altar for advice entered the market. " The result of this vivid performance is very disappointing. Some people who don't support it were trapped on the spot. It turned out that the shooter secretly used "fragrant noodles as pills and rolled iron sand" as bullets in advance. When shooting, the pill turns into smoke, and the subject has iron marbles in his hand first. As soon as the gun goes off here, they pretend to catch the bullet quickly.

It should be said that these four kinds of "invulnerability" are similar to deception except the first one. None of the four kinds of "magic" can really be "invulnerability", but at that time, the whole country believed in it in a mess. Even when foreigners came in and the Boxer's "invulnerability" spell failed one after another in front of foreign guns, people still stubbornly believed it. At that time, an Englishman in China recorded such a thing, saying that even though his servants in China witnessed the process of the Boxer Rebellion shouting "invulnerability" and taking the lead, they still insisted that these people were not real Boxers, but the Boxer Rebellion was really invulnerable. The most ridiculous thing is that people who create this "myth" should know that their "magic" is not true, but when the whole society, from Lafayette to the villagers in the mountains, really believe in invulnerability, some people are a little confused, or confused, and actually believe that they can be invulnerable. At the climax of the Boxer Rebellion, the Boxer Rebellion's master, eldest brother and second brother frequently ran to the Qing army with foreign guns, demanding live demonstrations of "invulnerability" kung fu. They just stand up and ask people to fight with foreign guns. It's impossible not to fight. Of course, these "warriors" are all dead. What's more, some people even publicly announced and ostentatiously displayed the "invulnerability" magic in the market at a predetermined time, and this kind of performance is not a deceptive trick, but a live ammunition. The result is self-evident, and the hero was killed on the spot in the crowd and in full view. If it weren't for my playmates, I wouldn't be attracted to see myself make a fool of myself. It seems not surprising that people who manipulate superstitions finally fascinate themselves, at least in China. When a pathological behavior spreads explosively in a certain situation and is constantly supported by a respected butcher, it will be as contagious as a plague, and may devour everyone involved, even the original inhabitants of the plague.

Why did people in China at that time believe in something that was not true at first, and it was a national crazy belief? In fact, it can't be simply explained by China people's ignorance, backwardness and superstition. After all, we in China still have a pragmatic side. My son didn't say Machamp, but the common people are also a radish and a pit. Seeing is believing. Usually, they believe in God and witchcraft. Most of them go to the doctor when they are dying and cram for help. When nothing happens, no one can remember the strange things on the other side of the world except the timid old woman. The reason why the myth of invulnerability is so popular is, of course, that China people have a tradition of believing in myths after all. They believe in God to a greater or lesser extent, whether it is clay fetuses enshrined in temples or heroes, immortals and ghosts on the stage of past dynasties, which have great influence. They may also believe in witchcraft, encounter diseases and disasters, and when seeking medical treatment is ineffective, they will ask the witch God Han to jump out to ward off evil spirits; More importantly, Qigong, which has always played a practical role, is also very attractive to them, and in the process of spreading through the intermediary of monks, Taoist priests and wizards of folk religions, Qigong is inextricably linked with the "teachings" and "spells" of these professional and semi-professional religious people. Therefore, when qigong and hard qigong appear with "actual effect" and witchcraft smell, people naturally want to believe it. In a sense, the Boxer Rebellion is a bit like a collection of folk mysterious cultures. The organization of the Boxer Rebellion is divided into hexagrams (such as the dry word group and the sugar word group), and even the clothing color is related to the Jiugong Bagua; Self-proclaimed "Buddhist Yihe Shentuan"; The practice rule is called "furnace safety"; Possession of gods is witchcraft, but the possessed gods are not foxes and ferrets beloved by witches and gods, but the true god of "Great Religion", plus some spells, curses and slang. After these rough but effective protective packages are smeared layer by layer, the credibility among the people cannot be increased.

Despite such a strong mysterious cultural foundation, if there was no desperate situation in China after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, there would not be such a chaotic situation that both the ruling and opposition parties were crazy. From the Boxer Rebellion, Manchu princes and a large number of literati seemed to see something that could compete with western forces, from spiritual morale to the invulnerability of the spiritual world. This part of the intelligentsia is actually in a state between backwardness and advancement, and their attitude largely determines the direction of China. At this time, they actually believed in invulnerability, because now they are unwilling or unable to gain the power to counter the West in the reform and reform, and all they can rely on is these "low-level". They really want to drive foreigners out, almost to the point where they are ill and rushed to the hospital. China people are invaded and bullied by foreigners, which is the feeling of the upper and lower classes in China. Without the agitation of the upper class, the people would certainly be invulnerable, but it is impossible to make an issue of the whole country. In fact, before and after the Boxer Rebellion, "restless" farmers were playing this trick. There are various religious uprisings in front, followed by the Red Gun Society and the Magic Soldiers. Anyone with a little knowledge of modern history knows that the Red Gun Society and the magic soldiers shouted "invulnerability" and resisted the Beiyang warlords, Japanese devils, Kuomintang and even X, but under the encouragement of the literati, the "quiet" people were even more crazy, because in their bones, the people still believed in those "knowledgeable" scholars.

In the records of westerners at that time, it was the Qing regular army who mastered foreign guns that really caused losses and troubles to their soldiers. What played a role in the resistance of the Boxer Rebellion was the foreign guns collected by the Boxer Rebellion and the martial arts and brave spirit they carried with them. "Invisibility" is almost useless in wartime, except that it will play an inspiring role in pre-war propaganda and performance, and may even backfire and make people lose courage. For example, at that time, there were only dozens of foreign soldiers in Xishiku Church in Beijing, and there were no weapons for continuous fire. Tens of thousands of boxers surrounded it on three floors outside. After months of attacks, they just couldn't get in. If the Boxers present really show some courage not afraid of death, they will sacrifice dozens of heroes at most. Later generations can at least add another "great victory" in the history of the boxer movement.

Eight-Nation Alliance's foreign gun bombardment drowned the Boxer Rebellion and its invulnerability in a pool of blood. Since then, at least the traditional attachment of the scholar-officials has been swept away. Few intellectuals, whether upper or lower, believe that people's stomachs will resist foreigners' guns. Sadly, xenophobia became so popular among law-abiding people that in the 1920s, Zhang Zongchang, a warlord with a rogue background, took in a group of Belarusian soldiers. Every time there is a war, as long as a tall, blond Belarus charges, the other side will be scattered. Our historians are always keen to quote Eight-Nation Alliance Commander-in-Chief Vadexi's statement that the partition of China was the worst policy to illustrate the great achievements of the Boxer Rebellion. In fact, at that time, westerners said a lot to China people, and the most was actually pity for China people's ignorance. Since then, some missionaries have set off a wave of educational upsurge in China, and their traces can still be seen today.

A hundred years later, China people are much smarter after all. Today, although a bunch of people with "Kung Fu" bring forth new ideas and dare to say that they can change the trajectory of missiles and the molecular structure of matter, no one can claim to be "invulnerable" any more, let alone demonstrate in public and test on the spot.