Cultural differences mentioned
The main cultural difference in this document is religion. The Boxers were a group of Chinese opposed to Christianity’s spread in China. They held conservative Chinese beliefs about religion, and saw Christianity as a threat to the Chinese culture, way of life, and Confucianism. As recorded in the document, they would destroy Catholic villages and kill foreigners and Chinese Christians. The foreigners responded by forming an alliance to defend themselves and retaliate.
How were the Chinese (Boxers) viewed?
Because the two sides, the Boxers and the foreigners, were technically at war, they viewed each other as enemies, and would kill or capture on sight. Boxers mostly murdered foreigners because they were Christian, evidence of this in the document include mention of the “destruction of a Catholic village, and the murder of the Christians”, and “taking everyone they suspected”, and burning “twenty Christians”. They also thought that if they fell into the hands of foreign troops, they would “suffer at their hands”. The author of this document also mentions how the Boxers “were firing on them (Christians, foreigners) from all sides and trying to burn them out; how each man was limited to a small cup of grain a day, while at the same time they were compelled to labor like coolies, under a burning sun, in employments to which they were not accustomed”. As you can see, the Boxers were trying to eliminate the Christians. This eerily echoes the way most enemies and POWs are treated in a war. The document also suggests that the Boxers were quite gullible, as they let the author pass through their camps and even dine and spend the night with them as long as he provided a satisfactory answer when he was interrogated about his destination and motives. This suggests that the Boxers were either gullible or sympathetic to their own ethnicity, or both.
How were the Europeans viewed?
The foreigners were viewed in a favorable light in this document, because the author was on their side, and throughout the entire excerpt he was going on a mission for the foreigners and Christians (to deliver mail). Therefore they were portrayed as friends, who welcomed the author and even clapped and cheered for him when he finally delivered the letters to their recipient. There is an example of how the foreigners would treat a typical Chinese person or Boxer, though. On his way back from the American Consulate, the author gets robbed and captured by two foreign soldiers, who did not know he was on their side. Later on his money was given back to him and he was set free after the officer saw that he was a messenger who was helping them.
How did these different views lead to conflict?
Although not explicitly specified in this excerpt, it is obvious that not only cultural but also religious differences and opposing views led to this conflict. The Chinese have had a long history of irregular periods of isolationism, and are accustomed to it. They also believed that they were superior to other peoples of world (calling them devils and barbarians at times). Chinese people generally hold dear to their traditional beliefs and are usually unwilling to accept radical new beliefs, especially ones that challenge their deeply-rooted traditions. Thus, when foreigners first started trading with China, and foreign missionaries began to spread Christianity to the Chinese, many resisted it, as it was new, there was a lack of trust to the foreigners, and Christian beliefs challenged their long-held Confucian/Taoist/Buddhist ones. The Europeans were more on a responsive or defensive side in the Boxer rebellion, as it was initiated by the Chinese Boxers. Working towards the common goal of increasing economic trade and political influence over China, they formed the Eight-Nation Alliance to fight the Boxers.