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Zhang Decheng or Chang De-Cheng (; 1846 – late-July 1900) was a Chinese nationalist and leader of the Fists of Harmony and Justice during the Boxer Uprising. Though working as a boatman during his youth, he would spend much of the Boxer Rebellion as a leader of the group he created, the Fists of Harmony and Justice.
As time went on and foreign contacts in Northern China increased, particularly the actions of western missionaries, Zhang and other similar-minded individuals would set out to "destroy foreigners". Though the Fists of Harmony and Justice did exist during the mid-1890s, they proved only to be a minor inconvenience to any official Qing or foreign affairs due to the group's small size, lack of influence, and mostly local actions taken by bands of around 50 men each. In 1899, a compatriot of Zhang, Zhao Sandu set out to establish order in the Fists of Harmony and Justice's ranks during a conference at the Yaoli Yaowang Temple in Wangkou. Both Zhang Decheng and Cao Futian would develop the creation of the First Heavenly Regiment, along with the structure of their organisation, which was as follows:
Though central structure for the organisation was formed, the group relied on a system of small groups of men under local leaders, which was to be replaced (in some capacity) by the new First Heavenly Regiment. And for this new group that was created, Zhang required more members for his group, which was done by trying to convince Boxer followers that he had magical abilities. He supposedly hid a knife in the ground, somewhere in
Biography
Born in either Zhaozhang or Goucun village in theZhili Province
Zhili, alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th-century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a province, and renamed ...
of the Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
, Zhang would spend much of his youth as a boatman along the Daqing, Ziya, and other rivers in Zhili.
As time went on and foreign contacts in Northern China increased, particularly the actions of western missionaries, Zhang and other similar-minded individuals would set out to "destroy foreigners". Though the Fists of Harmony and Justice did exist during the mid-1890s, they proved only to be a minor inconvenience to any official Qing or foreign affairs due to the group's small size, lack of influence, and mostly local actions taken by bands of around 50 men each. In 1899, a compatriot of Zhang, Zhao Sandu set out to establish order in the Fists of Harmony and Justice's ranks during a conference at the Yaoli Yaowang Temple in Wangkou. Both Zhang Decheng and Cao Futian would develop the creation of the First Heavenly Regiment, along with the structure of their organisation, which was as follows:
Though central structure for the organisation was formed, the group relied on a system of small groups of men under local leaders, which was to be replaced (in some capacity) by the new First Heavenly Regiment. And for this new group that was created, Zhang required more members for his group, which was done by trying to convince Boxer followers that he had magical abilities. He supposedly hid a knife in the ground, somewhere in Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...
, and then claimed that this place was "dangerous". His followers then dug up the area and found the knife, and were convinced that Zhang did indeed possess supernatural powers. In early 1900, he proclaimed himself "Number One Boxer" and said he had a mandate from the gods. He led at that time several thousand followers.
In early June 1900, Zhang Decheng went to see the Viceroy of Zhili
The Viceroy of Zhili, fully referred to in Chinese as the Governor-General of Zhili and Surrounding Areas Overseeing Military Affairs and Food Production, Manager of Waterways, Director of Civil Affairs, was one of eight regional Viceroys during ...
, Yu Lu 裕禄. He presented himself to him as the founder of the Boxer movement, and the viceroy promised to provide the Boxers with money and equipment.
For many, he was considered as the supreme Boxer leader.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decheng, Zhang Chinese nationalists Qing dynasty rebels 19th-century Chinese people Chinese people of the Boxer Rebellion 1846 births 1900 deaths