German cartoon card of Boxer Rebellion, postally used from St Petersburg to New York 18 III 1902. The Society of Righteous Harmonious Fists (I Ho Ch’uan), or boxers as they were called by westerners, was dedicated to the extermination of “foreign devils” in China. Their uprisings in 1899 developed into a wave of violence against foreigners that swept through China, spread into Manchuria, and had repercussions across the Amur River in Russia. The boxers besieged the European Legations in Peking (1900) and began destroying the half-finished Chinese Eastern Railway. Expeditionary Forces were despatched by the leading Powers and the rebellion was liquidated by the Protocol of Peking (1901). This allowed the powers to retain garrisons in the region for several years. (Image)

1901 Registered cover from Peking to Hong Kong readdressed to Manila franked on reverse two ‘Kitai’ 10k tied by Emergency Canceller boxed Peking with manuscript date, transit Russian P.O.’s of Tien-Tsin in red, Chefoo and Shanghai plus British P.O. in Hong Kong and violet Manila arrival, primitive Peking white registration label on obverse, very fine and attractive (Image)

1900 10k Postal Stationery to Germany used in combination with short set of ‘Kitai’ overprints addressed to Germany by member of International Occupation Force tied by PEKING EMERGENCY CANCELLER (2nd type) used during Boxer period, day and month inserted by hand. Transit Russian P.O.s PORT ARTHUR, CHEFOO and SHANGHAI, Chinese P.O.s of Chefoo and Shanghai, and British Hong Kong. Cover opened out for display. (Image)

1900 7k Letter-card uprated 3k and 7k ‘Kitai’ issue to pay registered rate from PEKING to France, cancelled with improvised date-stamp with date completed by hand 7 XI 1900. Primitive white registration label. Transit marks at PORT ARTHUR, Russian and Chinese P.O.s CHEFOO, and SHANGHAI, HONGKONG and French transit marks. The Russian P.O. in Peking lost its circular date-stamp during the siege of the Legations in 1900 and Emergency Cancellers were improvised locally in two types (Peking Types 5 and 9 of Tchlinghirian and Stephen). Latest known use of Peking Emergency Canceller Type 9 and only known showing loss of frame. Illustrated and described “British Journal of Russian Philately”, No. 32 (1963) (Image)

1900 Russia 4k postal stationery card uprated with the 6 lower values of the ‘Kitai’ issue cancelled by red TIENTSIN Type 4X cds (25 X), this cancel was characterised by progressive deterioration in the year numerals in the date-stamp (Image)

1900 Indian 1/2a Stationery envelope overprinted C.E.F. (CHINA EXPEDITIONARY FORCE) used from military BASE OFFICE B (Tientsin) to CHEFOO, China. Re-addressed and registered to Germany from Russian P.O. Chefoo. Franked 20k Russian ‘Kitai’ issue, cancelled Chefoo Type 2 cancel (New Style), Chefoo Type 1 cancel (Old Style) on reverse, Russian Po.O. Shanghai and British Hong Kong transit backstamps (Image)

1900 Registered wrapper from Finland to PEKING via St Petersburg and Vladivostok, showing two types of PEKING EMERGENCY CANCELLER improvised during siege of the Legations. Held at Vladivostok until siege lifted; first type (Type9) struck in violet on arrival of first incoming Russian mail 18 VIII, second type (Type 5) struck in black on return to sender 11 XII 1900. Illustrated “London Philatelist” No. 1151-52 (1988), p.190. (Image)

1900 August 28th Double-rate registered cover from Peking to Nikolsk-Ussuriusky (Siberia) franked vertical strip of three 7k overprinted ‘KITAI’ tied by 2 strikes of the PEKING Emergency Canceller with a further strike alongside, this with a manuscript date (old style dating), this canceller (Type 9) is usually found as an arrival mark or on stampless army mail, provisional registration label alongside, cover creases not affecting adhesives, a major rarity and one of the highlights of the Simon Wiesenthal Collection (Image)

1900 7k Russian letter-card uprated ‘Kitai’ 1k + 2k to make foreign rate to Germany, tied by EMERGENCY CANCELLER (Type 5) used at the Russian P.O. at Peking after loss of regular canceller during the siege of the legations, date completed by hand to read PEKING/25 XII 1900 in New Style, transit cancels of Russian P.O. in Port Arthur, Chefoo, Shanghai, Hongkong and Breslau arrival, fine (Image)

1901 Imperial Chinese Railway card sent by member of German contingent of Boxer Occupation Forces to Germany with message-heading translating ‘Shanhaikwang 16 February….Russian Fieldpost’, franked 7k tied violet No 3 Field Post Office/1/Priamur District 6 II 1901, transit cds’s of Russia P.O.’s Port Arthur, Chefoo & Shanghai and Chinese P.O.’s in Chefoo and Shanghai, put on French ship (ligne N No 4) for Europe, this card confirms the location of Russian F.P.O. No 3 at Shanhaikwang, Manchuria. In addition India QC 3p block of 4 overprinted C.E.F. (Chinese Expeditionary Force) supplied to British Contingent with same cancel in violet, dated 31.II 1901 (Image)

1901 Viewcard written from ‘Taku Fort, China, Pechili Province’ to village of Ordynskoe, Tomsk Guberniya, Siberia, franked 4k cancelled No. 18 FIELD POST OFFICE/1/PRIAMUR DISTRICT 21 V 1901, transit Port Arthur. The Taku Forts, controlling the Gulf of Pe-chi-li, were captured by the Allied Forces on 17June 1900 in the most decisive engagement of the Boxer campaign, a Russian Field P.O. was opened there in October 1900. A rarity as this is is the only known commercial entire from the Russian Field P.O. in China proper, establishing the location of F.P.O. No. 18 at Taku (Image)

1901 Decorative Chinese native cover from Tientsin to Germany by a member of the Railway reconstruction Company of the Boxer Occupation troops, franked 3k ‘Kitai’ issue cancelled Tientsin Type 4x 1 Jun 1901 cds, Limbach arrival cds, opened out for display, ex Casey (Image)

1903 Russia 3k postal stationery card uprated 1k written from KASHGAR (Sin-Kiang) China 5 III 03 to British Military Contingent in Tien-Tsin. Since there was no P.O in Kashgar it was taken by courier through the Naryn Pass of the Pamir Mountains to the Russian border town of OSH for re-entry into China via the Transcaspian and Trans-Siberian rail systems, received British F.P.O. No. 4 (Tien-Tsin) 12 May 03 via German PO in Tien-Tsin, boxed receipt mark Intelligence Branch / 12 May 1903 / China Force alongside. Although the Boxer Rebellion was liquidated by the Protocol of Peking, September 1901, the leading powers remained in occupation of Tien-Tsin until 1903. (Image)

1902 Chinese picture-postcard datelined “SHAN-HAI-KWAN/21-11-02” sent by Lieutenant with German Boxed contingent to fellow officer in Germany, franked Russian 2k pair tied by SHANHAIKWAN/1/FIELD TELEGRAPH BRANCH PRIAMUR DISTRICT 10 XI 1902 cds. Although the Boxer Rebellion was liquidated by the Protocol of Peking in September 1901 the leading powers occupied the area of conflict until 1903. (Image)

1903 Pair of registered covers to Peterhead Scotland posted by a member of the 30th Punjab Regiment of British Boxer Contingent at Russian FIELD POST-TELEGRAPHIC OFFICE SHANHAIKWANG on border of Manchuria and China proper, both by way of Chinese eastern Railway Line 262 (HARBIN-MANCHULI) (Image)

1903 Peking viewcard to Paris franked ‘Kitai’ 1 k pair and 2k tied by Russian P.O. PEKING 17 IX 1903 cds’s. Alongside large double-circle cds in red in French: BRIGADE d’OCCUPATION EN CHINE/PLACE….PEKING/LE COMMANDANT 27 IX..(14 IX Old Style) Transit Chinese Eastern Railway POSTAL WAGON No.262 (HARBIN-MANCHULI) / 3 / 21 IX 1903. Paris arrival 21 10 03. After the Peking Protocol (September 1901) had liquidated the Boxer Rebellion, some of the western powers retained small contingents to ensure its terms were kept. (Image)