The Boxer Rebellion
was a bloody uprising in northern
China in 1900 in which thousands of Chinese and
more than 200 persons from other countries were
killed. It climaxed a movement in the late 1800's
against the spread of Western and Japanese
influence in China.
Deng Xiaoping
was the central figure behind
China's political and cultural thaws and its
modernization drive during the early 1980's. He
developed close ties with Japan and the United
States, and oversaw the agreement with Britain
that resulted in Hong Kong being returned to
China in 1997.