Chinese Boxing

The year is 1912. Sir Claude MacDonald has come Bath to give a talk to the local branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Sir Claude was the British Minister Plenipotentiary, i.e. ambassador to Peking in 1900 during the famous Boxer Uprising and commanded the defence of the Legations (diplomatic quarter) when they were besieged by the peasant ‘Boxer’ army, supported by Imperial Chinese troops. The siege lasted 55 days and was described in the newspapers of the day as ‘the most exciting episode ever known to civilization’. It was also the subject of the 1963 epic film, 55 Days at Peking, with Charlton Heston and David Niven.

Sir Claude wants to talk about China and the West ‘today’. That’s 1912 for him, today for you. 1912 was the year of the foundation of the Republic of China: a brand new version of an ancient country, determined to recover its position as a superpower, a potential threat to world peace…

Sir Claude starts by ‘taking you back to Peking’ in 1900, to the Imperial Palace, where you hear the story of the Boxer Uprising from the Chinese side. It is not straightforward and will challenge your view of the past – and the present. 

Chinese Boxing is a bold and innovative piece of theatre that tackles one of the urgent questions of modern times: can China and the West get along? And it tackles it from both sides, no punches pulled.

The performance is followed by a Q and A about China and Britain today. Mark Kitto, as well as a writer and actor, is a respected China pundit. He was also at the Theatre Royal for two recent productions, Hedda at the Ustinov and as the pianist and Ralph Fiennes’s understudy for Small Hotel in the Main House.

"A very good place to start if you want to understand China", Cindy Yu, The Spectator

"Beguiling...fascinating... This is a show to see" Libby Purves 

"A stimulating and original show" Jonathan Freedland, Guardian and Radio 4

"Historically fascinating and beautifully written" David Haig, actor and writer