Beijing’s first permanent Legation or Embassy Quarter was established in 1862 after the second Opium War. The establishment of the Legation Quarter granted easier access to the capital not only for diplomats but also for journalists, bankers and merchants…

Although ”The Eight Allied Nations” has become a set-phrase used to describe the allied forces that quelled the Boxer Rebellion, only troops from four nations actually made it to Beijing at first. Even though the multinational force was labeled ”allied”

The British Legation was the safest compound during the siege. Located centrally in the besieged area and a fair distance from the city wall it was difficult for enemy fire to reach the premises. That was why a good part of the diplomatic society chose to settle here in the summer of 1900.

When the eight allied nations occupied Beijing in the year 1900 not many of the Chinese residents spoke a foreign tongue. A courtesan named Sai Jinhua spoke some German and this would elevate her into the very unlikely position of a heroine.