The Last Days of Pekin

"The Last Days of Pekin" by Pierre Loti is a historical account that captures the author's time in Beijing during the Boxer Rebellion. Loti, a French naval officer, shares his first-hand experiences and observations of the military occupation, painting a picture of the era's conflicts and cultural clashes. From the anticipation of arrival, with the fleet's intimidating presence contrasting the beauty of despair, to the realities of war and the complexities of interacting with Chinese society, Loti guides the reader through a land filled with both intrigue and foreboding that defined the narrative and its complex militarized cross-cultural collisions.