| Hushenying | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1899–1900 |
| Country | China |
| Allegiance |  Qing dynasty |
| Branch | Eight Banners |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | 10,000 |
| Garrison/HQ | Peking |
| Engagements | Boxer Rebellion |
| Commanders | |
| Ceremonial chief | Zaiyi |
| Notable commanders | Zaiyi |
TheHushenying (traditional Chinese:虎神營;simplified Chinese:虎神营;pinyin:Hǔshényíng) were a unit of 10,000ManchuBannermen under the command ofZaiyi during theBoxer Rebellion. Zaiyi himself created the unit in 1899, but it was decimated at theBattle of Peking in 1900 when theEight-Nation Alliance capturedBeijing to lift the Chinesesiege of the foreign legations during theBoxer Uprising.
Hushenying has been translated variously asTiger Spirit Division,[1]Tiger and Divine Corps,[2] andTiger Spirit Battalion.[3][4]
Zaiyi, also known as Prince Duan, created the Hushenying in June 1899, for which he gained the praise of Empress Dowager Cixi. The new division contained 10,000 troops, all recruited from thebanner armies that garrisoned the capital.[1] Some Chinese sources claim that Zaiyi chose the name Hushenying to convey his dislike of foreigners – since "tiger eats lamb (Yang, a pun on foreigners), and the divine tames the devil (Gui)" – but this claim cannot be verified in the documents of the time.[2] The Hushenying became the third modern army guarding Beijing, the other two being theGuards Army (established shortly before the Hushenying in 1899) and the olderPeking Field Force (created in 1862).
During theBoxer Uprising (1899–1901), the Hushenying was among the troops that besieged theBeijing Legation Quarter, where most foreigners lived. Duringthat siege (summer 1900), the Hushenying led by the harshly anti-foreign Zaiyi often clashed with the Peking Field Force, which was commanded by the more moderateYikuang (Prince Qing). Both armies were decimated in theBattle of Peking.[5]
Several Chinese works of fiction have been written about the Hushenying.[3][4]
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