Dragons and Boxers by Kyle Fiske

Dragons and Boxers by Kyle Fiske

From '55 Days at Peking' to Chang Cheh's 'The Boxer Rebellion' to Lau Kar-Leung's 'Legendary Weapons of China', the subject of the Boxers has been a fascinating one that movies have often sought to explore. In his book 'Dragons and Boxers', author Kyle Fiske brings the subject to the forefront amidst the coming-of-age tale of Wayland, a young American on the cusp of manhood who is serving a Methodist mission in China during the final days of the 19th century.

The Boxers--an organization of xenophobic martial artists who believe that local folk magic can protect them against foreign weapons--have started a bloody campaign to expel foreigners from China. Unfortunately for Wayland and his family, the local governor is sympathetic to the Boxers' mission, which puts the two parties on a violent collision course.

'Dragons and Boxers' is an engrossing read, to be sure. Wayland is a compelling character who finds himself the victim of circumstances that are wildly out of his control. Fiske is able to describe Wayland's complex feelings as he has to deal with his anger toward those who harmed his family, the surrogate Chinese family who takes him in, and his own sense of faith as he interacts with those of different philosophies without any Westerner to lean back on. It is truly Wayland's journey: a journey into manhood, a journey into understanding, and a journey into the world of Chinese martial arts.

One thing I liked about Fiske's writing is that he presents both sides of the coin without ever condemning one side altogether. Wayland's father is a man of faith, but is thankfully humble and loving about it, even to those who do not share his feelings (compare with the dad in Swiss Family Robinson, who you want to punch after the first chapter). On the same token, Fiske does indeed mention that there were Westerners who came to China in the 19th century for the sole reason of exploiting it and lining their own pockets. The Boxers are portrayed as brutal, intolerant thugs, but are contrasted with the humility and humanity of the Gao household. Even Gao's fellow Christians are not always as Christ-like as they should be, compared with the humble vulnerability of Chinese Christians forced to worship in secret. One of the running themes is that every culture has its good and bad apples, and that we should not judge an entire culture based on the latter.

Dragons and Boxers is also rousing martial arts tale, although most of the fight scenes are brief until we get to the big climax. The main style depicted is tai chi chuan, although there is some hsing-i and Northern Shaolin depicted as well. A number of Chinese weapons--the jian (straight sword), dao (saber), spear, axe, chain whip, etc.--also show up in the fight sequences, which I'm perfectly fine with. Fiske does a good job with the translation of complex fighting into prose, both in the fights and training sequences, which fans of old school kung fu movies will definitely appreciate. I also appreciate the relative realism of the fighting, in which it avoids the film trope that a person who trains for a few months in a particular style may suddenly become more than a match for another character who has trained all their lives.

As a character study, a piece of historical fiction, and a martial arts adventure, 'Dragons and Boxers' is a great read and I recommend it to all!