Zhang Decheng

Zhang Decheng (; also romanized as Chang De-Cheng; 1846 – late-July 1900) was a Chinese nationalist and leader of the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists during the Boxer Uprising.

Career Born in either Zhaozhang or Goucun village (part of modern-day Gaobeidian) in Zhili Province, Zhang would spend much of his life working as a boatman along the Daqing, Ziya, and other rivers in Zhili.

As time went on and foreign contacts in Northern China increased, particularly the actions of Western missionaries, Zhang and other similar-minded individuals would set out to "destroy foreigners". Though the Fists of Harmony and Justice did exist during the mid-1890s, they proved only to be a minor inconvenience to any official Qing or foreign affairs due to the group's small size, lack of influence, and mostly local actions taken by bands of around 50 men each.

Demise When the Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Dagu, Zhang Decheng led 5,000 soldiers on 10 wooden boats to Tianjin and attacked the railway station occupied by the Alliance forces along with Cao Futian. The Viceroy of Zhili invited them to his office to discuss the defense of Tianjin with Nie Shicheng and Ma Yukun. On July 13, more than 10,000 troops of the Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Tianjin. Zhang Decheng commanded the local militia along with a group of Qing Dynasty troops to participate in the defense of the South Gate. On the 14th, Tianjin fell. Zhang Decheng led his followers to plunder military supplies and then fled from Beijing.

In August, Zhang Decheng led a number of followers to Wangjiakou (now Wangkou), a strategic location, hoping to collect food and supplies from wealthy households. Local landlords and officials showed unusual enthusiasm. They handed over provisions and donated large sums of money to the Boxer Rebellion, hoping that Zhang Decheng and his troops would leave soon to prevent the war from spreading to the area. On their way out, they were ambushed by armed groups from the Red Spear Society, led by a petty merchant named Liu Yihe, and robbed back at Wangjiakou. As a result, the Boxers were routed, Zhang Decheng was killed, and his body was thrown into the Ziya River.

"Anecdotes about the Boxer Rebellion" by Luo Dunrong and the unofficial history book "Secret History of the Qing Dynasty" by Lu Shi'e tell a different story. It was said that Zhang Decheng fled to Wangjiakou and demanded that the salt merchants there supply him with provisions. The salt merchants held a banquet for him, but Decheng feigned dissatisfaction, complaining that the food was unclean, then pushed the table aside and stood up, cursing loudly. The salt merchants could no longer tolerate him. Local villagers also became extremely angry. They rushed in, seized Decheng, and chopped him into mincemeat.