The Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) erupted in China as a violent backlash against foreign influence and Christian missions, which were accused of undermining the social order and imposing values alien to the imperial tradition. Backed by conservative factions within the Qing court, the movement quickly evolved into an armed uprising targeting diplomats, merchants, missionaries, and Chinese converts.

By the spring of 1900, the situation reached a breaking point: the Boxers marched on Beijing and, supported by regular units of the imperial army, encircled the Legation Quarter, where diplomats and foreign civilians had taken refuge. The siege lasted 55 days and dominated headlines around the world, although newspapers largely overlooked the massacres and looting that followed, carried out by the international relief forces at the expense of the Chinese capital and its inhabitants.

Meanwhile, in the northern part of the city stood the vast Catholic mission of Pe-Tang, run by the French Lazarists and sheltering thousands of persecuted Christians. Though far less known than the defense of the Legations, Pe-Tang faced conditions just as dire: dwindling food supplies, relentless bombardment, and repeated failures in attempts to communicate with the other defenders. Its perimeter was poorly fortified, and the presence of so many civilians made holding out even more precarious. The threat of total extermination was real, as the Boxers viewed Chinese converts as traitors and missionaries as agents of Western intrusion.

At the heart of the defense stood a small international detachment that included several Italian servicemen. Among them was Lieutenant Angelo Olivieri of the Royal Italian Navy, operating under the command of a French captain. During one of the most intense bombardments to strike Pe-Tang, an explosion brought down part of the defensive structures, crushing the French commander under the rubble before his men. In the midst of the chaos, Olivieri immediately took command, reorganizing the defense, establishing new firing positions, and managing to repel the subsequent assaults. His decisive action prevented the collapse of the sector and played a crucial role in the mission’s survival until the arrival of the international relief column in August 1900. For his conduct, Lieutenant Olivieri was later awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valor.