In the 19th century China was gradually becoming another colony of the European powers which recognised her many riches that were ripe for the picking. From 1860 when Britain went to war with her, until the end of the century, China was constantly at odds with the world powers and her neighbours. By 1897, the Chinese were desperate to remove all foreigners from their land and used the Boxers as a tool for this purpose. Numerous atrocities were committed against foreigners, particularly missionaries, and in the middle of 1900 they tumed their attention on the diplomatic missions in Peking.