Cuando se desencadenaron los acontecimientos de la
rebelión Boxer en China Pearl S. Buck tenía 8 años y era plenamente consciente
de los peligros que la acechaban. Al escribir La Buena Tierra seguramente incluyó sus vivencias, los peligros
vividos en aquellos días, en la novela.
The Boxer Rebellion was a violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian
uprising which took place in China towards the end of the Qing dynasty between 1899 and 1901. It was initiated by the "Boxers", and was motivated by
proto-nationalist sentiments and opposition to imperialist expansion and
associated Christian missionary activity. An Eight-Nation Alliance (Japan, Russia, the British Empire, France, the United
States, Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary) invaded China to defeat the Boxers and took retribution.