Yellow peril

As an antithesis to the narrative of European superiority, the fear of Japan and China has had a place in the history of Europe since the 1890s, when the term was adapted from North America. Customarily, the term ‘Yellow Peril’ has been analysed as a political and social catchword. In this essay, I argue instead that three media events played a crucial role in its emergence and gradual intensification: the Sino-Japanese War of 1894/95, the Boxer War of 1900/01 and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904/05. They left a legacy that has cast a long shadow over the twentieth century.