光绪二十六年六月十八日 (1900年7月14日),八国侵略军攻陷天津城。城内居民纷纷向城外逃避,侵略军在鼓楼上架设机枪、大炮,对逃难的人群射击,造成大批伤亡。城外各大道也有许多被侵略军打死的百姓尸体,海河出现了“漂尸阻流” 的现象。侵略军除杀人外,还大肆放火、抢劫。估衣街、锅店街、竹竿巷等繁华商业区和北门里各金店,以及一些富户,均被焚毁或抢劫一空; 长芦盐运使署、府衙门和造币厂的银库,也遭到砸毁和抢掠。当时英国驻华使馆官员迪南姆威尔著的《庚子使馆被围记》称:“(联军) 自海口以至北京,沿路抢掠一空,其在天津尤甚,今日之天津,如一块肥肉,肉均刮尽,只余干枯之骨矣。”
        侵略军侵占天津后,为镇压人民群众的反抗,实行军事殖民统治,在攻陷天津城的第二天,提出在天津建立临时政府。
        七月五日,天津临时政府组成,定名为: “暂行管理津郡城厢内外地方事务都统衙门” ,英文名为: “The Tientsin ProvisionalGovernment”(即天津临时政府),人们简称为“都统衙门” 。
        八国侵略军赋予都统衙门很大的权力,有权颁布行政命令,有权征税,有权使用中国政府的一切财产,有权判处驱逐出境和死刑等。它管辖的地区也逐渐扩大,开始只管辖天津城厢和附近的城郊(最远到土围子,即墙子一带),以后扩大到天津全县,以及宁河、塘沽、北塘和沿海地区。11月,都统衙门更名为“The ProvisionalGovernment of the District of Tientsin”(天津地区临时政府),但人们仍称之为都统衙门。
        都统衙门占据原直隶总督衙门,作为办事地点。8个内部机构,将所管辖地区划分为8个区,分别由8国侵略军管辖。都统衙门建立后,进行了一系列残酷迫害天津人民的罪行。主要有:
        烧、杀、淫、掠,草菅人命。派出华、洋巡捕和军队进行搜捕、烧杀,对凡有义和团活动过的村镇,“痛加杀戮” ,仅静海县独流镇就“焚毁大半,居民残余者、妇女被奸污者,不计其数” 。还在街上对无辜百姓以 “可疑者” 的名义,随意锁拿、关押,甚至就地枪杀。河东有一户人家办婚事,新人披红戴花,被疑为义和团、红灯照,遭到洋巡捕用枪击毙。
        强夺民财。都统衙门颁行许多苛捐杂税,有: 铺捐、房捐、茶馆捐、车捐、客店捐、船捐、烧锅酒店捐,等等。开征名目繁多,按月强征,专门设立了 “收捐处” ,并在交通要道设了分卡。自清光绪二十六年(1900)十一月至二十八年(1902)八月,22个月中,都统衙门就搜刮了白银275.86万两。
        拆除城墙、炮台。都统衙门于光绪二十七年(1901)强令拆除天津城墙,随着拆城,城墙附近的民房也被强行拆掉,许多居民流离失所,城砖也被卖掉。拆城后,城基旧地开辟为东、南、西、北4条马路。天津城由明朝永乐 二年(1404)筑城,到拆除,共存在496年。不仅拆除围绕天津城的7座炮台,而且拆毁北塘的6座、大沽口的7座和芦台的一些炮台,并拆除炮台周围的营垒、民房,使天津成为不设防的城市。
        敲诈勒索,残害百姓。都统衙门下设卫生局,由日本人管理,雇用了一批 “卫生巡捕”(老百姓称他们“黄袖头” ),欺压、敲诈,无所不为,经常找寻借口,对百姓罚款或罚劳役。光绪二十七年(1901),传染病流行,据《沽水旧闻》记载: “日本人带着卫生巡捕四处查处传染病患者,发现后,除将其立即火化外,宅中无论几姓,长幼若干,均囚之宅中,室壁涂之臭油,地上堆以石灰,封锁七日,不得一人出入,无饮无食不问。故凡一病死者,防传染而殉者,最少则一家。群居贫民,竟有因一人之死,而同院十七姓,长幼数十口生殉者,诚人间之惨剧,中华之奇耻。”
        镇压人民反抗。都统衙门和分区管理的各侵略军,制定了许多无理、苛刻的规章。如: 行人夜间外出行走,必须手持灯笼,否则 “立即拿办” ; 节日和喜庆活动,不许燃放爆竹; 过春节不许作揖、拜年,看见作揖的要罚款,甚至被当作义和团抓捕; 有的地方晚10时必须熄灯。犯了他们的禁条,除打骂、罚款以外,还要坐牢。原有的监狱容纳不下,就新造监狱,还将江苏和浙江会馆没收,改为监狱。
        光绪二十八年(1902),清朝廷在内外压力之下,要求8国 “交还治理天津事务” 。经多次交涉,迫使各帝国主义国家于当年8月宣布: “华历七月十二日将都统衙门裁撤。”8月15日,直隶总督袁世凯到达天津,与都统衙门办理了交接手续。

        

·都统衙门成员

        On July 14,1900,Tianjin fell to the hands of theinvaders. Civilians ran away to the suburbs. The alliedforces of eight powers shot them by scatter guns andcannons from the Drum Tower. Many civilians died.On the roads out of the city,there were also civiliancorpses. Haihe River`s water was even "blocked bycorpses".The invaders killed people,set fire,and robbed.The downtowns at Guyi Street,Guadian Street,ZhuganLane and the gold shops at Beimenli were all plundered.The Salt Bureau,Magitrate Bureau and the silver reserveof the mint were destroyed and looted.
        After the occupation,the invaders ruled Tianjin as amilitary colony to put down revolt from the people.
        On July 5,1900,The Tientsin ProvisionalGovernment or Dutong Yamen was set up later.
        Dongtu Yamen had great power. According to itsrules,it had powers of administration,taxation,the usageof the properties of China`s government,legislation ofdeath sentence and exile. Its area of control grew Tianjindowntown and suburbs (Tuweizi) to Tianjin County,including Ninghe,Tanggu,Beitang,and the coast.In November,it changed name to "The ProvisionalGovernment of the District of Tientsin",but people stillcalled it Dutong Yamen.
        Dutong Yamen occupied the office of the Director-General of Zhili. It had eight inner departments.Its areawas divided into eight districts administrated by theeight countries.
        The crimes of Dutong Yamen who tortured Tianjinpeople were as the follows:
        Fire,killing,rape and robbery were all crimescommitted by the invaders since the fall of Tianjin.
        After the fall of Tianjin,the invaders got thenamelist of Yihetuan from Director-general`s Yamen.Dutong Yamen sent Chinese and foreign policemento raid and destroy the villages and towns which hadYihetuan. More than half of Duliu Town of JinghaiCounty was in fire. Numerous residents were killed;countless women were raped. They even arrested andkilled civilians on the street as suspicions. In HedongDistrict,a family was holding a wedding ceremony. Thebride and bridegroom were killed by foreign policemen.

        

·都统衙门警局警官

        Dutong Yamen levied heavy taxation. There wereshop tax,house tax,tea shop tax,vehicle tax,hotel tax,ship tax,and restaurant tax,etc. The taxes were paidby month. A tax collection bureau was set up. Trafficcheckposts were built. Dutong Yamen clawed 2.7586million taels of silver in 22 months.
        In 1901,Dutong Yamen forced to dismantle the citywalls of Tianjin.The civilian houses near the city wallswere destroyed. These dwellers had no house to live.On the ground of the city-wall bases,four roads of east,west,south and north were built. Tianjin city was built in1404. It lasted 496 years until the demolishment in 1901.The Tianjin emplacements were destroyed: 7 aroundTianjin,6 in Beitang,7 in Dagu,and some in Lutai. Thebarracks and civilian houses were also smashed.
        There was a healh bureau under Dutong Yamen.It was administrated by the Japanese. They hired someso called "health policemen",who did every thing toharm the civilians. They also found pretexts to finecivilians and punished them for free labor. In 1901,therewas epidemic in the spring and cholera in the summer.According to "Gushui Reports",The Japanese led healhpolicemen to search for epidemic sufferers. The sickweres burned at once. His relatives,old or young,wereput in jail with asphaltum walls and lime on the groundfor seven days without food and water. Therefore,oneepidemic led to the death of the whole family. Even therewas such a case that one epidemic led to the death ofdozens of people.
        Dutong Yamen and the eight districts drew outmany rules to put down the resistance from the people.If they walked at night,they must held lantern. Duringfestivals and holidays,firing crackers was not permitted.In Spring Festival,making a bow with hands in the frontfor greeting was not permitted. At ten in the night,thelamp must be turned off. If they broke those rules,theywould be cursed and fined. Dutong Yamen built new jailsand confiscated Jiangsu and Zhejiang assembly halls asprisons.
        In 1902,the Qing court,under great pressure,required the imperialists return the ruling power ofTianjin. In August,the invaders declared that "DutongYamen stopped working. All issues in Tianjin were underChinese government`s administration." On August 15,Yuan Shikai,the director-general,arrived in Tianjin. Thepower of Dutong Yamen was transferred to Yuan Shikai.

        直隶总督衙门