During the Boxer Rebellion, about 10,000 soldiers attacked the small village of Donglu on April, 1900. The soldiers tried to kill the approximately 1,000 Christians. As the soldiers were attacking, the Virgin Mary appeared wearing a white robe in the sky. When the soldiers saw the apparition, they fired gunshots at the Virgin Mary. Despite the efforts to shoot down the apparition, the Virgin Mary continued to shine brightly. As the soldiers kept firing, another apparition appeared: a majestic angel, whom witnesses believed to be the Archangel Michael. The angel flew down surrounded by blazing flames of fire down from the sky and into the crowd of soldiers. By himself, Michael drove all of the soldiers out of the village. Villagers learned afterwards that their local priest, Father Wu, prayed to the Virgin Mary for help from the soldiers attacking. The residents of Donglu then built a church for the Virgin Mary to express their gratitude for the help they received. The Church was then destroyed during World War II after it was hit by Japanese bombs.