The exact location of these graves in Taiyuan is unknown.

The first death occurred during the first riot on July 27, 1900. (She would have been buried by the missionaries; it is the one burial most likely to have been in a mission graveyard.) On July 9 the Governor, Yu-Hsien, had the gates of the city closed, commanding all foreigners in the city to appear before him, and sending armed soldiers to enforce his orders.

The foreigners were driven to the Yamen (council offices) and were received in audience by Yu-Hsien, who had by his side the Prefect and Sub-Prefect of the province, a number of servants, five hundred soldiers, and a crowd of riotous individuals, surrounded the foreigners. When all had been brought in, Yu-Hsien demanded the foreigners to prostrate themselves at his feet, accusing them of bringing vice, evil, and unhappiness in the Empire of Heaven. There was only one remedy for such evil, and that was to behead them all. The order was to be carried out in his presence.

Two Roman Catholic Bishops and three other missionaries were then led out, and were the first to be decapitated on the spot. Then one and all — men, women, and children — were mercilessly beheaded in the courtyard of the Yamen, where they had been received in audience, in sight of the bloodthirsty official.

To add further insult, the bodies were taking outside the city walls and left for the dogs instead of burying them. The local native Christians, with great danger to themselves, stole the bodies by night and buried them. When word of these actions reached officials, two hundred native Christians were put to death five days later (on July 14th).

In despatches sent by the local officials to various Yamens it is stated that 37 foreigners and 30 native converts were massacred on July 9; but it is not known for certain whether that figure includes children, or only adults.