Staged loud protest marches. The protests, though, have been violent, and personal. The bombing, according to Chinese and China watchers, touched on old, highly sensitive issues such as hurt pride and nationalism. A History of Foreign Involvement Foreign aggression, even accidental, may have tapped into a strain of xenophobia running throughout Chinese history, as the country has often had to fend off or submit to foreign invaders. That's what has animated Chinese protests for the past 100 years.
Chinese pride is at stake as well.
A nation that takes loss of face seriously has recently had a few very visible international failures. It lost its 2000 Olympic bid to Sydney, Australia. Chinese President Jiang Zemin also failed to receive an official apology from Japan for war crimes inflicted upon China during his visit there last autumn. Then there was the failed WTO bid and U.S. anger over allegations of Chinese spying. The bombing may have been the last straw.