Dong Fuxiang
Encyclopedia
Dong Fuxiang a Chinese, was born Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...

, China. He commanded an army of Chinese Muslim
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...

 soldiers, which included the later Ma clique
Ma clique
The Ma clique or Ma family warlords is a collective name for a group of Muslim warlords in Northwestern China who ruled the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia from the 1910s until 1949. There were 3 families in the Ma clique , each of them respectively controlled 3 areas, Gansu,...

 generals Ma Anliang
Ma Anliang
Ma Anliang , a Hui, was born in 1855, in Linxia, Gansu, China. He became a general in the Qing dynasty army, and of the Republic of China. His father was Ma Zhanao, and his younger brother was Ma Guoliang...

 and Ma Fuxiang
Ma Fuxiang
Ma Fuxiang . Ma, a Dongxiang muslim leader, had a military and political career which spanned the Qing dynasty through the early Republic of China and illustrated the power of family, the role of religious affiliations, and the interaction of Inner Asian China and the national government of...

. According to the Western calendar, his birth date is in 1839.

Religion

Conflicting accounts are given about his religion and ethnicity. Contemporaneous Western sources claim he was a Muslim, but some modern Western sources either say he was not Muslim, or don't mention his religion at all when talking about him, and some still say he is Muslim. The only thing that is clear about him is that he was familiar with the Muslim militia of Gansu, and commanded Muslim troops in battle.

The Chinese Muslim armies of Dong Fuxiang were known as the Kansu Braves and they fought against the German Army and the other 8 nation alliance forces, repeatedly at the First intervention, Seymour Expedition, China 1900. It was only on the second attempt in the Gasalee Expedition
Gasalee Expedition
The Gaselee Expedition was a successful relief by a multi-national military force to march to Beijing and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks in 1900. The expedition was part of the war of the Boxer Rebellion....

 did the Alliance manage to get through to battle the Chinese Muslim troops at the Battle of Peking
Battle of Peking
The Battle of Peking, or the Relief of Peking, was the battle on 14–15 August 1900 in which a multi-national force relieved the siege of foreign legations in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion...

. However, Kaiser Wilhelm II was so alarmed by the Chinese Muslim troops that he requested the Caliph Abdul Hamid II
Abdul Hamid II
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...

 of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 to find a way to stop the Chinese Muslim
Islam in China
Throughout the history of Islam in China, Chinese Muslims have influenced the course of Chinese history. Chinese Muslims have been in China for the last 1,400 years of continuous interaction with Chinese society...

 troops from fighting.

Military career

Dong participated in the Dungan revolt, and defected to the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

 side, along with Ma Zhanao. He was not a fanatical Muslim or even interested in rebellion, he merely had gathered a band of followers during the rebellion and fought, just as many others did. He joined the Qing army of Zuo Zongtang
Zuo Zongtang
Zuo Zongtang , spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang in Wade-Giles and known simply as General Tso in the West, was a Chinese statesman and military leader in the late Qing Dynasty....

 in exchange for being appointed Mandarin. He acquired large estates.

In 1890 Dong Fuxiang was stationed at Aksu, Kashgaria and was a Brigadier.

In 1895-1896, he led his Muslim troops in crushing a Muslim rebellion called the Dungan Revolt
Dungan Revolt (1895)
The Dungan Revolt was a rebellion of various Muslim ethnic groups in Qinghai and Gansu against the Qing Dynasty.-Revolt:Rival Sufi Naqshbandi orders fought against each other. They accused each other of various misdeeds, and filed a lawsuit against each other through the office of the Xining prefect...

 in Gansu and Qinghai. Dong Fuxiang was the Commander in Chief of Kashgaria (kashgar), and he received a order by telegram that he and General Ma Pi-sheng rush their army into rebelling districts via forced marching their troops.

Rebel Chinese Muslims and Turkic Salars had revolted, and his loyalist Chinese Muslim troops led by officers like Ma Anliang
Ma Anliang
Ma Anliang , a Hui, was born in 1855, in Linxia, Gansu, China. He became a general in the Qing dynasty army, and of the Republic of China. His father was Ma Zhanao, and his younger brother was Ma Guoliang...

, Ma Guoliang, Ma Fuxiang
Ma Fuxiang
Ma Fuxiang . Ma, a Dongxiang muslim leader, had a military and political career which spanned the Qing dynasty through the early Republic of China and illustrated the power of family, the role of religious affiliations, and the interaction of Inner Asian China and the national government of...

, and Ma Fulu
Ma Fulu
Ma Fulu , a Hui, was the son of General Ma Qianling, and the brother of Ma Fucai, Ma Fushou, and Ma Fuxiang. He joined the martial arts hall and attended military school. In 1895, he served under general Dong Fuxiang, leading loyalist Chinese Muslims to crush a revolt by rebel Chinese Muslims and...

 crushed the revolt, reportedly cutting off the heads and ears of rebels. During this rebellion he again indulged in plundering his fellow Muslims. He received the rank of Generalissimo.

In 1898, Dong and 10,000 of his Muslim troops were transferred to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 in preparation for war against foreigners, and Dong's troop was renamed: Wuwei Rear Troop
Wuwei Troop
Wuwei Troop was the first modern army of the Qing Dynasty consisted of infantry, cavalry and artillery, formed on June 1899 and trained by western military advicers, responsible for security of Peking City and the Forbidden City, with Ronglu as the supreme commander...

. While they were stationed there, the Wuwei Rear troops repeatedly attacked foreigners in their legations, the railways, and in churches. It was reported that the Wuwei Rear troops were going to wipe out the foreigners to return a golden age for China. A Japanese citizen, Sugiyama Akira, was shot to death on July 11 by the Wuwei soldiers.
Other Europeans and Westerners were killed as well. Ma Anliang
Ma Anliang
Ma Anliang , a Hui, was born in 1855, in Linxia, Gansu, China. He became a general in the Qing dynasty army, and of the Republic of China. His father was Ma Zhanao, and his younger brother was Ma Guoliang...

, Tongling of Ho-Chou joined him in fighting the foreigners.

The Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...

 broke out in 1900, and Dong and his Wuwei Troops joined the Boxers in declaring war on the Eight-Nation Alliance
Eight-Nation Alliance
The Eight-Nation Alliance was an alliance of Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States whose military forces intervened in China to suppress the anti-foreign Boxers and relieve the siege of the diplomatic legations in Beijing .- Events :The...

. They formed the rear division, and the westerners called them the "10,000 Islamic rabble". They were the most effective attackers on the foreign legions, and struck fear into the minds of the westerners. His troops were responsible for so much trouble that the United States Marine Corps had to be called in.

Dong was a sworn brother to Li Lai chung, another Boxer supporter and anti foreigner.

The Wuwei Rear troops were organized into eight battalions of infantry, two squadrons of cavalry, two brigades of artillery, and one company of engineers. The Wuwei Rear troops reportedly intimidated the Western forces. The Wuwei Rear Troops were reportedly eager to join the Boxers and attack the foreigners. They killed a Westerner outside Yungting gate. At Zhengyang Gate, Wuwei Rear troops engaged in combat against British forces.

On June 18, Wuwei Rear troops stationed at Hunting park in southern Beijing, attacked at the Battle of Langfang
Battle of Langfang
The Seymour Expedition, also known as the First Intervention, was an attempt by a multi-national military force to march to Beijing and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks by Boxers in 1900...

. The troops were cavalry - about 5,000 men - armed with new, modern magazine rifles.

His mere presence was menacing to the foreigners; some of them considered him to be an ogre. His Wuwei Rear troops were also reported to be ferocious.

Summary of battles of General Dong Fuxiang:Ts'ai Ts'un battle, July 24, Ho Hsi Wu battle, July 25: An P'ing battle, July 26: Chinese army at Ma T'ou, July 27. He defeated the Westerners during the Battle of Langfang
Battle of Langfang
The Seymour Expedition, also known as the First Intervention, was an attempt by a multi-national military force to march to Beijing and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks by Boxers in 1900...

.

When the Qing Court decided to retreat, the Wuwei Rear Troop escorted the Empress Dowager Cixi
Cixi
Cixi may refer to:*Empress Dowager Cixi , empress of the Qing Dynasty*Cixi City, in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China...

 and Emperor Guangxu to safety in Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...

. The westerners suffered so much at the hands of his Wuwei Rear troops that they demanded Dong be executed. The Qing Court refused to kowtow to the foreigner's demands, and Dong was not executed but instead was exiled to Gansu and all of his positions and honors accorded to him were removed. After General Dong lost all of his official positions, he still was permitted to command his personal army of 5,000 men in Gansu.

Aided by his appealing personality, Dong Fuxiang became a national hero in China for combating the foreigners.

During his exile in Gansu, he held a great deal of local political power while protected by his bodyguards, local decisions had to be made with his consent. Two fortrsses and many estates were at his disposal. After he died in 1908, all the ranks which were stripped from him due to the foreign demands were restored.

Dong Fuxiang's family, his wife Tung Chao-shih (Dong Zhaoshi), nephew Tung Wen (Dong Wen), and grandson Tung Kung (Dong Gong fought for the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

 during the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...

 in 1911 in Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...

.

See also

  • Abdul Hamid II
    Abdul Hamid II
    His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...

  • Ma Fuxiang
    Ma Fuxiang
    Ma Fuxiang . Ma, a Dongxiang muslim leader, had a military and political career which spanned the Qing dynasty through the early Republic of China and illustrated the power of family, the role of religious affiliations, and the interaction of Inner Asian China and the national government of...

  • 1900 National Upheaval
    1900 National Upheaval
    1900 National Upheaval is a book published in 1923, written by Li Xishen , a Qing Dynasty author. The book gives a detailed account of major events around the time of the Boxer Rebellion, and is widely quoted by Chinese historian Hou Yijiat and Professor Yuan Weishi...

  • Imperial Decree on events leading to the signing of Boxer Protocol
    Imperial Decree on events leading to the signing of Boxer Protocol
    The Imperial Decree on events leading to the signing of Boxer Protocol is a royal decree issued by the Qing Dynasty in the name of Guangxu Emperor, as an official imperial statement on historical events such as Boxer Rebellion, Eight-Nation Alliance and Battle of Peking and Siege of the...


External links

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