Ma Jiyuan
Encyclopedia
Ma Jiyuan was a Ma clique
warlord
in China during the Republic of China
era, ruling the northwestern province of Qinghai
. He was the son and only child of general Ma Bufang
and commanded nationalist forces against the communists at the Heshui Campaign, Meridian Ridge Campaign, and the Lanzhou Campaign
during the Chinese Civil War
. Ma was 28 years old when he defeated the Communists in 1948. On the Heshui campaign in 1948 Ma defeated 30,000 Communists. He led the 82nd division, a Cavalry division, of which 30% of whom were Muslims to charge the Communists with swords. Ma complained that the Kuomintang
government was not resupplying him enough and that there was no more "revolutionary spirit". On the opposing side General Zhao Shoushan
led the Communists, Chao formerly attended the same school as Ma.
He became a colonel at the age of 16 and was promoted to major general at the age of 20. He had attended the Whampoa Military Academy
. Ma was given a silver cup by the Divine Word Missionaries after he came back from the northwestern front.
In May 1949, General Hu Zongnan
and Ma Jiyuan set up a planned trap. General Hu faked a retreat, then Communist General Peng Dehuai advanced with 120,000 men from Xi'an to Sichuan, but at 75 mmiles Hu Zongnan started a pitched battle and then Ma Jiyuan personally led 20,000 of his cavalry forces to beat the Communist forces and send them fleeing, and he continued to battle the Communist forces throughout July around Xi'an.
In August 1949, Ma Bufang personally traveled by plane to the KMT government in Canton request supplies via airdrop, while his son Ma Jiyuan assumed command over the KMT forces at Lanzhou
, who promised to defend the city to journalists, saying "Na shih yi ting ti" "(That is definite)", and, "Lanchow will never fall to the Communists". However, the government denied his request, and Ma flew back to Lanzhou, then abandoned lanzhou, retreating all the way back to Xining on trucks. He defended Gansu during the Lanzhou Campaign
from the Communists.
Ma Jiyuan also was married to two women, and enjoyed watching American movies. His upbringing was under strict discipline, Chinese proverbs could be found posted around his HQ.
He moved with his father to Egypt
then to Saudi Arabia
when his father was appointed as ambassador of the Republic of China to Saudi Arabia.
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,...
warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
in China during the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
era, ruling the northwestern province of Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
. He was the son and only child of general Ma Bufang
Ma Bufang
Ma Bufang was a prominent Muslim Ma clique warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the northwestern province of Qinghai. His rank was Lieutenant-general...
and commanded nationalist forces against the communists at the Heshui Campaign, Meridian Ridge Campaign, and the Lanzhou Campaign
Lanzhou Campaign
Lanzhou Campaign was a series battle fought between the nationalists and the communists for the control of the largest city in northwestern China during the Chinese Civil War in the post World War II era, and resulted in the communist victory.-Prelude:...
during the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
. Ma was 28 years old when he defeated the Communists in 1948. On the Heshui campaign in 1948 Ma defeated 30,000 Communists. He led the 82nd division, a Cavalry division, of which 30% of whom were Muslims to charge the Communists with swords. Ma complained that the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government was not resupplying him enough and that there was no more "revolutionary spirit". On the opposing side General Zhao Shoushan
Zhao Shoushan
Zhao Shoushan was a KMT general and PRC politician.-Biography:Zhao Shoushan was born in Shaanxi in 1894. After the foundation of the People's Republic of China, Zhao was the Governor of Qinghai and Shaanxi....
led the Communists, Chao formerly attended the same school as Ma.
He became a colonel at the age of 16 and was promoted to major general at the age of 20. He had attended the Whampoa Military Academy
Whampoa Military Academy
The Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy , commonly known as the Whampoa Military Academy , was a military academy in the Republic of China that produced many prestigious commanders who fought in many of China's conflicts in the 20th century, notably the Northern Expedition, the Second...
. Ma was given a silver cup by the Divine Word Missionaries after he came back from the northwestern front.
In May 1949, General Hu Zongnan
Hu Zongnan
Hu Zongnan , courtesy name Shoushan , native of Zhenhai, Ningbo, born May 16, 1896. A general in the National Revolutionary Army and then the Republic of China Army. Together with Chen Cheng and Tang Enbo, he formed the triumvirate of Chiang Kai-shek's most trusted generals during the Second...
and Ma Jiyuan set up a planned trap. General Hu faked a retreat, then Communist General Peng Dehuai advanced with 120,000 men from Xi'an to Sichuan, but at 75 mmiles Hu Zongnan started a pitched battle and then Ma Jiyuan personally led 20,000 of his cavalry forces to beat the Communist forces and send them fleeing, and he continued to battle the Communist forces throughout July around Xi'an.
In August 1949, Ma Bufang personally traveled by plane to the KMT government in Canton request supplies via airdrop, while his son Ma Jiyuan assumed command over the KMT forces at Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
, who promised to defend the city to journalists, saying "Na shih yi ting ti" "(That is definite)", and, "Lanchow will never fall to the Communists". However, the government denied his request, and Ma flew back to Lanzhou, then abandoned lanzhou, retreating all the way back to Xining on trucks. He defended Gansu during the Lanzhou Campaign
Lanzhou Campaign
Lanzhou Campaign was a series battle fought between the nationalists and the communists for the control of the largest city in northwestern China during the Chinese Civil War in the post World War II era, and resulted in the communist victory.-Prelude:...
from the Communists.
Ma Jiyuan also was married to two women, and enjoyed watching American movies. His upbringing was under strict discipline, Chinese proverbs could be found posted around his HQ.
He moved with his father to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
then to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
when his father was appointed as ambassador of the Republic of China to Saudi Arabia.
External links
- 民国军阀派系谈 (The Republic of China warlord cliques discussed ) http://www.2499cn.com/junfamulu.htm
- The Generals of WWII, Generals from China