Xinjiang clique
Encyclopedia
The Xinjiang clique was a military faction that ruled Xinjiang
during China's warlord era
. Unlike other cliques, its leaders were from outside the province.
During the Xinhai Revolution
in 1911, the Qing
governor fled from Dihua (Urumqi). A band of Yunnanese led by Yang Zengxin
quelled the rebellion and established himself as the provincial leader. President Yuan Shikai
recognized Yang as governor. Yang was one of the few who supported Yuan's attempt to become emperor. During the National Protection War
, he purged officers who sympathized with the Yunnan clique
's leader Cai E
. After Yuan's death, he recognized whichever government ruled in Beijing
and maintained an isolationist and neutrality policy which kept Xinjiang away from the upheavals experienced in the rest of China.
Ma Fuxing
and Ma Shaowu
, both of them Chinese muslims
were members of the clique. They held military and political positions under Yang.
In 1928, days after recognizing the Nationalist
government in Nanjing
, Yang was assassinated by Fan Yaonan. He was succeeded by his protege Jin Shuren
who was originally from Gansu
. Jin wholly mismanaged the province and alienated its Muslim majority. In 1931, Muslims rebelled against Jin. Gansu warlord Ma Zhongying
of the Hui
Ma clique
invaded in support of the rebellion. Soon various other groups rebelled against Jin, often fought against each other including the breakaway First East Turkestan Republic
.
Jin was deposed by mutineers in 1933 and was succeeded by a Manchu
, Sheng Shicai
. Sheng was not a protege of either Yang or Jin. He was initially an officer under Guo Songling
and defected with Guo to the Guominjun
. He was appointed by Nanjing to serve under Jin as late as 1930. The war continued unabated with Nanjing unable to resolve the conflict. Frustrated, Sheng turned to the Soviet Union
in 1934. With Soviet support, Ma Hu-shan was defeated in 1937. Sheng turned Xinjiang into a Soviet protectorate and safe haven for the Chinese Communist Party.
With Nazi Germany
's invasion of the Soviet Union
in 1941, Sheng decided to rejoin the Kuomintang and expelled Soviet advisors and executed communists. Chiang Kai-shek
couldn't trust Sheng, who tried renegotiating with Stalin, so he deposed him and installed direct rule in 1944. The new KMT administration then faced a rebellion that coalesced into the Second East Turkestan Republic
.
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
during China's warlord era
Warlord era
The Chinese Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China, from 1916 to 1928, when the country was divided among military cliques, a division that continued until the fall of the Nationalist government in the mainland China regions of Sichuan, Shanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia,...
. Unlike other cliques, its leaders were from outside the province.
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, the Qing
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....
governor fled from Dihua (Urumqi). A band of Yunnanese led by Yang Zengxin
Yang Zengxin
Yang Zengxin , born in Mengzi, Honghe, Yunnan in 1859, was the ruler of Xinjiang after the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 until his assassination in 1928.-Life:...
quelled the rebellion and established himself as the provincial leader. President Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...
recognized Yang as governor. Yang was one of the few who supported Yuan's attempt to become emperor. During the National Protection War
National Protection War
The National Protection War , also known as the anti-Monarchy War, was a civil war that took place in China between 1915 and 1916. The cause of this war was Yuan Shikai's proclamation of himself as Emperor. Only three years earlier, the last Chinese dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, had been overthrown...
, he purged officers who sympathized with the Yunnan clique
Yunnan clique
The Yunnan Clique was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Government in the Republic of China's warlord era. It was named for Yunnan Province....
's leader Cai E
Cai E
Cai E or Tsai Ao was a Chinese revolutionary leader and warlord. He was born Cai Genyin in Shaoyang, Hunan, and his courtesy name was Songpo...
. After Yuan's death, he recognized whichever government ruled in Beijing
Beiyang Government
The Beiyang government or warlord government collectively refers to a series of military regimes that ruled from Beijing from 1912 to 1928 at Zhongnanhai. It was internationally recognized as the legitimate Government of the Republic of China. The name comes from the Beiyang Army which dominated...
and maintained an isolationist and neutrality policy which kept Xinjiang away from the upheavals experienced in the rest of China.
Ma Fuxing
Ma Fuxing
Ma Fuxing was a Hui born in Yunnan, in Qing dynasty China. He was an ex-convict. During Yang Zengxin's reign in Xinjiang, Ma was appointed as a military commander, and then Titai of Kashgar....
and Ma Shaowu
Ma Shaowu
Ma Shaowu was a Hui born in Yunnan, in Qing dynasty China. He was a member of the Xinjiang clique during the Republic of China.- Family history :...
, both of them Chinese muslims
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...
were members of the clique. They held military and political positions under Yang.
In 1928, days after recognizing the Nationalist
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 in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, Yang was assassinated by Fan Yaonan. He was succeeded by his protege Jin Shuren
Jin Shuren
Jin Shuren , governor of Xinjiang, succeeded Yang Zengxin after Yang was assassinated in 1928. Jin ruled Xinjiang for about half a decade, and his reign was characterized by corruption and suppression. Under his rule, both ethnic and religion conflicts were greatly deepened, resulting in numerous...
who was originally from 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...
. Jin wholly mismanaged the province and alienated its Muslim majority. In 1931, Muslims rebelled against Jin. Gansu warlord Ma Zhongying
Ma Zhongying
Ma Zhongying, also Ma Chung-ying was a Tungan Chinese Muslim warlord during the Warlord era of China. Ma Zhongying's birth name was Ma Buying . Zhongying was a warlord of Gansu province in China during the 1930s. He allied himself with the Kuomintang, which gave his soldiers an official...
of the Hui
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...
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,...
invaded in support of the rebellion. Soon various other groups rebelled against Jin, often fought against each other including the breakaway First East Turkestan Republic
First East Turkestan Republic
The First Eastern Turkestan Republic , or Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan , or, Republic of Uyghurstan, was a short-lived breakaway would-be Islamic republic founded in 1933...
.
Jin was deposed by mutineers in 1933 and was succeeded by a Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
, Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai was a Chinese warlord who "ruled" Xinjiang province from April 12, 1933 to August 29, 1944....
. Sheng was not a protege of either Yang or Jin. He was initially an officer under Guo Songling
Guo Songling
Guo Songling was a Manchurian general who led a three month rebellion against his commanding warlord - Zhang Zuolin....
and defected with Guo to the Guominjun
Guominjun
The Guominjun , a.k.a Nationalist Army, KMC, or Northwest Army , refers to the military faction founded by Feng Yuxiang, Hu Jingyi and Sun Yue during China's Warlord Era. It was formed when Feng betrayed the Zhili clique during the Second Zhili-Fengtian War with the Fengtian clique in 1924...
. He was appointed by Nanjing to serve under Jin as late as 1930. The war continued unabated with Nanjing unable to resolve the conflict. Frustrated, Sheng turned to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1934. With Soviet support, Ma Hu-shan was defeated in 1937. Sheng turned Xinjiang into a Soviet protectorate and safe haven for the Chinese Communist Party.
With Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in 1941, Sheng decided to rejoin the Kuomintang and expelled Soviet advisors and executed communists. Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
couldn't trust Sheng, who tried renegotiating with Stalin, so he deposed him and installed direct rule in 1944. The new KMT administration then faced a rebellion that coalesced into the Second East Turkestan Republic
Second East Turkestan Republic
The Second East Turkestan Republic, usually known simply as the East Turkestan Republic , was a short-lived Soviet-backed Turkic people's republic which existed in the 1940s in three northern districts of Xinjiang province of the Republic of China, what is now the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous...
.