Ma Family Warlords and the Qing Dynasty

The Ma Family Warlords

• The Maas were a group of Muslim warlords and generals.
• They rose to prominence during the late Qing Dynasty.
• They played a role in the Chinese Civil War, which ended in 1949.

Qing Dynasty Reliance

• The Qing Dynasty relied on the Maas to maintain control in the northwest.
• The Qing army consisted of the Eight Manchu Banners and the Green Standard Army.
• By the 19th century, the Qing military's effectiveness had declined.
• The decline led to the rise of local militias.

Rise of Local Militias

• Figures like Zangoifan, Zhongguophon, and Li Hong Chang quelled revolts in the 1850s-1870s.
• Their success led to the rise of later warlords.
• The new dynamic allowed military governors and their armies to act as proxies.
• The Ma family exploited this dynamic in the distant northwest.
• They ran their territories as personal fiefdoms.

The Hui Ethnic Minority

• The Maas belonged to the Hui ethnic minority.
• There were 14 of them and they are mentioned in this episode.
• The Hui are one of the 56 recognized ethnic groups in China.
• The Han Chinese make up about 95% of the population.
• The Zhuang are mostly in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Guizhou.
• The Hui are an ethno-religious group united by Islam.
• Many Huis were surnamed Ma, derived from the first syllable of "Muhammad".
• Admiral Jonghyun (Mahua) was a Chinese Muslim during the Ming Dynasty.
• Over time, Chinese Muslims intermarried with Central Asians.
• Today, there are over 10 million Hui people, mostly in northwest China.

The Three Notorious Ma Families

• The story concerns three families with the surname Ma.
• They controlled northwest provinces as personal fiefdoms.
• They imposed conscription and oppressive taxation.
• The lands were historically defined by deserts, mountains, and poverty.
• The Maas were native to the northwest.
• They were consummate opportunists, aligning with whoever offered the best deals.

"Shibei San Ma" - The Three Mas of the Northwest

• The most famous and notorious were the "Shibei San Ma".
• "Shibei" means northwest, and "San" means three.
• The three were Mapufang, Mahon Kway, and Mahong.
• Edgar Snow (author of "Red Star Over China") said there were four Ma's.
• Snow included Mapuching, brother of Mapufang.

Patriarchs of the Ma Family

• The founders of the Ma family were Macho, Machine Ling, and Maha Yen.
• Their sons and grandsons became prominent warlords,
• They are referred to as the Ma Clique.

Macho

• Macho lived from 1830 to 1886 during the Qing Dynasty.
• Macho began the influence of the Ma families.
• He defected to the Qing army during the Dungan revolt (1862-1877).
• The Dungan revolt was a chaotic conflict.
• The Hui of China were referred to as Dungans by Central Asians.
• The Dungans spoke a dialect of Mandarin and looked like Han Chinese.
• The Muslim rebellion spread from Shanxi province.
• Ultimately the Dungan rebels moved to Gansu in 1867.
• Tsao was made the governor general of Shanxi and Gansu in 1868.
• General Tsaw put an end to the 17-year-old yen Rebellion.
• General Tsao then turned his army on the Dongons.
• Ma Clan story begins when the Donggans have been fighting since 1862.
• General Zhao began to fight the Donggans in 1867.

Defection to the Qing

• It started Machan ao and his son Ma'an Liang as well as Machian Ling and Maha Yen.
• Dongfu Xiang was another general (not a Ma).
• These men defected to Tongtang's Qing army.
• Machan all defected to the Qing side.
• Machall helped quell the Dongons.
• Machan all preserved his family's lives.
• He laid the foundation for his relatives' future.
• His forces were absorbed into the Qing army.

Yakub Beg

• Muhammad Yaakov Beg established a kingdom in Xinjiang.
• Yaakov claimed dominion amidst Qing Dynasty weakness.
• The british and russians wanted to influence Asia at this time.
• Yakub Beg allied himself with Russia and Britain.
• The Chinese army went after and defeated Yaakov Beg in 1877.

Turmoil in Northwest China (1860s-1870s)

• The Qing had lost control.
• The Maas started by defecting to the Qing.
• They offered loyalty to the emperor and helped quell unrest.
• They aided the throne during the Boxer Rebellion.

Dongfu Xiang and the Gansu Braves

• General Dongfu Xiang was born in Gansu province.
• He led the Gansu Braves, an all-Muslim private army.
• The surnames of Dongfu Xiang and Mafu Xiang are different.
• Mafu Xiang was the son of Machine Ling.
• Machine Ling had come over to the side of General Tor.
• The two families of the Ma's were the Fusion and the Anglian.
• Mafu Xiang was the son of Machine Ling.
• Anglian was the son of Ma John All
• Upon his passing in 1918, Online would replace his father.

Gansu Braves

• Dongfu led the Gansu Braves, about 10,000 strong.
• They were all way Chinese.
• They were called to Beijing in 1898.
• They served the emperor and empress dowager.
• China was being humiliated during these times.
• The Qing had been beaten by the Japanese.
• The Qing had signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895.

Gansu Braves and the Boxer Rebellion

• In 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi and her Manchu advisors enlisted the Gansu Braves to counter Western powers and Japan.
• The Gansu Braves were already stationed in Beijing since 1898.
• The Seymour Expedition, consisting of approximately 2,000 foreign troops, marched from Tianjin to Beijing to confront the Manchu royals.
• Chinese patriots and xenophobes attacked foreigners, burned churches, and destroyed railroad tracks.
• The Seymour Expedition failed, because it was outnumbered by 5,000 Gansu Braves led by Dong Fuxiang.
• On June 18, the Seymour Expedition was defeated at the Battle of Langfang and retreated to Tianjin.
• Foreigners were holed up in the foreign legation quarter in Beijing during the 55-day siege.
• The Boxer Rebellion marked a disastrous start to the 20th century for the Qing Dynasty

Key Figures in the Muslim Army

• Ma Fulu died in battle, and his brother Ma Fuxiang assumed a leadership role in the Muslim army.
• The Gansu Braves escorted the royal family to Chengde after their flight from Beijing.
• Ma Fuxiang was deeply rooted in Hui culture and versed in Confucian classics.
• Ma Fuxiang and Ma Anliang were staunch supporters of the Qing Dynasty.
• The 1911 Wuchang Uprising crushed those who had supported the Qing Emperor.
• Ma Fuxiang defected to the nationalists, giving Yen Shikai a strong military force in the northwest.
• Ma Fuxiang was handed the province of Ningxia, where he established his power base
• Ma Fuxiang was born in Linxia County, Gansu Province, and had a rich life as a soldier, warrior, devout Muslim, and philanthropist.
• Ma Anliang received the territory of the Gansu Corridor for his loyal support.

Warlords of the Ma Clique

• Machine Ling and Ma Haiyan were rewarded during the Qing Dynasty era while Machi and Marlene were later rewarded by the central government.
• Ma Haiyan served under Ma Zhan'ao and defected with him in 1872.
• Machi and Marlene fought against Western forces during the Boxer Rebellion.
• The Ma Haiyan family was granted Xinning (present Qinghai province), and became the warlords of that province.
• Machi, Marlene, and other Ma brothers established bases throughout Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai.
• The Ma warlords were cruel and self-serving rulers in their respective regions.
• Parents hid their sons to prevent conscription into the Ma armies.
• The Ma taxed anything to get the most wealth.

KMT Loyalty and Conflicts

• The progeny of Ma Zhan'ao, Chen Ling, and Haiyan were loyal KMT members.
• Machi was sent to suppress a revolt in Tibet in 1918 and is accused of genocide and desecration.
• The Ma clique carried water for their allies in eastern China and later for Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT.
• Ma Fuxiang and Chiang Kai-shek maintained very close relations.

The Three Ma's and the Communist conflict

• Ma Bufang, Ma Hongbin, and Ma Buqing formed the "three Ma's" of the northwest.
• They were Jiang Jieshi or Chiang Kai-shek supporters and managed the KMT interests in the region.
• The three ruled Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia like sultanates.
• Ma Hongkui was based in Ningxia and was considered the richest and strongest, and was a brilliant general.
• Ma Hongkui owned sixty percent of the property in Ningxia province and controlled major businesses.
• Ma Hongkui printed his own currency, showing the power he had.
• A U.S. State Department official described Ma Hongkui as the unquestioned ruler of Ningxia, running a practically independent state.
• Ma Hongkui believed the people were too ignorant for democracy and needed him to look after them.
• Ma Hongkui's government was efficient, with good roads, irrigation, and agricultural improvements.
• The Ma's inflicted casualties on Communist troops during the Long March.
• Ma Bufang and Ma Buqing fought in Tibet, against the Japanese, and in the Chinese Civil War.

CCP and the Ma Conflict

• Mao Zedong's rival for CCP leadership, Zhang Guotao, suffered heavy losses against the Ma armies.
• Mao knew he needed to take on the Ma militarily to defeat them.
• The Ma evolved from rebels to Qing loyalists, KMT loyalists, warlords, and KMT enforcers.
• The communists had to subvert Ma territories as they were too strong otherwise.
• The communist cells promised debt abolition and an end to conscription if they supported the CCP.
• Promises were made to the Hui people for greater autonomy in local government and economy.
• These tactics helped to undermine support for the Ma warlords among the local populace.
• The communists exploited sectarian differences to politically weaken the Ma.
• Ma Hongkui's reputation for heavy taxation was notorious, despite his efforts against the Japanese.
• Ma Hongkui inflicted huge casualties on Peng Dehuai's army, but the Red Army prevailed.
• Ma Hongkui fled to Guangzhou, Taiwan, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and died in 1970.
• Ma Bufang fled to Chongqing, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, serving there as a diplomat for the KMT.
• Ma Bufang's older brother, Mapu Ching, left China in 1949 and went to Taiwan.
• Mapu Ching worked for the Ministry of Defense in Taiwan.
• He remained committed to the Republic of China until his death in Taipei in 1977.
• Ma Hongbin was locked in a power struggle with his cousin, Ma Hongkui.
• Ma Hongbin stayed in China, went over to the communists, and died in 1960 in Gansu.
• Ma Hongbin likely would not have fared well during the Cultural Revolution if he had lived longer.
• The Ma families, starting with Ma Zhan'ao, Ma Anliang, and Ma Haiyan, were major forces in Northwest China for almost eight decades.
• The collective actions of the Ma families played a role in shaping Chinese history.
• Ma Zhongying, who also played a significant role in the history of the time, was not discussed.
• The warlord Mas of China's northwest were warriors who amassed wealth and engaged in constant warfare.
• They fought for the Qing Dynasty and later their Republican allies in Northwest China.