Ma Chengxiang (1914–1991) (,

Xiao'erjing Xiao'erjing or Xiao'erjin or Xiaor jin or in its shortened form, Xiaojing, literally meaning "children's script" or "minor script" (cf. "original script" referring to the original Perso-Arabic script; zh, s=本经, t=本經, p=Běnjīng, Xiao ...

: ) was a

Chinese Muslim Islam has been practiced in China since the 7th century CE.. Muslims are a minority group in China, representing 1.6-2 percent of the total population (21,667,000- 28,210,795) according to various estimates. Though Hui Muslims are the most num ...

general in the National Revolutionary Army. He was the son of Ma Qing (馬慶) and nephew of generals Ma Buqing and

Ma Bufang Ma Bufang (1903 – 31 July 1975) (, Xiao'erjing: ) was a prominent Muslim Ma clique warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the province of Qinghai. His rank was Lieutenant-general. General Ma started an industrialization pro ...

. A daughter of Ma Buqing was married to him. He commanded Hui cavalry in

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...

, the 5th cavalry army. Ma was a member of the Chinese Nationalist

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Ta ...

party and a hardliner. Ma Chengxiang commanded the Xinjiang First Cavalry Division, which was formerly stationed in Gansu where it was known as the Fifth Cavalry Army. He commanded Chinese Muslim troops against the Uighur armies of the

Second East Turkestan Republic The East Turkestan Republic (ETR) was a short-lived satellite state of the Soviet Union in northwest Xinjiang (East Turkestan), between November 12, 1944, and December 22, 1949. To differentiate it from the First East Turkestan Republic (193 ...

during the Ili Rebellion and the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...

Ningxia Ningxia (,; , ; alternately romanized as Ninghsia), officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), is an autonomous region in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1 ...

, and

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibe ...

. His cavalry was deployed during the Ningxia Campaign. Ma Chengxiang, the nationalist cavalry commander in Xinjiang, led 200-300 civilians and military men such as officers and soldiers and their families fleeing China to settle in Saudi Arabia, with his uncle, Ma Bufang. His family fled

Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...

to go to Hong Kong as a stopover, then fled to Egypt. According to Jack Chen, Ma Chengxiang used his Chinese Muslim cavalry to put down a revolt of

Uyghurs The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia, Cent ...

during an uprising in 1948 in Turfan. Elite

cavalry were sent by the Chinese

to destroy the Mongols and the Russians in 1947 during the

Pei-ta-shan Incident The Battle of Baitag Bogd Mountain ( mn, Байтаг богдын тулгарал, translit=Baitag bogdyn tulgaral) or Beitashan Incident (; alternatively ''Baitak Bogdo incident'') was a border conflict between China, Mongolia, and the Sovie ...

. Ma was appointed as the commander of all the cavalry forces of the Kuomintang in Xinjiang. When the Communists invaded Xinjiang, Ma fled via the Pamirs in 1950 through India, then reached Egypt. Later, Ma Chengxiang returned to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

, the Republic of China in 1950, where his father Ma Buqing had fled. Ma Bufang stayed in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

. He resumed his job as a General and was elected to the Seventh Central Committee of the

. He also became the Deputy General Officer Commanding Penghu Defense Command in 1956 and was appointed to the Planning Commission for the Recovery of the Mainland. While Ma had fled to Taiwan, Han Youwen defected to the Communists. One of Ma Chengxiang's Hui officers, Ma Fuchen 馬輔臣, defected to the Communists. Han Youwen wrote a letter to Ma Chengxiang after nearly 40 years of no contact. Ma Chengxiang met Han Youwen in Hong Kong.

Career

*1943 General Officer Commanding 5th Cavalry Army *1947 General Officer Commanding 1st Cavalry Division *1949 General Officer Commanding Cavalry Forces in Xinjiang

References

External links

Ma Chengxiang

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma Chengxiang 1914 births 1991 deaths Republic of China warlords from Gansu Hui people National Revolutionary Army generals from Gansu Chinese Nationalist military figures Kuomintang politicians in Taiwan Chinese Muslim generals Chinese anti-communists History of Xinjiang Chinese Civil War refugees Taiwanese people from Gansu Taiwanese people of Hui descent Taiwanese Muslims