CC Clique

The CC Clique ( zh, c=CC派), or Central Club Clique ( zh, t=中央俱樂部組織), officially Ko-hsin Club ( zh, t=革新俱樂部) was one of the political factions within the Kuomintang (The Chinese Nationalist Party), in the Republic of China (1912–49). It was led by the brothers Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu, sword nephews of Chiang Kai-shek.

History

Chen Lifu and his older brother Chen Guofu were nephews of Chen Qimei, who until his assassination by the Chinese warlord Yuan Shikai in 1916 was the mentor of upcoming Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek. The Chen brothers established the CC clique within the KMT.

The CC Clique placed loyal followers throughout the party and the government machinery, ensuring influence in the bureaucracy, educational agencies, youth organization and labor unions. The brothers also influenced the KMT's Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, one of Chiang's two main police and intelligence bodies. Chen Lifu freely admitted that these units caused considerable criticism (''The Storm Clouds'', p. 68).

The CC Clique had significant influence over the press, particularly through the '' Central Daily News''. Many key figures within the newspaper were members of the CC Clique or had close ties to the Chen brothers, including Cheng Tsang-po, Chen Po-sheng, , Hu Chien-chung, and Ma Hsin-yeh. Beyond the ''Central Daily News'', the CC Clique also extended its control over several regional and branch newspapers. For instance, Hu Chien-chung founded the ''Southeast Daily'' (東南日報) in Zhejiang, established the ''Morning Post'' (晨報) in Shanghai, and Chi Shi-ying was involved in the founding of ''Time and Tides Magazine'' (時與潮).

The Gexin movement included many younger KMT members associated with the CC Clique.

From the late 1930s to early 1950s, the CC Clique expanded to become the largest factions within the KMT. The faction attempted to seize control of the Central Cadre School from Chiang Ching-kuo and obstructed the appointment of Chen Cheng as Premier and Liu Chien-chun as President of the Legislative Yuan (led by legislator Chen Po-sheng). The CC Clique also frequently criticized Chiang Kai-shek for his lack of democracy. This led to a deteriorating relationship between Chiang Kai-shek and the CC Clique, and follow the failure in the Chinese Civil War, their relationship completely broke down. Chiang blamed the defeat on Chen Lifu, famously exclaiming at a party reform meeting: "If you don't trust me to carry out the reforms, you can go and follow Chen Lifu!" As a result, Chen Lifu was forced into exile in Pennsylvania.

Afterward, Chen Cheng's Tsotanhui Clique replaced the CC Clique as the largest faction within the KMT, and Chen Cheng formally became Chiang Kai-shek's successor.

The CC Clique aggressively criticized T.V. Soong following the Nationalist government's worsening economic crisis in January and early February 1947. As Soong's political role receded, the CC Clique increased its economic influence, particularly in the Agricultural Bank of China, for which Chen Guofu had become the chairman of the board in 1945. With Soong's influence decreased, CC Clique member Juo Jinghua aggressively developed commercial enterprises tied to the Clique.

To counter Chen Yi's actions in taking control of Taiwan, the CC Clique established a cooperative relationship with Chiang Wei-chuan, a social activist from the Japanese colonial period. Leveraging the grassroots influence of the former Taiwanese People's Party and anti-Chen Yi Kuomintang officials of Taiwanese origin, such as Lien Chen-tung and Hsieh Tung-min, the CC Clique helped organize the *Taiwan People's Association* (台灣民眾協會), which grew to tens of thousands of members.

Some viewpoints suggest that the CC Clique exhibited tendencies toward democratization and openness after relocating to Taiwan. Chi Shi-ying, who was Chen Lifu's secretary and later a key figure in the clique, once told Lei Chen that many CC Clique members supported the formation of an opposition party. He later co-founded the China Democracy Party.

In 1958, under Chi Shi-ying’s leadership, the CC Clique opposed amendments to the Publication Law that restricted freedom of speech. Led by legislator Cheng Tsang-po, Chi and 24 others submitted a motion on April 25, demanding a public review. This pressured the executive branch, and Vice Premier Huang Shao-ku admitted classifying the proposal as confidential was an oversight.

Despite this, the Kuomintang and Executive Yuan blocked the review through party mechanisms. In response, over 100 legislators co-signed an alternative amendment, but it was ultimately defeated.

Meanwhile, Liang Su-yung, regarded as the last leader of the CC Clique, served as the defense lawyer for Lei Chen.

Ideology

Considered to be the extreme right of the Kuomintang alongside the Blue Shirts Society, the CC Clique represented traditionalists, anti-Communists, Constitutionalism, Free Market Economy, and land reformers. They stood closest to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, influencing appointments and promotions, and held the largest block of votes in the Central Executive Committee. Chen Lifu was considered the party head. Its members included many of the elite within the party, including such people as Chiang Kai-shek's wife Soong Mei-ling and H.H. Kung. They influenced intelligence, trade, banking, the military, education, and propaganda.

Despite being an ultra-anti-communist faction within the Kuomintang, the CC Clique was the most radical proponent of land reform within the party. Under the leadership of Chen Guofu, the CC Clique played a key role in incorporating land reform laws into the constitution, which later evolved into Articles 142, 143, and 146 of the Constitution of the Republic of China.

In 1948, CC member Hsiao Cheng proposed the Agricultural Land Reform Bill in the Legislative Yuan, advocating for farmland to be transferred to farmers. His proposal was one of the earliest legislative efforts in Taiwan's post-war land reform process.

Name

Chen Lifu denied the existence of the "CC Clique" in his memoir, stating he would not name his faction in English. Members of the group refer to themselves as the 'Gexin Clique.

Notable members

Wang Tseng-shan, a Chinese Muslim, was the KMT commissioner of Civil Affairs in the Xinjiang Coalition Government from 1946–47, and was associated with the CC Clique. The Uyghur Masud Sabri was also a CC Clique member, as was the Tatar Burhan Shahidi and the KMT-general and Han Chinese Wu Zhongxin.

See also

* Reorganization Group
* Tsotanhui Clique

References

Literature

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Factions in the Kuomintang
Warlord cliques in Republican China