The CC Clique (), or Central Club Clique (), was one of the political factions within the
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 Tai ...
(The Chinese Nationalist Party), in the
Republic of China (1912–49)
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 northea ...
. It was led by the brothers
Chen Guofu
Chen Guofu or Chen Kuo-fu (; 5 October 1892 – 25 August 1951), was a Chinese politician in the Republic of China. His given name was Zudao (), though he was also known as "Guofu (果夫)".
He was born in Wuxing, Zhejiang, China (modern Huzh ...
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...
.
Chen Lifu and his older brother Chen Guofu were nephews of Chen Qimei, who until his assassination by the Chinese warlord Yuan Shih-kai in 1916 was the mentor of upcoming Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek. Because of those personal ties, the Chen brothers came to direct the organizational operations of the Chiang-dominated KMT, founding their own political organization known as the CC Clique.
Considered to be the extreme right of the
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 Tai ...
alongside the Blue Shirts Society, the CC Clique represented traditionalists, anti-Communists, anti-Japanese and land interests. 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 Li-fu 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
Soong Mei-ling (also spelled Soong May-ling, ; March 5, 1898 – October 23, 2003), also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek or Madame Chiang, was a Chinese political figure who was First Lady of the Republic of China, the wife of Generalissimo a ...
and H.H. Kung. They influenced intelligence, trade, banking, the military, education, and propaganda.
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).
Notable members
Wang Tseng-shan, 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 numerou ...
, was the KMT commissioner of Civil Affairs in the
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 northwest ...
Coalition Government from 1946–47, and was associated with the CC Clique. The UyghurMasud Sabri was also a CC Clique member, as was the
Tatar
The Tatars ()Tatar in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different
Wu Zhongxin
Wu Zhongxin, or Wu Chung-hsin (; March 15, 1884 – December 16, 1959) was a General and government official of the Republic of China. He was associated with the CC Clique. In his tenure as the Chairman of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commis ...