The Anhui clique () was a military and political organization, one of several mutually hostile

clique A clique (AusE, CanE, or ; ), in the social sciences, is a small group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests rather than include others. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardles ...

s or factions that split from the

Beiyang clique The Beiyang Army (), named after the Beiyang region, was a Western-style Imperial Chinese Army established by the Qing dynasty in the early 20th century. It was the centerpiece of a general reconstruction of the Qing military system in the wake ...

in the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Warlord Era The Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1928, when control of the country was divided between rival Warlord, military cliques of the Beiyang Army and other regional factions. It began after the de ...

. It was named after

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

province because several of its generals–including its founder,

Duan Qirui Duan Qirui (, pronounced ) (March 6, 1865 – November 2, 1936) was a Chinese warlord, politician and commander of the Beiyang Army who ruled as the effective dictator of northern China in the late 1910s. He was the Premier of the Republic of C ...

–were born in

. The clique's main members were

, Duan Zhigui,

Jin Yunpeng Jin Yunpeng (); ; 1877 – 30 January 1951) was a Chinese general and politician of the Warlord Era of the Republic of China. He served as both Minister of War and then Premier of China several times. His ascent to the Premiership was support ...

Wang Yitang Wang Yitang (; October 17, 1877 – September 10, 1948) was a politician and military leader in the Qing Dynasty and Republic of China. He belonged to the Anhui clique and formed the Anfu Club (). Later he became an important politician in t ...

, Lu Yongxiang,

Zhang Jingyao Zhang Jingyao (, ; 1881 – 1933), was a Chinese general and the military governor of Chahar and later Hunan Province. He was one of China's most notorious warlords, known for his troops' atrocities and the looting of Hunan during his adminis ...

, Wu Guangxin,

Chen Shufan Chen Shufan () (1885 – November 2, 1949) was a Chinese general active during the early Republican period in China. He was a prominent general of the Anhui Clique and won the Order of Rank and Merit and Order of Wen-Hu. Biography Born in A ...

, Zheng Shiqi,

Xu Shuzheng Hsu Seu-Cheng or Xu Shuzheng (; ) (11 November 1880 – 29 December 1925) was a Chinese warlord in Republican China. A subordinate and right-hand man of Duan Qirui, he was a prominent member of the Anhui clique. Early life Xu was born i ...

, etc. The Anhui Clique was largely a collection of military officers with connections to Duan Qirui, either due to family ties such as Wu Guangxin, being from the same locality such as Duan Zhigui, or having a teacher-student relationship such as

.Andrew J Nathan (1976). Peking politics, 1918-1923: factionalism and the failure of constitutionalism. University of Michigan Center for Chinese Studies. ISBN 978-0-89264-131-4. However, the Anhui Clique would grow to be defined by the policy of Unification By Force, which would was the strategy of uniting North and South China through military conquest rather than peaceful negotiation. Their rivals in the

Zhili Clique The Zhili clique () was a military faction that split from the Republic of China's Beiyang Army during the country's Warlord Era. It was named for Zhili Province (modern-day Hebei), which was the clique's base of power. At its height, it also ...

were opposed to Unification By Force, fracturing the Beijing governments of 1916 to 1920. Because the Anhui clique organized itself very early, it was more politically sophisticated than its warlord rivals, with an associated civilian wing being organised as the

Anfu Club The Anfu Club () was a political organisation in China. It controlled the National Assembly of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China after the 1918 Chinese National Assembly election, elections of 1918. On the order of President X ...

. The Anhui clique had an uneasy co-existence with the

Zhili clique The Zhili clique () was a military faction that split from the Republic of China's Beiyang Army during the country's Warlord Era. It was named for Zhili Province (modern-day Hebei), which was the clique's base of power. At its height, it also ...

and

Fengtian clique The Fengtian clique () was the faction that supported warlord Zhang Zuolin during Republic of China (1912–1949), China's Warlord Era. It took its name from Fengtian Province, which served as its original base of support. However, the clique quic ...

in the politics of the

Beiyang government The Beiyang government was the internationally recognized government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China between 1912 and 1928, based in Beijing. It was dominated by the generals of the Beiyang Army, giving it its name. B ...

, often finding itself at odds with the two cliques.

History

During the

National Protection War The National Protection War ( zh, t=護國戰爭, s=护国战争, p=Hù guó zhànzhēng), also known as the Anti-Monarchy War, was a civil war that took place in China between 1915 and 1916. Following the overthrow of the Qing dynasty three yea ...

(1915–1916) Duan Qirui gave his support to the Kuomintang revolutionaries against

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 18596 June 1916) was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and ...

. In 1916, after the death of

and the end of the

Constitutional Protection War The Constitutional Protection Movement () was a series of movements led by Sun Yat-sen to resist the Beiyang government between 1917 and 1922, in which Sun established another government in Guangzhou as a result. It was known as the Fourth Revolut ...

, Premier

would become Premier of the Republic, with

Li Yuanhong Li Yuanhong (; courtesy name ; October 19, 1864 – June 3, 1928) was a prominent Chinese military and political leader during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. He was the Provisional Vice President of the Republic of China from 191 ...

serving as the President of the Republic,

acted as a puppet of

due to him being easily manipulated essentially giving the Anhui Clique almost complete control over the

Beiyang Government The Beiyang government was the internationally recognized government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China between 1912 and 1928, based in Beijing. It was dominated by the generals of the Beiyang Army, giving it its name. B ...

. With Japanese support and the suppression of the

Manchu Restoration The Manchu Restoration or Dingsi Restoration (), also known as Zhang Xun Restoration (), or Xuantong Restoration (), was an attempt to restore the Chinese monarchy by General Zhang Xun, whose army seized Beijing and briefly reinstalled the las ...

in 1917, the Anhui clique became the most powerful faction in China from 1916 to 1920. The Anhui clique advocated for a hardline approach during the

, giving the revolutionaries his political support as Duan Qirui sought to become the President of the Republic. After the death of Yuan Shikai and his abdication of the Hongxiang Emperor the Beiyang government was restored to which Duan Qirui served as premier under the presidency of Li Yuanhong; Effectively giving Duan Qirui the leadership of China by controlling the weak President, the Clique would only rise in terms of power until 1920. In 1919 the

May Fourth Movement The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese cultural and anti-imperialist political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen to protest the Chinese government's weak response ...

weakened their influence and eventually led to the

Zhili–Anhui War The Zhili–Anhui War was a 1920 conflict in the Republic of China between the Zhili and Anhui cliques for control of the Beiyang government. Prelude Tensions between the two factions developed during the Constitutional Protection War of 191 ...

in 1920 which saw the surprise defeat of the Anhui clique. In 1920 Duan Qirui resigned and the clique lacked national leadership for the next four years when all their provinces were eventually annexed by the Zhili clique by the summer of 1924. (

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

was an anomaly, the Zhili clique appointed an Anhui general in 1923 there provided he remain neutral, see

Shandong Problem The Shandong Problem or Shandong Question (; ) was a dispute over Article 156 of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which dealt with the concession of the Shandong Peninsula. It was resolved in China's favor in 1922. The German Empire acquired ...

. Zheng Shiqi ruled until 1925 when he transferred it to Fengtian's

Zhang Zongchang Zhang Zongchang (; also romanized as Chang Tsung-chang; 1881 – 3 September 1932), courtesy name Xiaokun, was a Chinese warlord who ruled Shandong from 1925 to 1928. A member of the Fengtian clique, Zhang was notorious for his brutal and ruthl ...

per agreement with Duan.) After the

Beijing Coup Beijing coup could be: * 1861 Beijing Coup, which removed the Eight Regents of Xianfeng Emperor * 1898 Beijing Coup, which ended the Hundred Days' Reform * , during which the Beiyang Army rebelled against the Qing dynasty The Qing ...

Feng Yuxiang Feng Yuxiang (; ; 6 November 1882 – 1 September 1948), courtesy name Huanzhang (焕章), was a Chinese warlord and later general in the National Revolutionary Army. He served as Vice Premier of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1930. A ...

and

Zhang Zuolin Zhang Zuolin; courtesy name Yuting ( zh, c=雨亭, p=Yǔtíng, labels=no) and nicknamed Zhang Laogang ( zh, c=張老疙瘩, p=Zhāng Lǎo Gēda, labels=no) (March 19, 1875June 4, 1928) was a Chinese warlord who ruled Manchuria from 1916 to 1928 ...

picked Duan to lead a provisional government. Lacking any significant military power, he and his few remaining supporters played Feng and Zhang against each other. They eventually removed him from power and his last followers joined the Fengtian clique.

Political wing

The Anhui clique also had a political wing known as the

(literally, ''Peace and Happiness Club'', after a Beijing lane where they met; folk etymology claims it was a pun on Anhui and

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

) which consisted of politicians that threw their fortune in with Duan. Formed on 7 March 1918 by

and

, it ran for elections for the northern

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

and won three-fourths of the seats primarily because Anhui warlords bought the votes. The Anfu Club was a highly disciplined party created to push Duan Qirui's agenda through legal means such as electing fellow party member

Xu Shichang Xu Shichang (Hsu Shih-chang; ; courtesy name: Juren (Chu-jen; 菊人); October 20, 1855 – June 5, 1939) was a Chinese politician who served as the President of the Republic of China, in Beijing, from 10 October 1918 to 2 June 1922. The only p ...

President of the ROC The president of the Republic of China, also known as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. Before 1949 the position had the ...

. Before the

, it was also supported by the Fengtian clique,

Xinjiang clique The Xinjiang clique was a military clique that ruled Xinjiang during China's warlord era. Unlike other cliques, its leaders were from outside the province. History During the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, the Qing governor fled from Dihua (Ür� ...

, and

Shanxi clique The Shanxi clique, also known as the Jin clique (Jin being the abbreviated name of Shanxi; ), was one of several military factions that split off from the Beiyang Army during China's warlord era. History Yuan Shikai, after assuming presidency, ...

. The Anfu Club was later destroyed after the Zhili-Anhui War when the Assembly was disbanded.

Financial wing

Their financial wing was the New Communications Clique (1916–1919) led by

Cao Rulin Cao Rulin (; January 23, 1877 – August 1966, Midland, Michigan, United States) was Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Beiyang Government, and an important member of the pro-Japanese movement in the early 20th century. He was a Shanghai ...

, it was the rival to

Liang Shiyi Liang Shiyi (; May 5, 1869 – April 9, 1933) was a Chinese minister who served as premier of China during the Beiyang government from 1921 to 1922. Biography Liang Shiyi was born in Sanshui, Guangdong in 1869. In the Qing dynasty, he was ...

's Old Communications Clique. Cao's conduct during the

Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...

led to the

and his dismissal.

Military

The Anhui Clique, as opposed to their civilian partners in the

, was primarily an association of generals and military governors.

commanded an army independent from the Ministry of War, originally named the War Participation Army, which was funded and trained by the Japanese and consisted of around 50,000 troops.

Qu Tongfeng Qu Tongfeng, (; ; 1873–1929) was a general who served Yuan Shikai and the Anhui clique. Qu Tongfeng was born in Fushan County, now in Yantai, Fushan District of Shandong. At age 16 he joined the Beiyang Fleet and served as second-class en ...

commanded the 1st Division, Ma Liang commanded the 2nd Division, and Chen Wenyuan commanded the 3rd Division. There were also five additional mixed brigades, stationed in

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou (), also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southwest ...

and the suburbs of

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

.印鋳局官書課編『職員録』中華民國八年三期　3,印鋳局発行所,民国8. 国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1912146 (参照 2024-05-31) Within the Central Army, the official national army of the Beijing Government, several generals and their divisions were loyal to the Anhui Clique. The 9th and 13th Division stationed near Beijing were led by Anhui Clique generals, Wei Zonghan and Li Jincai respectively, and the 15th Division led by Liu Xun would defect to the Anhui Clique following the death of Zhili Clique leader

Feng Guozhang Feng Guozhang (; 7 January 1859 – 12 December 1919) was a Chinese general and politician in the late Qing dynasty and early republican China who was Vice President from 1916 to 1917 and then acting President of the Republic of China from 1917 ...

. Additionally, in 1919, the 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th Divisions were led by Anhui Clique officers and were stationed in provinces loyal to the Anhui Clique along with several other mixed brigades. The last significant component of the Anhui Clique was the provincial military governors and local armies. Wu Guangxin commanded the Upper Yangtze Garrison, which controlled several brigades and a division in Western

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

. Lu Yongxiang governed

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

through the Zhejiang provincial army and He Fenglin served as the Military Commissioner of

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, the nominal governor of

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

, controlled most of the South of his province with several local armies under his command. The military governors of

were subservient to

, although it was plagued by intra-clique rivalries due to

's influence in the province and Jin's rivalry with

, who had subordinates such as Ma Liang and

Qu Yingguang Qu Yingguang (; March 14, 1883 – September 19, 1973), courtesy name Wenliu (), was a Chinese politician active during the Republican period. Qu was born in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. A member of the Guangfuhui, Qu took the bringing the X ...

in the province.

Ni Sichong Ni Sichong, Duke of the First Rank (; ; 1868– July 1924) was a Chinese general. He was one of the handful of Beiyang generals who along with Yang Du and others supported Yuan Shikai's Empire of China during the National Protection War. He ...

, governor of

, was a major contributor to the Anhui Clique, and he controlled two armies in Anhui and Northern

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

. The provinces of

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

and

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

were reliant on the Anhui Clique and led by Anhui Clique governors. Other provinces such as Xinjiang, Shanxi, and Fengtian were politically associated with the Anhui Clique during 1918-1919 as their provincial delegations in the National Assembly were part of the Anfu Club. The Anhui Clique armies fought during the

, Zhili-Anhui War of 1920 and the Occupation of Outer Mongolia. The Anhui Clique has received aid in the form of military equipment, advisors and more mostly from the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, they had also received aid from the French and British, most notably in the form of warplanes and armoured cars. The Anhui Clique purchased weaponry such as bolt-action rifles and ammunition from the United States, France and others. France provided planes used in the

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

of the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

History

Political wing

Financial wing

Military

Known Members

References

See also