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 northeas ...

. It was led by the brothers Chen Guofu and

Chen Lifu Chen Lifu or Ch'en Li-fu (; 21 August 1900 – 8 February 2001) was a Chinese politician and anti-communist of the Republic of China. Chen was born in Wuxing, Zhejiang, China (modern Huzhou). In 1925, Chen formally joined Kuomintang (KMT) in Sa ...

, friends of

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 Chen Qimei (; 17 January 1878 – 18 May 1916), courtesy name Yingshi (英世) was a Chinese revolutionary activist and key figure of Green Gang, close political ally of Sun Yat-sen, and early mentor of Chiang Kai-shek. He was as one of the found ...

, who until his assassination by the Chinese warlord

Yuan Shih-kai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. H ...

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

alongside the

Blue Shirts Society The Blue Shirts Society (藍衣社), also known as the Society of Practice of the Three Principles of the People (, commonly abbreviated as SPTPP), the Spirit Encouragement Society (勵志社, SES) and the China Reconstruction Society (中華� ...

, 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 and ...

and

H.H. Kung Kung Hsiang-hsi (; 11 September 1881 – 16 August 1967), often known as Dr. H. H. Kung, was a Chinese banker and politician in the early 20th century. He married Soong Ai-ling, the eldest of the three Soong sisters; the other two married Pres ...

. 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 The Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) ), commonly known as Zhongtong (), was an intelligence unit under the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang. It was one of Chiang Kai-shek's two police and military intelligence agenc ...

, 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 nume ...

, 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 Uyghur

Masud Sabri Masud Sabri, also known as Masʿūd Ṣabrī ( ug, مەسئۇت سابرى, مسعود صبري; zh, s=麦斯武德·沙比尔, t=麥斯武德·沙比爾, p=Màisīwǔdé·Shābì'ěr; 1886–1952), was an ethnic Uyghur politician of the Republi ...

was also a CC Clique member, as was the

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

Burhan Shahidi Burhan Shahidi ( ug, بۇرھان شەھىدى, برهان شهيدي, translit=Burhan Shehidi; zh, s=包尔汉·沙希迪, t=包爾漢·沙希迪, p=Bāo'érhàn·Shāxīdí; russian: Бурхан Шахиди; tt-Cyrl, Борһан Шәһид ...

and the KMT-general and Han-Chinese

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 Commiss ...

Literature

Frederic Wakeman: ''Ideological Rivalries: The Blue Shirts and the “CC” Clique'', in: Frederic Wakeman (ed.): ''Spymaster: Dai Li and the Chinese Secret Service'', Berkeley (CA): University of California Press, 2003, pp. 98–109.

References

{{reflist Kuomintang Warlord cliques in Republican China