The Mongol Local Autonomy Political Affairs Committee (蒙古地方自治政務委員會), also referred to as the Pailingmiao Council or Peilingmiao Council, was a political body of ethnic Mongols in the Chinese Republic. The Nationalist government authorised its establishment in March 1934.

Background

The Committee grew out of a visit by

Huang Shaoxiong Huang Shaohong (1895 – August 31, 1966) was a warlord in Guangxi province and governed Guangxi as part of the New Guangxi Clique through the latter part of the Warlord era, and a leader in later years of the Republic of China. Biography Hu ...

as an envoy to a Mongolian autonomy conference held at Bat-khaalag (

Bailingmiao Bailingmiao (also known as Pailingmiao, Bat Khaalga, or Bathahalak) is a small settlement of 705 people in Inner Mongolia, China. It is located in the Darhan Muminggan United Banner, about northeast of Baotou. From 1934 to 1936 it served as th ...

/Pailingmiao) in the aftermath of the Japanese annexation of

Rehe Province Rehe (), also romanized as Jehol, was a former Chinese special administrative region and province. Administration Rehe was north of the Great Wall, west of Manchuria, and east of Mongolia. Its capital and largest city was Chengde. The second ...

. Fearful that the Mongols would side with the Japanese and cause China to lose further territory, Huang promised them that they could establish such an autonomous political committee and open up a direct line of communication with Nanjing.

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 ...

, knowing his government's limited power in

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

left his options severely constrained, wrote in his private diary that he would have to grant the Mongols "whatever they desire short of complete political independence".

Demchugdongrub Demchugdongrub ( mn, , Demchigdonrob, Дэмчигдонров, translit=Demchigdonrov, , Chinese: 德穆楚克棟魯普, 8 February 1902– 23 May 1966), also known as Prince De ( zh, 德王), courtesy name Xixian ( zh, 希賢), was a Qing ...

served as secretary-general, while

Yondonwangchug Yondonwangchug (1870 – March 24, 1938) was an Inner Mongolian nobleman of Ulanqab League and politician under the Qing Dynasty, Republic of China and Mengjiang governments. Names His name Yondonwangchug, also spelled Yondonvanchig or Yunden Wa ...

held the chairmanship.

Membership

Members of the committee included various league and banner nobility: *

(head of

Ulanqab Ulanqab or Ulan Chab (; mn, ''Ulaɣančab qota''; Mongolian cyrillic.Улаанцав хот) is a region administered as a prefecture-level city in south-central Inner Mongolia, China. Its administrative centre is in Jining District, which w ...

League), chairman of the Committee * Sodnam Labtan (索特那木拉布坦, head of

Xilin Gol League Xilingol, Xilin Gol, Shiliin Gol or Xilinguole Aimag/League (; mn, , , , ) is one of 3 leagues of Inner Mongolia. The seat is Xilinhot, and the area is . The league's economy is based on mining and agriculture. Xilingol borders Mongolia to t ...

), vice chairman of the Committee * Shagdurjab (沙克都尔扎布, head of Yeke-juu League), vice-chairman of the Committee *

(deputy head of

), general secretary of the Committee *

Altanochir Altanochir (1887 – ?), also known under the Chinese name of Jin Yongchang, was an Inner Mongolian politician under the Republic of China and the Mengjiang government. Career When Altanochir was in his youth, he was one of a small number ...

(deputy head of Yeke-juu League) * Babadorj (巴宝多尔济,

jasagh A jasagh ( засаг, or засаг ноён; ; lit. Power, Authority) was the head of a Mongol banner or khoshun during the Qing dynasty and the Bogd Khanate. The position was held by hereditary succession by certain Mongol princes, most of whom ...

Urat Middle Banner Urad Middle Banner ( Mongolian: Урад-ун Думдаду Қосиу ''Urad-un Dumdadu Qosiɣu''; ) is a banner of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. It is located in the west of the region, and administrativel ...

) * Jodbajab (nobleman of Chahar) * Gongchok Lashe (贡楚克拉什, nobleman of Chahar) *

Darijaya Darijaya (1904–1968) was an Inner Mongolian nobleman of Alxa League and a politician under the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and People's Republic of China governments. Names Darijaya's Mongolian name was transcribed into C ...

(

of Alxa Banner, Alxa League) * Toktaghu (托克托胡, nobleman of

East Ujimqin Banner East Ujimqin Banner ( Mongolian: ''Jegün Ujumučin qosiɣu''; ) is a banner in the northeast of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Xilin Gol League. Geography and climate East ...

) * Pandegunchab (潘迪恭扎布,

of Dörbed,

League) * Namjilsereng (那木吉勒色楞, deputy head of Jerim League) As well as a number of ethnic Mongol Kuomintang members: * Ünenbayan (Jerim League representative in Beijing, Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission member) * Enkhbat (恩克巴图; Kuomintang Central Oversight Committee member) *

Serengdongrub Serengdongrub (17 February 1894 – 2 August 1980), courtesy name Chü Ch'uan () and also known under the Chinese name of Pai Yün-t'i (), was an Inner Mongolian politician in the Republic of China. An ethnic Mongol, he was a native of Harqin ...

(Kuomintang Central Executive Committee member, Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Committee member) * Kesingge (KMT Central Executive Committee reserve member, Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission member) * Nima-odsor (Kuomintang Central Committee member)

Operation

The committee was officially inaugurated in a ceremony at Bailingmiao in April 1934. By late June, offices had been installed at the monastery and blessed by its priests. Their clashes with other regional authorities began immediately; both the Committee and the government of Suiyuan Province under

Fu Zuoyi Fu Zuoyi () (June 2, 1895 − April 19, 1974) was a Chinese military leader. He began his military career in the service of Yan Xishan, and he was widely praised for his defense of Suiyuan from the Japanese. During the final stages of the Chi ...

attempted to levy tariffs on goods imported from Gansu. Regional nobility such as Shirabdorji of the

Urad Urad may refer to: * Urad Mongols, a tribe in Inner Mongolia * Urad, a region in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia ** Urad Front Banner ** Urad Middle Banner ** Urad Rear Banner * Urad (bean) ''Vigna mungo'', also known as black gram, urad bean, urid be ...

also did not cooperate with the Committee; in August 1935, Suiyuan forces, seeking to take advantage of their conflict, again confronted Committee troops near Shirabdorji's residence, and forced them to cede further authority to him. The Nationalist government took little action in the conflict. Yondonwangchug, angered by this, threatened to dissolve the Committee in response. The Japanese military watched the conflict closely, and even had its air force make several illegal overflights of Suiyuan in late September.

Collapse

In early 1936, the Japanese had Nima-odsor assassinated, sparking fear among the other Committee members, in particular his close associate Jodbajab, which led him to collaborate with the Japanese. In March 1936, Yondonwangchug resigned from the Committee, after having been effectively retired since mid-1935. Shagdurjab was elevated to the chairmanship in his place, while Demchugdongrub was offered the vice-chairmanship. The council also opened a branch office at

Kalgan 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 southw ...

, headed by Puyintala. The central government later ordered the Committee to move to Chahar; however, the council itself opposed the order at a meeting the following week, apparently because they were reluctant to surrender authority to the new Suiyuan Mongol Council. That council, at Guisui ( Hohhot), was under the control of

, and was also advised by

Yan Xishan Yan Xishan (; 8 October 1883 – 22 July 1960, ) was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. He effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in ...

. Demchugdongrub and Yondonwangchug withdrew to

Dehua () is a county located in central Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City and covers an area of with a total population of 300,000. History Dehua is rich in kaolin and famous for ceramic pr ...

and established the

Mongol Military Government Mengjiang, also known as Mengkiang or the Mongol Border Land, and governed as the Mengjiang United Autonomous Government, was an autonomous area in Inner Mongolia, formed in 1939 as a puppet state of the Empire of Japan, then from 1940 being ...

, leaving the Committee defunct.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *{{citation, author=张永昌 — Zhang Yongchang, author2=张翔鹰 — Zhang Xiangying, year=2006, title=''末代王爷传奇'' — Biographies of royals at the end of an era, publisher=作家出版社 — Writers' Publishing House, isbn=978-7-5063-3730-4, ref=CITEREFZhangZhang2006 History of Inner Mongolia 1934 establishments in China 1936 disestablishments in China