Ma Rulong (Ma Ju-lung in Wade Giles) was 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 ...

who originally rebelled against the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

along with

Du Wenxiu Du Wenxiu (, Xiao'erjing: ) (1823 to 1872) was the Chinese Muslim leader of the Panthay Rebellion, an anti-Qing revolt in China during the Qing dynasty. Du had ethnic Hui ancestry. Early life and background Born in Yongchang (now Baoshan, Y ...

in the

Panthay Rebellion The Panthay Rebellion (1856–1873), also known as the Du Wenxiu Rebellion (Tu Wen-hsiu Rebellion), was a rebellion of the Muslim Hui people and other (Muslim as well as non-Muslim) ethnic groups against the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in southwe ...

. He later defected to the Qing side. After officially surrendering in 1862 his forces effectively occupied the capital of Yunnan. He then helped the Qing forces crush his fellow Muslim rebels, and defeated them. He was known by the name of

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Ma to Europeans and achieved almost total control in Yunnan province. He was the most powerful military official in the province after the war. Du Wenxiu was fought against by the defector to the Qing Ma Rulong. General Ma Yu-kun, who fought against Japanese forces in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

and against foreigners in the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

was believed to be Ma Rulong's son by Europeans.

Relationship with Ma Dexin

The prominent Hui scholar

Ma Dexin Yusuf Ma Dexin (also ''Ma Tesing''; 1794–1874) was a Hui Chinese Hanafi-Maturidi scholar from Yunnan, known for his fluency and proficiency in both Arabic and Persian language, Persian, and for his knowledge of Islam. He also went by the Chine ...

was respected by both Du Wenxiu & Ma Rulong as a spiritual leader. In 1860; Ma Dexin sent Ma Rulong with forces to help Du Wenxiu fight the Qing; assuring him that:

"I have already secretly ordered my disciples enshengMa
ulong Ulong may refer to: * Ulong Island, in the Republic of Palau in the Pacific Ocean, sometimes called ''Aulong'' and originally written ''Oroolong'' in English * Ulong channel, a gap in the reef to the west of Ulong Island, popular with divers. * Ulo ...
as the Grand Commander of Three Directions, with Ma Rong as second in command . . . to launch a rearguard attack from their base in Yimen."

Ma Rulong studied and learned Arabic under Ma Dexin. Ma Dexin opposed Ma Rulong's acceptance of the Qing policy of "using Hui to fight other Hui".

Surrender to the Qing

There is evidence that Ma Dexin, Ma Rulong & the Hui forces with them only pretended to surrender (in 1862) in order to gain access to the city of Kunming. Even after their supposed capitulation to the Qing; Ma Rulong continued to issue proclamations using his seal "Generalissimo of the Three Directions" while Ma Dexin refused to accept the Civil title granted to him; not wanting to be associated with the Qing regime. The Hui rebels taunted the Hui who hadn't joined the rebellion as being fake Hui (jia Huizi). Taiwanese researcher Li Shoukong asserts that in responding to the Qing offer for surrender; Ma Rulong acted hastily with no plan or thought other than to gain access to the Walled city of Kunming. Many Hui rebels had employed a similar tactic in the early years of the rebellion. To test his loyalty Ma Rulong was sent to pacify the disgruntled magistrate of Lin'an (in Southern Yunnan). A few weeks after Ma Rulong left the city; rebel forces led by Ma Rong and Ma Liansheng stormed Kunming & captured it. Ma Rulong's forces had come to believe that he could no longer be trusted to achieve their goal of uniting under a single rebel government. Seeking to join Du Wenxiu and unite in opposition to the Qing; the Hui raised the white banner of the Pingnan State, dropped regional references and began to refer to themselves from this point on as Muslims. In 1863 Ma Dexin declared himself "King-Who-Pacifies-the-South (Pingnan Wang)", seized the official seals & stopped using the Qing reign year when dating documents. Ma Dexin hoped to keep the rebel forces united under him until he could hand over control to Du Wenxiu. Ma Rulong immediately rushed back to Kunming, His former followers rebuked him from the city walls and told him that "If you only crave to be an official with no thought for your fellow Muslims, you should return to our home inGuanyi." Ma Rulong attacked the city along with Qing forces; ordered Ma Dexin to give up his seals of office & placed him under house arrest.

Reason's for Ma's unpopularity

There were 2 reasons for Ma's sudden unpopularity among the Yunnanese Muslims: # Du Wenxiu who controlled western Yunnan provided a viable alternative to Qing rule. # Many of the Hui who had surrendered with Ma Rulong considered the surrender to merely be a ruse in order to take over the province. Even if Ma Rulong might have become unsure about continuing the rebellion; many of those who had surrendered with him meant to carry on with the fight against the Qing. The Hui rebels viewed Ma Rulong as someone who had betrayed the anti-Qing cause, and this generated widespread resentment among his followers.

References

* * * * * * * Generals from Yunnan Hui people Chinese Muslim generals Qing dynasty generals People from Honghe {{islam-bio-stub