Qi Xieyuan (; April 28, 1885 - December 18, 1946), born Qi Ying, with a
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...
of Qi Fuwan and the
art name
An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ''ho'' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by East Asian artists, poets and writers. The ...
of Yaoshan, was a general of the military of the
Republic of China
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 northeast ...
and a warlord of the
Zhili clique
The Zhili clique () was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang clique during the Republic of China's Warlord Era. This fragmentation followed the death of Yuan Shikai, who was the only person capable of ...
. He defected to the Japanese after the creation of the
Provisional Government of the Republic of China, later participating in the
North China Political Council
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
, its successor.
Zhili commander
Early career
Born in what is now part of
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
, Qi Xieyuan studied at the Tianjin Military Academy (also known as the Beiyang Military Academy), attending the Army University and subsequently the
Imperial Japanese Army Academy
The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...
after graduating. He was a ''shengyuan'' of the Qing Imperial examination system. He entered the 6th Division of the
Beiyang Army
The Beiyang Army (), named after the Beiyang region,Hong Zhang (2019)"Yuan Shikai and the Significance of his Troop Training at Xiaozhan, Tianjin, 1895–1899" ''The Chinese Historical Review'' 26(1) was a large, Western-style Imperial Chinese Ar ...
, beginning his military career. In 1913, he served as the brigade commander of the 12th Brigade of the 6th Division, the commander of the 6th Division itself, as well as the Chief of Staff of
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
province.
In 1917, Qi Xieyuan followed fellow Zhili clique figure
Li Chun to
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
province. Qi Xieyuan served as the military governor of
Jiangning (Nanjing), as well as the deputy military governor of Jiangsu,
Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
, and
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
provinces. In 1920, Li Chun committed suicide and was succeeded as military governor of Jiangsu and a military official of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi.
Second Zhili–Fengtian War
In August and September 1923, Qi almost went to war with
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
, outraged by
Anhui clique
The Anhui clique () was a military and political organization, one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang clique in the Republic of China's Warlord Era. It was named after Anhui province because several of its ...
general and military governor of Zhejiang
Lu Yongxiang's efforts to support anti-Zhili elements within parliament. He almost went to war again in November 1923, when Xu Guoliang, the Zhili-aligned police commissioner of Shanghai, was assassinated by Lu's associates, but was urged not to by
Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu or Wu P'ei-fu (; April 22, 1874 – December 4, 1939) was a major figure in the struggles between the warlords who dominated Republican China from 1916 to 1927.
Early career
Born in Shandong Province in eastern China, Wu initi ...
in Beijing.
In order to preserve peace, especially in the commercial and economic hub of Shanghai, Qi and Lu negotiated. Shanghai signed bilateral non-aggression treaties with Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangxi. Furthermore, in August 1923, Qi and Lu signed an agreement to not take allies, to not allow any other warlord armies to pass through their provinces, and to not augment their own armies.
However, on September 3, 1924, Qi Xieyuan went to war with Lu Yongxiang over the absorption of a warlord army, breaking their agreement, thus beginning the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War. With the support of
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of 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 capi ...
governor
Sun Chuanfang
Sun Chuanfang () (April 17, 1885 – November 13, 1935) a.k.a. the "Nanking Warlord" or leader of the "League of Five Provinces" was a Zhili clique warlord and protégé of the "Jade Marshal" Wu Peifu (1874–1939).
Biography
Sun Chuanfang ...
, Qi Xieyuan successfully defeated Lu Yongxiang, delivering him a crushing defeat at
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
. However, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War had sparked the
Second Zhili–Fengtian War
The Second Zhili–Fengtian War (Second Chihli-Fengtien War; ) of 1924 was a conflict between the Japanese-backed Fengtian clique based in Manchuria, and the more liberal Zhili clique controlling Beijing and backed by Anglo-American business inte ...
, which saw the Zhili clique declaring war on the Northern
Fengtian clique
The Fengtian clique () was one of several opposing military factions that constituted the early Republic of China during its Warlord Era. It was named after Fengtian Province (now Liaoning), and operated from a territorial base comprising the thr ...
, who had, since their
first war with the Zhili, built up their forces and equipment. The Fengtian clique had sent General
Zhang Zongchang
Zhang Zongchang (1881 – 3 September 1932) was a Chinese warlord in Shandong in the early 20th century. ''Time'' dubbed him China's "basest warlord". He was known by many nicknames such as the "Dogmeat General" (), based on the name of his fa ...
South, leading to Sun and Qi proclaiming the ''Jiangsu–Zhejiang Allied Army'' to resist him. However, Sun was encircled by the army of
Duan Qirui
Duan Qirui (; ) (March 6, 1865 – November 2, 1936) was a Chinese warlord and politician, a commander of the Beiyang Army and the acting Chief Executive of the Republic of China (in Beijing) from 1924 to 1926. He was also the Premier of the R ...
(Anhui clique), and abandoned Qi. Qi, cut off from Sun, was defeated and dismissed, later moving to Japan.
In 1925, Qi Xieyuan returned to Hubei and was appointed by Wu Peifu as the deputy commander of the Anti-Thief Allied Army (''taozei lianjun''). However, following the
Northern Expedition
The Northern Expedition was a military campaign launched by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Kuomintang (KMT), also known as the "Chinese Nationalist Party", against the Beiyang government and other regional warlords in 1926. The ...
, Qi was forced to step down.
Central Plains War
In 1930,
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 ...
and
Feng Yuxiang
Feng Yuxiang (; ; 6 November 1882 – 1 September 1948), courtesy name Huanzhang (焕章), was a warlord and a leader of the Republic of China from Chaohu, Anhui. He served as Vice Premier of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1930. He was ...
challenged
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 ...
for leadership of the Republic of China in the
Central Plains War
The Central Plains War () was a series of military campaigns in 1929 and 1930 that constituted a Chinese civil war between the Nationalist Kuomintang government in Nanjing led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and several regional military command ...
, and was appointed as protector of Jiangbei. However, after his defeat in the Central Plains War, Qi fled to the
British concession in Tianjin. He later moved to
Beiping
"Beijing" is from pinyin ''Běijīng,'' which is romanized from , the Chinese name for this city. The pinyin system of transliteration was approved by the Chinese government in 1958, but little used until 1979. It was gradually adopted by various ...
.
Pro-Japanese activities
In December 1937,
Wang Kemin
Wang Kemin (; Wade-Giles: Wang K'o-min, May 4, 1879 – December 25, 1945) was a leading official in the Chinese republican movement and early Beiyang government, later noted for his role as in the collaborationist Provisional Government ...
established the
Provisional Government of the Republic of China. Qi Xieyuan participated in it, and was appointed Head of Law Enforcement. He was also made a member of the Committee of the Qingxiang Administration and the Parliamentary Committee.
In March 1940, with the entry of the Provisional Government into the
Wang Jingwei regime
The Wang Jingwei regime or the Wang Ching-wei regime is the common name of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China ( zh , t = 中華民國國民政府 , p = Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guómín Zhèngfǔ ), the government of the pu ...
in Nanjing, Qi joined with it. He was appointed a member of the North China Administrative Committee. He supervised the General Administration of Justice. He organized the North China Appeasement Army (''Huabei Jingjing Jun'') and assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of the army's General Command. He was also a member of the Military Commission Committee. In February 1943, Qi was appointed as the deputy speaker at the advisory meeting of the North China Administrative Committee.
In August 1945, after the surrender of Japan in World War II, Qi Xieyuan was arrested by the
National Government for the crime of treason. On December 18, 1946, Qi was executed.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qi, Xieyuan
1885 births
1946 deaths
Beiyang Army personnel
Republic of China warlords from Tianjin
Warlords in Republican China
Warlords
Chinese collaborators with Imperial Japan
Military governors of Jiangsu