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Wang Yingkai (; 1861–1908), whose
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 Theob ...
was Shaochen (), was a Chinese general in 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 ...
and first rank official of the late Qing dynasty, who served as the vice president of the Ministry of War and vice-commander-in-chief of the
Plain White Banner The Plain White Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. It was one of the three "upper" banners (Plain Yellow Banner, Bordered Yellow Banner, and Plain White Banner) dir ...
. Wang graduated from the Tianjin Military Academy (), also known as Beiyang Wubei Xuetang (), and fought with distinction 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 ...
. After China lost the war, he joined 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 ...
established by
Yuan Shikai 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 ...
and became one of leading commanders of the army. However, during subsequent political struggles he sided with the court party against Yuan.
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 ...
, who later became one of the most important warlords in the early Republican years, was his brother-in-law and protégée. Wang Yingkai died in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
in 1908.


Early life and career

Wang Yingkai was born into a wealthy farming family in Niuzhuang, Fengtian Province (now
Yingkou Yingkou () is a coastal prefecture-level city of central southern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, on the northeastern shore of Liaodong Bay. It is the third-smallest city in Liaoning with a total area of , and the ninth most popul ...
, Liaoning), with his
ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...
in Shandong. Wang followed a conventional path for a young member of the gentry and participated in the
imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...
, obtaining a '' xiucai'' degree. Selected by the village as a ''xiāng gòng'' (), or an intellectual chosen to work for the government, Wang served as a teacher at a private school in Haicheng but was unsuccessful in obtaining the juren degree. In 1894, Japan sent troops to
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
and a
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
broke out with China. Before the year was out, the Japanese army had
defeated Defeated may refer to: * "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) * "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community *''The Defeated ''The Defeated'', al ...
the Chinese garrison in
Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...
, thoroughly eliminating Chinese presence in the
Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, and bringing the war to Chinese soil. When the Japanese laid siege to nearby Haicheng, the town elders suggested that Wang organize a local militia, which would go on to play a significant role in the five successive battles of Haicheng, which witnessed the fiercest scenes of the war. After Haicheng fell to the Japanese, Song Qing, the deputy commander of the Qing Army, and
Yuan Shikai 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 ...
, at the time the Qing ambassador to Korea and commander of Qing troops garrisoned there, retreated to Shanhaiguan in the
Zhili Province Zhili, alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th-century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a province, and renamed ...
, and Wang Yingkai was instructed to bring the local militia there as well. It was at Shanhaiguan that Wang abandoned his administrative ambitions and devoted himself to becoming an army officer. Later, when Yuan Shikai became the governor of Shandong, he asked Wang to join him there, and the Wang family relocated to Jinan.


Officer of Beiyang Army

In view of the poor performance of the Huai Army during the war, the Qing government ordered the formation of a
New Army The New Armies ( Traditional Chinese: 新軍, Simplified Chinese: 新军; Pinyin: Xīnjūn, Manchu: ''Ice cooha''), more fully called the Newly Created Army ( ''Xinjian Lujun''Also translated as "Newly Established Army" ()), was the modernised ...
competent enough to defend Chinese interests, with Yuan Shikai appointed as its first commander. In 1895, Wang joined the newly created Dingwu Army (later
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 ...
), and rose to be one of the leading commanders in the army, serving variously as the head of the Discipline Enforcement Department, director of the First Division as well as the commander of the Second 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 ...
. Yuan Shikai's growing power began to attract suspicion and hostility from Manchu royalty led by Yuan's former ally, court official Tie Liang (), who balked at the prospect of seeing an ambitious Han Chinese wielding power capable of toppling the ailing
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-spea ...
. Mutual acrimony between Yuan and his Manchu opponents resulted in a reorganization of power and the establishment of a new Ministry of War with Tie Liang as its president. Despite being allied with Yuan since 1896, Wang Yingkai emerged from these political struggles unscathed, being elevated to become the vice president of the Ministry of War in 1907 and subsequently deputy to the Manchu General Feng Shang. That same year, an imperial edict appointed Wang Yingkai to the position of Vice-Commander-in-Chief of the Plain White Mongol Banner. In 1909, Yuan was forced to retire under the pretext of illness but would return to power in 1911. Wang also commanded half of imperial army in the autumn military exercise held before the Qing court in 1906, opposing
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 ...
, and was involved in the establishment of the
Baoding Military Academy Baoding Military Academy or Paoting Military Academy () was a military academy based in Baoding, during the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China, in the first two decades of the 20th century. For a time, it was the most important milita ...
. At the time of his death, he maintained his family home in Baoding as well as an official residence at Shaojiu Hutong in Beijing.


Ranks and offices held

1902 Appointed to Second Rank 1905 Commander of First Division 1905 Advisor at Beiyang Training Bureau 1906 Brigade General, Zhili 1906 Acting Superintendent of Department of Military Administration 1906 Appointed to First Rank 1907 Vice-President of the Ministry of War 1907 Vice-Commander-in-Chief of the Plain White Banner


Death

He died in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
in 1908 at the age of 48 of tuberculosis.


Nickname

Owing to his obesity, he was called Fat Wang by his colleagues and subordinates alike.


Wang Yingkai and Sun Chuanfang

While in Jinan, Wang married the second eldest sister of
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 ...
and provided financial support to the Sun family, which was very poor at the time. Sun was able to use natural abilities and his brother-in-law's position in the army to enroll in the newly created
Baoding Military Academy Baoding Military Academy or Paoting Military Academy () was a military academy based in Baoding, during the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China, in the first two decades of the 20th century. For a time, it was the most important milita ...
. Wang also sent Sun abroad to Japan for further military study, where he graduated from 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 ...
. Upon Sun's return from Japan, Wang and his political ally, Tie Liang, happened to be the ones presiding over the examination aimed at testing fresh graduates' ability. Sun passed the tests and became an officer of the Beiyang army, and later became a Zhili warlord and leader of the "League of Five Provinces" in the early 1920s.


Legacy

Initially, the
new army The New Armies ( Traditional Chinese: 新軍, Simplified Chinese: 新军; Pinyin: Xīnjūn, Manchu: ''Ice cooha''), more fully called the Newly Created Army ( ''Xinjian Lujun''Also translated as "Newly Established Army" ()), was the modernised ...
formed in the Late Qing period largely modeled on its German counterpart, and therefore the instructions were all delivered in German, before the Qing government found out German designs upon Chinese territories and had the latter's military contracts terminated.Reynolds, D. R. (1995). China, 1895-1912 State-Sponsored Reforms and China's Late-Qing Revolution. New York: M. E. Sharpe pg.71 Knowing that the inability of Chinese officers to comprehend commands delivered by their German trainers would be a great impediment to training, he ordered the translation into
vernacular Chinese Written vernacular Chinese, also known as Baihua () or Huawen (), is the forms of written Chinese based on the varieties of Chinese spoken throughout China, in contrast to Classical Chinese, the written standard used during imperial China up t ...
of the German instructions. Phrases like 'Lizheng' ( Attention) and 'Shaoxi' ( Stand at ease) remain in use today.


See also

*
History of the Republic of China The history of the Republic of China begins after the Qing dynasty in 1912, when the Xinhai Revolution and the formation of the Republic of China put an end to 2,000 years of imperial rule. The Republic experienced many trials and tribulations a ...


References


Citations


Sources

*Jiang, K. (1987). Republic of China Military History Volume 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju. *Qian, J., & Han, W. (2011). Sun Chuanfang mu fu yu mu liao. Hangzhou: Zhejiang wen yi chu ban she. *Reynolds, D. R. (1995). China, 1895-1912 State-Sponsored Reforms and China's Late-Qing Revolution. New York: M. E. Sharpe *Su, F. (2009). Sun Chuanfang. Huhehaote Shi: Nei Menggu ren min chu ban she. *Yang, J. (1970). Haicheng Xian zhi:. Taipei: Cheng wen chu ban she.


Further reading

*Fairbank, J. K., & MacFarquhar, R. (1978). The Cambridge history of China. Late Ch'ing, 1800–1911. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yingkai, Wang 1861 births 1908 deaths Chinese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Military history of the Qing dynasty Qing dynasty generals Generals from Liaoning Qing dynasty politicians from Liaoning Politicians from Yingkou Bannermen