Yunnan clique
| Yunnan clique | ||
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Trainer Caudron G.3 | | |
The Yunnan clique (
History
Kunming Uprising
When the 1911 Revolution began, Cai E,[1] the commander of the 37th Brigade of the New Army,[2] revolted against the Qing government and quickly gained control over Yunnan. The local Qing administration was replaced with an independent government and educational reforms were enacted by Cai. He also reorganised the provincial military into a more cohesive independent force. In the following six months, all of Yunnan and southern Sichuan were unified under the clique's rule. Cai E was very popular among people because he denounced factionalism and supported a strong central government.[1]
In 1913, Cai E went to serve in Yuan's government in Beijing, leaving behind Tang Jiyao as provincial governor. Jiyao came from a prominent Yunnanese family. That same year the Yunnan provincial police department established the provincial public health office.[3] In December 1915, Yuan Shikai announced his plan to turn China back into a monarchy with himself as emperor. This enraged Cai, who was a supporter of the Republic. Shortly after the announcement, Cai E secretly left Beijing and returned to Yunnan to stage a revolt.[4]
Independence
On December 25, Cai E, Tang Jiyao, and Li Liejun, on the advice of Liang Qichao, declared Yunnan independent and expressed their opposition to Yuan Shikai's monarchy. Tang would stay as governor, but Cai and Li would assume command of the Nation Protection Army. On January 1, 1916, Yunnan published an official denunciation of Yuan Shikai's monarchy. The same day, three divisions of the National Protection Army marched onto Sichuan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, beginning the National Protection War to restore the republic.[4]
After being informed of Yunnan's declaration of independence, Yuan immediately sent out three armies to crush the rebellion but suffered heavy losses in southern Sichuan by Cai's forces.[4] After several campaigns in the province, it fell under Cai's rule, who became its governor till his death.[2] In the following two months, other provinces declared independence and joined Yunnan in its fight against Yuan. By June, Yuan had been defeated and was replaced by Li Yuanhong as president of the republic.[5]
The National Protection War made Cai a national hero, but he died shortly after from
Rival government
After the second dissolution of the National Assembly, the
Long Yun's rule
Long then re-aligned Yunnan under the Nationalist government in Nanjing but stringently guarded the province's autonomy. Long was a critic of Chiang Kai-shek and after the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was removed from office.
International Relations
Due to its proximity to French Indochina, Yunnan's main supplier of arms came from France. Yunnan tried to buy aircraft from the British but was denied because of an arms embargo agreement. Tang also bought German machines, lathes, and planning tools for his arsenal but decided to go no further. In 1920, Tang bought 7,000 rifles and 20 machine guns from French merchants.[7]
Airforce
In October 1922, Tongking-based firm, Poinsard et Veyret, sold Tang six
See also
References
- ^ a b Brazelton 2019, p. 41.
- ^ a b "Index Ca-Ce". rulers.org. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ^ Brazelton 2019, p. 42.
- ^ a b c Zhang & Zhai 2020, p. 149.
- ^ Zhang & Zhai 2020, p. 150.
- ^ Ho 2002, p. 25.
- ^ a b Chan 2010, p. 102.
Works cited
- Chan, Anthony (2010). Arming the Chinese: The Western Armaments Trade in Warlord China, 1920-28, Second Edition. ISBN 9780774819923.
- Brazelton, Mary (2019). Mass Vaccination: Citizens' Bodies and State Power in Modern China. ISBN 9781501739996.
- Zhang, Haipeng; Zhai, Jinyi (2020). A Brief Modern Chinese History. ibidem-Verlag. pp. 149–150. ISBN 9783838214412.
- Ho, Alfred (2002). China's Reforms and Reformers. Praeger. p. 25. ISBN 9780275960803.
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