Anhwei clique

Anhwei clique
Name	Anhwei clique
Active	1916–1930s
Leaders	Lu Yongxiang; Chen Qimei; Zhou Ziqi
Headquarters	Wuhu; Hefei; Anqing
Area	Anhui; Jiangsu; Zhejiang; Shanghai
Allies	Zhili clique; Beiyang Army; Fengtian clique
Opponents	Kuomintang; National Revolutionary Army; Guominjun

Anhwei clique was a major regional military and political faction during the early Republic of China. Centered in Anhui and nearby provinces, it emerged from the fragmentation of the Beiyang Army after the 1911 Revolution and played a decisive role in the Warlord Era through alliances, military campaigns, and administrative control of key cities. Its leaders interacted with national figures and organizations across the fragmented Chinese polity, influencing the course of the 1913–1928 period of competing warlordism and republican experiments.

History and Origins

The clique's origins trace to officers who served under Yuan Shikai and within the Beiyang Army lineage, gaining prominence during the 1916 succession crises after Yuan's death. Regional politics in Anhui and the strategic importance of the Yangtze River basin, including Wuhu and Hefei, shaped recruitment from local gentry and connections to metropolitan centers such as Shanghai and Nanjing. Early alignments involved interactions with the Zhili clique, Fengtian clique, and remnants of the Guangxi clique, while national events like the Manchu Restoration (1917) and the Constitutional Protection Movement influenced its consolidation. Leadership rivalries mirrored broader contests between figures associated with Liang Qichao, supporters of the Republic of China (1912–1949), and agents of the former Qing dynasty patronage networks.

Leadership and Organization

Command was centered on senior Beiyang officers with bureaucratic ties to provincial administrations in Anhui. Prominent military leaders coordinated with political operatives who maintained relations with institutions such as the Beiyang Government in Peking and rival capitals in Nanjing and Guangzhou. The clique's organization incorporated formalized brigades and divisions modeled on structures from the New Army reforms, with staff drawn from graduates of institutions linked to the Imperial Army modernization and advisors who had served in the First Sino-Japanese War and Boxer Rebellion aftermath. Liaison officers interacted with diplomats posted to Shanghai International Settlement and with financiers from families active in Hong Kong and Tianjin.

Military Campaigns and Political Influence

The faction engaged in campaigns across the Yangtze Delta, contesting control of transport arteries and commercial hubs including Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Wuhan. Its forces clashed with units led by commanders associated with the Zhili clique, Fengtian clique, and the National Revolutionary Army during the Northern Expedition. Battles in the lower Yangtze region involved coordination or conflict with forces linked to Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, and leaders of the Tongmenghui. Political influence extended to appointment of provincial officials, municipal councils in Shanghai and Nanjing, and negotiating roles in accords with foreign powers represented by legations in Beijing and concession authorities in Tianjin.

Relations with Other Cliques and Factions

The clique maintained shifting alliances and rivalries with major warlord groupings including the Zhili clique, Fengtian clique, Guangxi clique, and elements of the Guominjun. Diplomatic maneuvers brought it into contact with politicians from Beiyang Government cabinets, negotiators from the Kuomintang government in Guangzhou and later Nanjing, and military commanders who had served under Yuan Shikai or in the New Armies. International relations involved engagement with representatives from United Kingdom and Japan economic interests in port cities, and with banking networks connected to Shanghai International Settlement financiers.

Economic Base and Regional Administration

Control of agrarian revenue from Anhui rice districts, customs receipts from Wuhu and Anqing, and taxation of salt and tea trade sustained the clique's finances. Administrative structures mirrored provincial offices such as the Anhui Provincial Government and municipal bodies in Shanghai and Hefei, employing civil officials who had participated in the late Qing reforms and early Republican bureaucratic systems. The faction negotiated with commercial chambers centered in Shanghai and merchant families with ties to Hong Kong and Tianjin, while infrastructure priorities included river transport along the Yangtze River and rail links connecting to Nanjing and Wuhan.

Decline and Legacy

The clique's power waned as the National Revolutionary Army advanced during the Northern Expedition and as rival warlord coalitions consolidated, including alignments led by Chiang Kai-shek and federations linked to the Fengtian clique. Key defeats and defections, combined with shifts in foreign recognition and the centralization efforts of Kuomintang governments in Nanjing, eroded its territorial control. Its legacy survives in studies of the Warlord Era, provincial governance practices in Anhui, administrative personnel who later served in republican institutions, and historical debates involving figures associated with the Beiyang Army lineage and regional power brokers in the early twentieth century.

Category:Warlord Era of the Republic of China Category:Political history of Anhui