Beijing Revolt

Beijing Revolt
Part of the Nanjing decade and the spillover of the Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong
Date 2 March 1929 Location Beiping (Beijing), Republic of China Result Government victory
Belligerents
Republic of China	Mutineers loyal to Zhang Zongchang
Units involved
National Revolutionary Army (NRA) Shanxi Army (forces loyal to Yan Xishan)	One NRA regiment of ex-Shandong Army troops
Strength
Unknown	1,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	2 killed, 35 wounded, all survivors captured

The Beijing Revolt or Peking Revolt^[1] was an armed mutiny against the Chinese Nationalist government in Beijing (then also known as Peking or Beiping) on 2 March 1929. After the Northern Expedition's official end in 1928, many defeated warlord troops had been integrated into the National Revolutionary Army (NRA). One regiment that had previously served under warlord Zhang Zongchang had remained loyal to its old commander, however, and rebelled on his orders. Though the mutineers captured the Yonghe Temple and threw Beijing into chaos, their revolt was quickly suppressed.

Background

Following a long period of internal chaos and civil war known as the Warlord Era, China was forcibly reunified in the Kuomintang-led Northern Expedition (1926–1928). A new Nationalist government was established in Nanjing, and the warlord armies that had been defeated during the expedition were either disbanded or absorbed into the National Revolutionary Army (NRA). This reunification was only superficially successful, however, as much of the country remained under the control of warlords who had joined the NRA during the Northern Expedition instead of resisting. Beijing and its surroundings were among the areas that were not truly controlled by the Nationalist government; instead, they were ruled by Shanxi warlord Yan Xishan.^[2] Furthermore, the warlords that had actually been ousted by the NRA continued to plot their return to power.^[3]

One of these was Zhang Zongchang, who launched a rebellion in his old fief of Shandong in January 1929. Though he primarily wanted to regain his former territories,^[4] Zhang also attempted to rally other warlords to launch a wider anti-Kuomintang movement in northern China.^[5][6] In this he was probably supported by Japan which provided him with ample funds to raise armies and bribe NRA troops to defect.^[7] In February 1929, Zhang claimed that a coalition of warlords, including himself, Chu Yupu, Yan Xishan, Wu Peifu, Bai Chongxi, Qi Xieyuan, and a number Manchurian military commanders were preparing for a massive campaign against the Nationalist government. No actual alliance was formed, however, and the "whole affair died down again, as suddenly as it had started".^[5][6] On the other side, many ordinary soldiers who had formerly been employed by Zhang found his offers highly attractive. Many members of Zhang's Shandong Army had been demobilized after the Northern Expedition and had fallen into poverty.^[8] Others had been able to join the NRA,^[9] but were not paid well, and thus were ready to defect to their old commander in return for financial rewards. One dissatisfied NRA regiment whose troops were of "northern origin"^[10] and had formerly been part of the Shandong Army,^[9] was stationed at the Yonghe Temple in Beijing.^[10] At some point, Zhang reportedly contacted this unit, and ordered them to prepare a revolt, which they did.^[1][10] It was later believed that this was part of his plot to regain power in northern China.^[9]

Revolt

The revolt was launched on 2 March 1929,^[10][11] when 20 armed men in plain-clothes captured and disarmed the Shanxi Army guards of the Yonghe Temple.^[1] The men then fired in the air. This was the sign for the Zhang-loyal regiment to mutiny. The rebel soldiers quickly manned the temple's walls, barricaded themselves, and then also took control of the nearby city fortifications. From this cover they started to shoot at the civilians on the streets, causing great panic among the locals. Business and traffic in western Beijing were brought to a standstill. The government authorities reacted quickly upon being informed of the revolt, and sent loyal troops to quell the uprising.^{[1][9][10][12]}

These loyalists surrounded and isolated the mutineers at the Yonghe Temple, and forced them to surrender after a short fight.^[1][9][12] Though the number of casualties among the civilians and loyalists remained unclear, two mutineers were killed and 35 wounded.^[1][10] The NRA cordoned the area around the temple, and managed to capture all surviving rebels.^[1][9] Having disarmed it,^[1][12] the mutinous regiment was imprisoned at the former Winter Palace.^[1]

Aftermath

The revolt received international attention, with newspapers in Australia,^[9][12] the Straits Settlements,^[1][13] and United States^[10] reporting on it, and commending the local authorities for having acted so quickly and decisively in quelling the uprising.^[1] The Chinese government declared martial law in Beijing after the revolt,^[11] and took "precautions" to keep control of the other ex-Shandong Army troops in the NRA.^[9]

Zhang Zongchang's rebellion in Shandong continued until May 1929, but was defeated by loyalist NRA forces.^[14] Thereafter, Zhang's career was finished as a military leader and political strongman. After a few years in exile, he returned to Shandong in 1932 and was promptly murdered.^[15]

References

Works cited

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Warlord Era and warlordism during the Nanjing decade

1915–1924	1925–1934	Factions
1911–1914 Bai Lang Rebellion 1913 Second Revolution 1915 Twenty-One Demands 1915–1916 Empire of China (Yuan Shikai) National Protection War 1916 Death of Yuan Shikai 1917 Manchu Restoration 1917–1922 Constitutional Protection Movement 1917–1929 Golok rebellions 1918–1920 Siberian intervention 1919 Paris Peace Conference Shandong Problem May Fourth Movement 1919–1921 Occupation of Outer Mongolia 1920 Zhili–Anhui War 1920–1921 Guangdong–Guangxi War 1920–1926 Spirit Soldier rebellions 1921 1st National CPC Congress 1921–1922 Washington Naval Conference 1922 First Zhili–Fengtian War 1923–1927 First United Front 1923 Lincheng Outrage 1924 Second Zhili–Fengtian War Canton Merchants' Corps Uprising Beijing Coup	1925 Yunnan–Guangxi War May Thirtieth Movement 1925–1926 Anti-Fengtian War Canton–Hong Kong strike 1926 Zhongshan Warship Incident 1926–1928 Northern Expedition Nanjing–Wuhan Split Nationalist-Communist Civil War 1927 Nanking incident of 1927 1927 Shanghai Commune of 1927 1927 Shanghai massacre 1927 July 15 Incident 1927–1930 Muslim conflict in Gansu 1928 Jinan incident Huanggutun incident Looting of the Eastern Mausoleum Northeast Flag Replacement 1928–1929 Third Red Spears' uprising in Shandong 1929 Chiang-Gui War Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong (incl. Beijing Revolt) Sino-Soviet conflict 1930 Central Plains War 1930–1932 Sino-Tibetan War / Qinghai–Tibet War 1931–1935 Kumul Rebellion / Soviet invasion of Xinjiang 1932 Han–Liu War 1932 Two-Liu war 1934 War in Ningxia	Beiyang Anhui Zhili Fengtian (National Pacification Army) Zhili Army Shanxi Guominjun Ma Xinjiang Yunnan Sichuan Old Guangxi New Guangxi Guangdong Guizhou Kuomintang (KMT) Communist Party (CCP)

Republic of China (1912–1949)