Hoja-Niyaz
Encyclopedia
Hoja Niyaz Haji also Khoja or Xoja Niyaz Haji was a Uyghur independence movement leader who led several rebellions in Xinjiang
against the Kumul Khanate
, the Chinese governor Jin Shuren
, and later the Hui
warlord Ma Chung-ying. He is best remembered as the first and only president of the short-lived Turkish Islamic Republic of Eastern Turkestan
(or First East Turkestan Republic
) from early 1933 until the republic's defeat in 1934.
, Hojo Niyaz participated in his first rebellion at age 18, joining a 1907 uprising of peasants and mountaineers against hereditary "King of the Gobi" Shah Mahsut, ruler of the Kumul Khanate
(who was allowed semi-autonomous rule by Qing China
). After being defeated, he fled to the Turpan region, where he entered "Astana," or religious school, and became acquainted with future prominent Uyghur
Turpan revolutionary leaders. After one year of studying, he left Turpan and went on the Hajj
to Mecca
, adding to his name the title "Hajji
".
In 1912, Hojo Niyaz returned to Xinjiang
where another uprising against the Kumul Khanate
, led by Timur Halpa, was developing, and he joined the rebellion. Following the treacherous killing of Timur Halpa at a banquet held by Xinjiang Governor Yang Zengxin
, who previously had mediated the conflict and raised Timur Halpa to the position of Commander of provincial troops in the Kumul Region, Hoja Niyaz was forced again to flee.
In 1916, he came to the then-Russian
boundary town of Jarkent, Semiryechye Oblast, founded and populated by Ili Uyghurs who had escaped to Russia after 1881, when Qing troops
re-took the Ili valley of Xinjiang. In Jarkent, he served under local Uyghur leader and wealthy merchant Valiahun Yuldashev, and, after the Russian Revolution erupted in 1917, helped organize small, local Uyghur self-defense groups. After the Russian Civil War came to Semiryechye, Hojo Niyaz met Uyghur revolutionary Abdulla Rozibakiev, one of the founders of the Inqlawi Uyghur Ittipaqi ("Revolutionary Uyghur Union") in 1921, a revolutionary nationalistic organization under umbrella of the Comintern
.
, where he was organizing underground revolutionary groups and preparing a new rebellion. In 1927, he returned to Kumul for the funeral of his father, and after the death of Kumul Khanate ruler Shah Mahsut in March 1930, Hojo Niyaz was appointed to the high position of adviser to new ruler of the Kumul Khanate.
Nevertheless, the Xinjiang Governor Jin Shuren
(1928–1933), sought to take advantage of the power vacuum left after the death of Shah Mahsut and decreed the abolition of the Kumul Khanate, preventing the new ruler, Shah Mahsut's son Nazir, from assuming control. At the same time, Jin Shuren
arranged for Han Chinese migrants from Gansu
to settle in the abolished Khanate. These events sparked the Kumul Rebellion
in 1931, which was led by Hui
warlord Ma Chung-ying in Gansu
after his June 1931 meeting with Hojo Niyaz and Yulbars Khan
. Ma Chung-ying agreed to add his troops to the campaign to topple Jin Shuren. Hoja Niyaz also received support from the Mongolian People's Republic: in autumn 1931 they provided him 600 sets of winter clothes, felt tents and 120 rifles (which were bartered for horses, one rifle was given for two horses).
Rebellion soon spread from the East of Xinjiang throughout the whole province and by February, 1933, when Urumqi was laid siege by joint Uyghur and Hui troops, the Provincial Government controlled no more than 10% of Xinjiang's territory. On April 12, 1933, General Sheng Shicai
came to power in Xinjiang after concluding secret agreements with the Soviet Union
, and in May 1933, he made an alliance with Hoja Niyaz against Ma Chung-ying. At this time the Soviets gave Hoya Niyaz "nearly 2,000 rifles with ammunition, a few hundred bombs and three machine guns." The newly appointed Soviet Consul in Urumqi, Garegin Apresoff, arranged negotiations and forced Hoja Niyaz to turn his troops against Tungans (Hui) forces, and that eventually led to the rebellion turning into massacres between different national groups, and its defeat in the hands of Provincial troops.
Hoya Niyaz marched his troops across Dawan Ch'eng to Toksun, where he was defeated at the Battle of Toksun
by Tungans under General Ma Shih-ming. Hoja Niyaz then fell back to Kashgar on January 13, 1934, retreating from Aksu through a long, 300 mile, march along the Tengri Tagh
mountain road, bypassing general Ma Fuyuan's Tungan forces, and assumed the Presidency of the self-proclaimed Turkish Islamic Republic of Eastern Turkestan or Republic of Uyghurstan
. Joining the breakaway republic went against his deal of May 1933 with Sheng Shicai, however, and direct Soviet intervention into Xinjiang, and its ultimate support of Sheng Shicai, led to the defeat of East Turkestan Republic by June 1934.
"No man can harm me. But these Tungans are no men. They are wild beasts roaming about the streets. It is hopeless to talk to wild beasts. They always have their rifles and pistols read. They do not understand any other language."
A Poem was written about Hoya Niyaz about his battles.
as the Vice-Chairman of the Xinjiang Government and "Civil Governor for life" of the Xinjiang province in 1934, Hoya Niyaz actually was separated from his troops and held in Urumqi as a puppet under close supervising of Soviet agents. He was denied his request to meet Stalin in person and the settle Xinjiang issue in accordance with the Right of nations to self-determination, which was officially supported by the USSR in their revolutionary doctrine. In April 1937, following the Rebellion of the 6th Uyghur Division under general Mahmut Muhiti against the Provincial Government at Kashgar
, Hoja Niyaz was arrested in Urumqi and allegedly executed in 1938. The death penalty was approved by Moscow
, Hoja Niyaz and his followers were labeled as counter-revolutionary "Trotskysts" and "Japanese agents." Other versions speculate he was held alive in prison as far as summer 1943, when he was executed on the orders of Chiang Kai-Shek
, who restored Kuomintang
control over Xinjiang in 1943 following Sheng Shicai expelling Soviet military personnel and advisers from the province.
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
against the Kumul Khanate
Kumul Khanate
The Kumul Khanate was a semi-autonomous feudal khanate within the Qing dynasty and then the Republic of China until it was abolished by Xinjiang governor Jin Shuren in 1930.- History :...
, the Chinese governor Jin Shuren
Jin Shuren
Jin Shuren , governor of Xinjiang, succeeded Yang Zengxin after Yang was assassinated in 1928. Jin ruled Xinjiang for about half a decade, and his reign was characterized by corruption and suppression. Under his rule, both ethnic and religion conflicts were greatly deepened, resulting in numerous...
, and later the Hui
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
warlord Ma Chung-ying. He is best remembered as the first and only president of the short-lived Turkish Islamic Republic of Eastern Turkestan
First East Turkestan Republic
The First Eastern Turkestan Republic , or Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan , or, Republic of Uyghurstan, was a short-lived breakaway would-be Islamic republic founded in 1933...
(or First East Turkestan Republic
First East Turkestan Republic
The First Eastern Turkestan Republic , or Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan , or, Republic of Uyghurstan, was a short-lived breakaway would-be Islamic republic founded in 1933...
) from early 1933 until the republic's defeat in 1934.
Early life and uprisings
Born in 1889 in a small mountainous village in Kumul Prefecture, Eastern Turkestan, XinjiangXinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, Hojo Niyaz participated in his first rebellion at age 18, joining a 1907 uprising of peasants and mountaineers against hereditary "King of the Gobi" Shah Mahsut, ruler of the Kumul Khanate
Kumul Khanate
The Kumul Khanate was a semi-autonomous feudal khanate within the Qing dynasty and then the Republic of China until it was abolished by Xinjiang governor Jin Shuren in 1930.- History :...
(who was allowed semi-autonomous rule by Qing China
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
). After being defeated, he fled to the Turpan region, where he entered "Astana," or religious school, and became acquainted with future prominent Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
Turpan revolutionary leaders. After one year of studying, he left Turpan and went on the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, adding to his name the title "Hajji
Hajji
Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
".
In 1912, Hojo Niyaz returned to Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
where another uprising against the Kumul Khanate
Kumul Khanate
The Kumul Khanate was a semi-autonomous feudal khanate within the Qing dynasty and then the Republic of China until it was abolished by Xinjiang governor Jin Shuren in 1930.- History :...
, led by Timur Halpa, was developing, and he joined the rebellion. Following the treacherous killing of Timur Halpa at a banquet held by Xinjiang Governor Yang Zengxin
Yang Zengxin
Yang Zengxin , born in Mengzi, Honghe, Yunnan in 1859, was the ruler of Xinjiang after the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 until his assassination in 1928.-Life:...
, who previously had mediated the conflict and raised Timur Halpa to the position of Commander of provincial troops in the Kumul Region, Hoja Niyaz was forced again to flee.
In 1916, he came to the then-Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
boundary town of Jarkent, Semiryechye Oblast, founded and populated by Ili Uyghurs who had escaped to Russia after 1881, when Qing troops
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
re-took the Ili valley of Xinjiang. In Jarkent, he served under local Uyghur leader and wealthy merchant Valiahun Yuldashev, and, after the Russian Revolution erupted in 1917, helped organize small, local Uyghur self-defense groups. After the Russian Civil War came to Semiryechye, Hojo Niyaz met Uyghur revolutionary Abdulla Rozibakiev, one of the founders of the Inqlawi Uyghur Ittipaqi ("Revolutionary Uyghur Union") in 1921, a revolutionary nationalistic organization under umbrella of the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
.
Revolutionary leader
In 1923, Hojo Niyaz returned to Eastern Turkestan, first to Ghulja, then to UrumqiÜrümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, where he was organizing underground revolutionary groups and preparing a new rebellion. In 1927, he returned to Kumul for the funeral of his father, and after the death of Kumul Khanate ruler Shah Mahsut in March 1930, Hojo Niyaz was appointed to the high position of adviser to new ruler of the Kumul Khanate.
Nevertheless, the Xinjiang Governor Jin Shuren
Jin Shuren
Jin Shuren , governor of Xinjiang, succeeded Yang Zengxin after Yang was assassinated in 1928. Jin ruled Xinjiang for about half a decade, and his reign was characterized by corruption and suppression. Under his rule, both ethnic and religion conflicts were greatly deepened, resulting in numerous...
(1928–1933), sought to take advantage of the power vacuum left after the death of Shah Mahsut and decreed the abolition of the Kumul Khanate, preventing the new ruler, Shah Mahsut's son Nazir, from assuming control. At the same time, Jin Shuren
Jin Shuren
Jin Shuren , governor of Xinjiang, succeeded Yang Zengxin after Yang was assassinated in 1928. Jin ruled Xinjiang for about half a decade, and his reign was characterized by corruption and suppression. Under his rule, both ethnic and religion conflicts were greatly deepened, resulting in numerous...
arranged for Han Chinese migrants from Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
to settle in the abolished Khanate. These events sparked the Kumul Rebellion
Kumul Rebellion
The Kumul Rebellion was a rebellion of Kumulik Uyghurs who conspired with the Chinese Muslim General Ma Zhongying to overthrow Jin Shuren, governor of Xinjiang. The Kuomintang wanted Jin removed because of his ties to the Soviet Union, so it approved of the operation while pretending to acknowledge...
in 1931, which was led by Hui
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
warlord Ma Chung-ying in Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
after his June 1931 meeting with Hojo Niyaz and Yulbars Khan
Yulbars Khan
Yulbars Khan , courtesy name Jingfu , was a Uighur born in Yangi Hissar in 1888. He entered the service in the Kumul Khanate of Muhammad Khan of Kumul and later his son Maksud Shah. He served as an advisor at the court, until when Maksud died in March 1930, governor Jin Shuren abolished the khanate...
. Ma Chung-ying agreed to add his troops to the campaign to topple Jin Shuren. Hoja Niyaz also received support from the Mongolian People's Republic: in autumn 1931 they provided him 600 sets of winter clothes, felt tents and 120 rifles (which were bartered for horses, one rifle was given for two horses).
Rebellion soon spread from the East of Xinjiang throughout the whole province and by February, 1933, when Urumqi was laid siege by joint Uyghur and Hui troops, the Provincial Government controlled no more than 10% of Xinjiang's territory. On April 12, 1933, General Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai was a Chinese warlord who "ruled" Xinjiang province from April 12, 1933 to August 29, 1944....
came to power in Xinjiang after concluding secret agreements with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and in May 1933, he made an alliance with Hoja Niyaz against Ma Chung-ying. At this time the Soviets gave Hoya Niyaz "nearly 2,000 rifles with ammunition, a few hundred bombs and three machine guns." The newly appointed Soviet Consul in Urumqi, Garegin Apresoff, arranged negotiations and forced Hoja Niyaz to turn his troops against Tungans (Hui) forces, and that eventually led to the rebellion turning into massacres between different national groups, and its defeat in the hands of Provincial troops.
Hoya Niyaz marched his troops across Dawan Ch'eng to Toksun, where he was defeated at the Battle of Toksun
Battle of Toksun
The Battle of Toksun occurred in July 1933 when Khoja Niyas Hajji, a Uighur leader, defected with his forces to Governor Sheng Shicai. He marched across Dawan Ch'eng and occupied Toksun, where the Chinese Muslim forces of General Ma Shih-ming achieved victory over Niyas Hajji's forces....
by Tungans under General Ma Shih-ming. Hoja Niyaz then fell back to Kashgar on January 13, 1934, retreating from Aksu through a long, 300 mile, march along the Tengri Tagh
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
mountain road, bypassing general Ma Fuyuan's Tungan forces, and assumed the Presidency of the self-proclaimed Turkish Islamic Republic of Eastern Turkestan or Republic of Uyghurstan
First East Turkestan Republic
The First Eastern Turkestan Republic , or Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan , or, Republic of Uyghurstan, was a short-lived breakaway would-be Islamic republic founded in 1933...
. Joining the breakaway republic went against his deal of May 1933 with Sheng Shicai, however, and direct Soviet intervention into Xinjiang, and its ultimate support of Sheng Shicai, led to the defeat of East Turkestan Republic by June 1934.
Quotes
Someone named Niaz Haji said this to Sven Hedin:"No man can harm me. But these Tungans are no men. They are wild beasts roaming about the streets. It is hopeless to talk to wild beasts. They always have their rifles and pistols read. They do not understand any other language."
A Poem was written about Hoya Niyaz about his battles.
Father Hodjam Niaz Ghazi
his guns are killing five
When he is fighting with the Tungans
he is killing thousands of victims of war.
Death
There are contradictory statements about his death. Though appointed by Sheng ShicaiSheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai was a Chinese warlord who "ruled" Xinjiang province from April 12, 1933 to August 29, 1944....
as the Vice-Chairman of the Xinjiang Government and "Civil Governor for life" of the Xinjiang province in 1934, Hoya Niyaz actually was separated from his troops and held in Urumqi as a puppet under close supervising of Soviet agents. He was denied his request to meet Stalin in person and the settle Xinjiang issue in accordance with the Right of nations to self-determination, which was officially supported by the USSR in their revolutionary doctrine. In April 1937, following the Rebellion of the 6th Uyghur Division under general Mahmut Muhiti against the Provincial Government at Kashgar
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
, Hoja Niyaz was arrested in Urumqi and allegedly executed in 1938. The death penalty was approved by Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Hoja Niyaz and his followers were labeled as counter-revolutionary "Trotskysts" and "Japanese agents." Other versions speculate he was held alive in prison as far as summer 1943, when he was executed on the orders of Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
, who restored Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
control over Xinjiang in 1943 following Sheng Shicai expelling Soviet military personnel and advisers from the province.