Qu Tongfeng
Encyclopedia
Qu Tongfeng, 曲同丰, was a general that served Yuan Shikai
and the Anhui clique
.
Qu Tongfeng was born in Fushan County, now in Yantai
, Fushan District
of Shandong
. At the age of 16 he joined the Beiyang Fleet
, and served as second-class engineer on the Dingyuan during the First Sino-Japanese War
. When the ship was sunk in the Battle of the Yalu River, he escaped into the sea and was rescued. He went on to get a higher education and was sent to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1903, graduating in 1904. Upon his return he was given an infantry unit command. In 1907, he was given posts in the Beiyang Army
in charge of drill, discipline and inspection. In 1910, he was promoted to command of a unit in Yunan
.
Following the 1911 Wuchang Uprising
Qu rose in revolt, becoming commander of the 2nd Division. In 1912 he was promoted to Major General. He was made President of the Baoding Military Academy from 1913 to 1915. He was removed after opposing the Yuan Shikai's capitulation to the Twenty-One Demands
. Following the death of Yuan Shikai Qu was given military commands again by the Anhui clique.
In 1920, he was the Anhui army frontline commander-in-chief in the Zhili–Anhui War. Wu Peifu
led the Zhili clique army in a daring maneuver to capture the Anhui army headquarters after first outflanking the enemy, capturing Qu Tongfeng and many of his fellow officers. Qu was released from captivity in 1922.
Qu Tongfeng was shot in Tianjin
in 1929.
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...
and the Anhui clique
Anhui clique
The Anhui clique was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of China's Warlord era. It was named after Anhui province because several of its generals including its founder, Duan Qirui, was born in Anhui...
.
Qu Tongfeng was born in Fushan County, now in Yantai
Yantai
Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.The largest fishing...
, Fushan District
Fushan District
Fushan is a district of Yantai in the Chinese province of Shandong, near the shore of the Yellow Sea.To the East is Zhifu District and Laishan District, to the southeast Muping District, to the southwest Qixia City, to the northwest Penglai City, and to the north, the Yantai Economic and...
of Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
. At the age of 16 he joined the Beiyang Fleet
Beiyang Fleet
The Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trusted vassals of Empress Dowager Cixi and the principal patron of the "self-strengthening movement" in northern...
, and served as second-class engineer on the Dingyuan during the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
. When the ship was sunk in the Battle of the Yalu River, he escaped into the sea and was rescued. He went on to get a higher education and was sent to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1903, graduating in 1904. Upon his return he was given an infantry unit command. In 1907, he was given posts in the Beiyang Army
Beiyang Army
The Beiyang Army was a powerful, Western-style Chinese military force created by the Qing Dynasty government in the late 19th century. It was the centerpiece of a general reconstruction of China's military system. The Beiyang Army played a major role in Chinese politics for at least three decades...
in charge of drill, discipline and inspection. In 1910, he was promoted to command of a unit in Yunan
Yunan
Yunan may refer to:in fictional characters* King Yunan, a character in One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk talesin places...
.
Following the 1911 Wuchang Uprising
Wuchang Uprising
The Wuchang Uprising began with the dissatisfaction of the handling of a railway crisis. The crisis then escalated to an uprising where the revolutionaries went up against Qing government officials. The uprising was then assisted by the New Army in a coup against their own authorities in the city...
Qu rose in revolt, becoming commander of the 2nd Division. In 1912 he was promoted to Major General. He was made President of the Baoding Military Academy from 1913 to 1915. He was removed after opposing the Yuan Shikai's capitulation to the Twenty-One Demands
Twenty-One Demands
The ' were a set of demands made by the Empire of Japan under Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu sent to the nominal government of the Republic of China on January 18, 1915, resulting in two treaties with Japan on May 25, 1915.- Background :...
. Following the death of Yuan Shikai Qu was given military commands again by the Anhui clique.
In 1920, he was the Anhui army frontline commander-in-chief in the Zhili–Anhui War. Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu or Wu P'ei-fu , was a major figure in the struggles between the warlords who dominated Republican China from 1916 to 1927.- Early career :...
led the Zhili clique army in a daring maneuver to capture the Anhui army headquarters after first outflanking the enemy, capturing Qu Tongfeng and many of his fellow officers. Qu was released from captivity in 1922.
Qu Tongfeng was shot in Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
in 1929.