Xi Qia
Encyclopedia
Xi Qia also Xi Xia (1883–1950), was a general in command of the Kirin Provincial Army of the Republic of China
, who defected to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and who subsequently served as a cabinet minister in Manchukuo
.
of the imperial clan of Aisin Gioro
, and a supporter of efforts to create a new Manchu-dominated state in Manchuria
after the Xinhai Revolution
overthrew the Qing dynasty in China. As a youth, he studied in Japan at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. He rose to the rank of lieutenant general
and commanding officer
of the Provincial Army of Kirin Province
under the Fengtian clique
.
On 23 September 1931, after the Mukden Incident
, Xi Qia, was invited by the Japanese government to form a government for Kirin Province. The Imperial Japanese Army
succeeded in achieving a bloodless occupation of the capital, Kirin city
. General Xi Qia called a meeting of government organizations and Japanese advisors, and on 30 September 1931 issued a proclamation declaring Kirin Province to be independent of the Republic of China, with himself as head of a provisional government.
After the Japanese Kwantung Army completed military control over southern Manchuria in early January 1932, occupying Jinzhou
and Shanhaiguan
, it turned to the north to secure the remainder of Manchuria. When negotiations with Generals Ma Zhanshan
and Ting Chao
had come to naught, Japanese Colonel Kenji Doihara
in early January 1932 requested that General Xi Qia advance with his forces to take Harbin
from the last major Kuomintang
force in the north led by General Ting Chao. General Xi Qia advanced to Shuangcheng
on 25 January, and fighting began on the morning of the 26th. However, Xi Qia's troops soon suffered a serious reverse and Doihara was forced to call upon the Kwantung Army to assist. To justify this, Colonel Doihara created the Harbin Incident.
The Japanese 2nd Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Jiro Tamon
, was ordered to go to the rescue of General Xi Qia, and entrained on 28 January. Because of transportation difficulties in the cold winter weather it took seven days for Japanese columns to struggle north over the frozen countryside in temperatures of 30° below zero. Finally they closed in on the Harbin from the west and south on 4 February and took the city on 5 February 1932. Within two months, the state of Manchukuo
was established, and Xi Qia was confirmed by the new government as governor of Kirin Province.
A couple of months later, on 29 March 1932, Xi Qia's militia suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of the Anti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The Country
, a Volunteer Army
led by General Li Hai-ching
on outside the town of Nong'an, only 35 miles from the Manchukuoan capital of Hsinking. Japanese forces from the east at Yao-men
, tried to fight their way through to Nong'an with close air support
from IJAAF bombers but the defender's radio ceased broadcasting when Li's forces captured the town. Japanese regular army troops soon drove Li's forces out of Nong'an. Xi Qia was removed from office soon after his defeat and was given a desk job in 1932.
Xi Qia became Minister of Finance of Manchukuo in 1934. He subsequently served as Imperial Household Minister and Interior Minister in 1936. At the end of World War II
, he was captured by the Soviet
Red Army
and held in a Siberia
n prison until he was extradited to the People's Republic of China
in 1950, where he later died in captivity at the Fushun
War Criminals Management Centre
.
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, who defected to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and who subsequently served as a cabinet minister in Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
.
Biography
Xi Qia was an ethnic ManchuManchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
of the imperial clan of Aisin Gioro
Aisin Gioro
Aisin Gioro was the family name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty. The House of Aisin Gioro ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which established a republican government in its place. The word aisin means gold in the Manchu language, and "gioro" is the name of the place in...
, and a supporter of efforts to create a new Manchu-dominated state in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
after the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
overthrew the Qing dynasty in China. As a youth, he studied in Japan at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. He rose to the rank of lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
and commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the Provincial Army of Kirin Province
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
under the Fengtian clique
Fengtian clique
The Fengtian 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 for Fengtian Province and led by Zhang Zuolin...
.
On 23 September 1931, after the Mukden Incident
Mukden Incident
The Mukden Incident, also known as the Manchurian Incident, was a staged event that was engineered by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for invading the northern part of China known as Manchuria in 1931....
, Xi Qia, was invited by the Japanese government to form a government for Kirin Province. The Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
succeeded in achieving a bloodless occupation of the capital, Kirin city
Jilin City
Jilin City is the second largest city of Jilin province in Northeast China. At the 2010 census, 4,414,681 people resided within its administrative area of and 1,975,803 in its built up area...
. General Xi Qia called a meeting of government organizations and Japanese advisors, and on 30 September 1931 issued a proclamation declaring Kirin Province to be independent of the Republic of China, with himself as head of a provisional government.
After the Japanese Kwantung Army completed military control over southern Manchuria in early January 1932, occupying Jinzhou
Jinzhou
Jinzhou , is a prefecture-level city of Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city located in the "Liaoxi Corridor" , which connects land transportation between North China and Northeast China. Jinzhou is China's northernmost seaport and the coastal economic center of West...
and Shanhaiguan
Shanhaiguan District
Shanhaiguan District is a district of the city of Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, People's Republic of China, named after the pass of the Great Wall within the district, Shanhai Pass...
, it turned to the north to secure the remainder of Manchuria. When negotiations with Generals Ma Zhanshan
Ma Zhanshan
Ma Zhanshan or Ma Chan-san , was a Chinese Muslim general who initially opposed the Imperial Japanese Army in the invasion of Manchuria, briefly defected to Manchukuo, and then rebelled, and fought against the Japanese in Manchuria and in other parts of China.-Early life:Ma was born...
and Ting Chao
Ting Chao
Ting Chao or Ding Chao was a Chinese General, known for his defense of Harbin during the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and 1932....
had come to naught, Japanese Colonel Kenji Doihara
Kenji Doihara
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia....
in early January 1932 requested that General Xi Qia advance with his forces to take Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
from the last major 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...
force in the north led by General Ting Chao. General Xi Qia advanced to Shuangcheng
Shuangcheng
Shuangcheng is the south of Heilongjiang province in Northeast China and is administratively a county-level city under the administration of Harbin. It sits approximately south-southwest of downtown Harbin....
on 25 January, and fighting began on the morning of the 26th. However, Xi Qia's troops soon suffered a serious reverse and Doihara was forced to call upon the Kwantung Army to assist. To justify this, Colonel Doihara created the Harbin Incident.
The Japanese 2nd Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Jiro Tamon
Jiro Tamon
-External links:* * - Notes :...
, was ordered to go to the rescue of General Xi Qia, and entrained on 28 January. Because of transportation difficulties in the cold winter weather it took seven days for Japanese columns to struggle north over the frozen countryside in temperatures of 30° below zero. Finally they closed in on the Harbin from the west and south on 4 February and took the city on 5 February 1932. Within two months, the state of Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
was established, and Xi Qia was confirmed by the new government as governor of Kirin Province.
A couple of months later, on 29 March 1932, Xi Qia's militia suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of the Anti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The Country
Anti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The Country
Anti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The Country was a volunteer army led by Li Hai-ching resisting the pacification of Manchukuo. It had about 10,000 anti-Japanese guerrilla troops described as being equipped with light artillery and numerous machine guns. They operated in the south of Kirin,...
, a Volunteer Army
Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies
After the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and until 1933, large volunteer armies waged war against Japanese and Manchukuo forces over much of Northeast China....
led by General Li Hai-ching
Li Hai-ching
Li Hai-ching, or Li Hai-Tsing, was the leader of about 10,000 Anti-Japanese guerilla troops in the south of Kirin, now Heilongjiang province, resisting the pacification of Manchukuo. They called themselves Anti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The Country and were described as being equipped with...
on outside the town of Nong'an, only 35 miles from the Manchukuoan capital of Hsinking. Japanese forces from the east at Yao-men
Dehui
Dehui is a city in northwestern Jilin province in Northeast China, located in the middle of the Songliao Plain. It has a total population of 906,000 and an urban population of 753,000...
, tried to fight their way through to Nong'an with close air support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
from IJAAF bombers but the defender's radio ceased broadcasting when Li's forces captured the town. Japanese regular army troops soon drove Li's forces out of Nong'an. Xi Qia was removed from office soon after his defeat and was given a desk job in 1932.
Xi Qia became Minister of Finance of Manchukuo in 1934. He subsequently served as Imperial Household Minister and Interior Minister in 1936. At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was captured by the Soviet
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....
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and held in a Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n prison until he was extradited to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in 1950, where he later died in captivity at the Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
War Criminals Management Centre
Fushun War Criminals Management Centre
Fushun War Criminals Management Centre , also known as Liaodong No. 3 Prison or Liaoning No. 3 Prison was the site of the re-education of Manchuko, Kuomintang and Japanese prisoners of war, held by China from 1950 onwards. It was located in the Xinfu District of Fushun city, Liaoning Province,...
.
External links
- IMTFE, Japanese Aggression Against China
- NewspaperARCHIVE.com - Search Old Newspaper Articles Online at www.newspaperarchive.com SATURDAY EVENING. FEBRUARY 27. 1032. THE COSHOCTON TRIBUNE
- Photo of Manchukuo politicians: Xi Qia third from the left, front row