Ma clique

The Ma clique was a familial clique allied with the Gumoninjun led by Feng Yuxiang. In 1925, the Ma clique controlled the territories of Gansu, Suiyan, and Tsinghai.

The three Ma families belonged to the Hui, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group in China. The branches of the clan that would eventually become the Ma clique of the 20th century were descended from Muslim banner men. They were staunchly anti-Communist, which caused them to be driven out of the People’s Republic of China when the Qing Dynasty was overthrown over 1911-12.

In 1915, patriarch Ma Qin declared his loyalty to the Chinese Republic and seized control of three northwest provinces. The Ninghai Army he formed to defend this territory was shortly incorporated into Yuan Shikai’s Beiyang Army. After Yuan’s death, the Ma clique lent its strength to Feng Yuxiang’s Guominjun.