Duan Qirui facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Duan Qirui
段祺瑞
Duan Qirui in 1913
Chief Executive of the Republic of China
In office 24 November 1924 – 20 April 1926
Vice President	Vacant
Preceded by	Huang Fu (Acting)
Succeeded by	Hu Weide (Acting)
Premier of the Republic of China
In office 23 March 1918 – 10 October 1918
President	Feng Guozhang
Preceded by	Qian Nengxun
Succeeded by	Qian Nengxun
In office 14 July 1917 – 22 November 1917
President	Feng Guozhang
Preceded by	Li Jingxi
Succeeded by	Wang Daxie
In office 26 June 1916 – 23 May 1917
President	Li Yuanhong
Preceded by	Xu Shichang
Succeeded by	Wu Tingfang
In office 1 May 1913 – 31 July 1913
Preceded by	Zhao Bingjun
Succeeded by	Xiong Xiling
Minister of War of the Republic of China
In office 1912–1915
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Zhou Ziqi
Personal details
Born	(1865-03-06)6 March 1865 Hefei, Anhui, Qing Dynasty
Died	2 November 1936(1936-11-02) (aged 71) Shanghai, Republic of China
Nationality	Chinese
Political party	Anhui clique
Children	4 daughters
Education	Tianjin Military Academy
Occupation	Military officer, statesman
Awards	Order of Rank and Merit Order of the Precious Brilliant Golden Grain Order of Wen-Hu
Military service
Allegiance	Qing Dynasty Republic of China Anhui clique
Branch/service	Beiyang Army Anhui clique
Rank	General
Commands	Anhui clique
Battles/wars	Boxer Rebellion, Xinhai Revolution, Second Revolution, Bai Lang Rebellion, Manchu Restoration, Constitutional Protection Movement, Zhili-Anhui War

Duan Qirui (Chinese: 段祺瑞; pinyin: Duàn Qíruì; Wade–Giles: Tuan Ch'i-jui) was an important Chinese military leader and politician. He lived from 1865 to 1936. Duan was a commander in the powerful Beiyang Army. He also served as the acting leader of China, called the Chief Executive, from 1924 to 1926. Before that, he was the Premier of the Republic of China four times between 1913 and 1918. Many people believed he was the most powerful person in China from 1916 to 1920.

Duan Qirui's Early Life and Training

Duan Qirui was born in Hefei, China. His grandfather was a military officer. Duan's father passed away when he was young, so his grandmother raised him.

In 1885, Duan Qirui joined the Tianjin Military Academy. He studied artillery and was the best student in his class. After graduating, he went to Germany to learn more about military science for two years. When he returned to China, he became an instructor at a military academy. Soon, he gained the support of Yuan Shikai, a very influential military leader. Yuan made Duan an artillery commander in the new Chinese army.

Starting His Military Career

Duan Qirui first experienced real fighting during the Boxer Rebellion. He served under Yuan Shikai and showed great bravery. Because of his skills, Yuan gave him command of a Beiyang army division in 1904. Duan also became the director of the Baoding Staff College. This allowed him to recruit and train officers who were loyal to him. To make their bond stronger, Yuan Shikai even arranged for his adopted niece to marry Duan.

In 1911, the Wuchang Uprising began against the Qing dynasty. Duan led the loyalist army and successfully recaptured some areas. After Yuan Shikai helped end the Qing dynasty, Duan supported him. Yuan rewarded Duan by making him military governor of two provinces. In 1912, Duan became the Minister of War. He then became Premier in 1913, while still holding his war minister position.

Duan Qirui in Politics

Duan Qirui became powerful as a close friend of Yuan Shikai. However, they started to disagree on many things. Duan gained a lot of control over the Beiyang Army, which made Yuan feel less in charge. Duan became more independent and challenged Yuan's decisions. Their arguments grew more intense. Yuan tried to reduce Duan's power by changing the military. He also tried to create a new army loyal only to himself. Duan fell ill in late 1914 and couldn't stop Yuan's plans. He was removed as Minister of War in May 1915.

Disagreements with Yuan Shikai

Duan had hoped to become president after Yuan. So, he opposed Yuan's plan to declare himself Emperor in late 1915. When several provinces declared independence from Yuan's government, Duan tried to help both sides find a solution. Their friendship never fully recovered. Even when Duan became Premier again, Yuan had already taken away most of the Premier's powers. Duan served as Premier many times between 1913 and 1918. China was divided, and many provinces were acting independently.

Becoming Premier

When Yuan Shikai was dying in 1916, he named three possible successors, including Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong. Duan believed Li Yuanhong was the weakest choice. He pressured Li to become president, thinking he could control him easily. Duan served as Premier under President Li. He held a lot of power and effectively ruled northern China. However, Duan did not try to make Li's presidency official through an election. This showed that Duan didn't care much for constitutional reforms.

Duan Qirui refused to accept the old 1912 constitution. President Li Yuanhong and Vice President Feng Guozhang disagreed with him. In June 1917, naval commanders supported the 1912 constitution. They threatened to ignore orders from Beijing if it wasn't restored. Feng eventually convinced Duan to agree, and the southern government dissolved. But the country remained divided. Duan and other northern leaders didn't want to be told what to do by southern politicians. These politicians were mostly from Sun Yat-sen's Kuomintang party. Duan tried to remove southern military commanders from their posts. His cabinet refused, but his assistant, Xu Shuzheng, ordered an attack on Hunan anyway.

China and World War I

Around 1916-1917, World War I was happening in Europe. Duan saw a chance for China to gain favor with European countries and the US. He wanted China to join the Allies against the Central Powers. But President Li, Vice President Feng, and most of the parliament were against it. Duan tried to force parliament to agree, even using organized crowds. In May 1917, President Li dismissed Duan as Premier.

Then, a general named Zhang Xun marched his army into Beijing. On July 1, 1917, he announced that the Qing dynasty was back. Other northern generals, led by Feng Guozhang, quickly stopped this attempt. Duan was returned to power, and Li Yuanhong resigned. A few days later, on August 14, 1917, China joined World War I on the side of the Allies. Duan declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. He hoped China would gain international respect and get rid of some unfair treaties.

Duan's plan was to get loans from Japan. He would use this money to build up his army and conquer the south. He secretly negotiated the first of the Nishihara Loans with Japan in September 1917. In return, he gave Japan rights to station troops and build railroads in Shandong province. This deal later caused a lot of anger in China. It became a big part of the Shandong Problem.

Leading the Anhui Clique

After Feng Guozhang made him Premier again, Duan Qirui prepared to send troops to conquer the south. The south responded by forming its own government. Duan sent two of Feng Guozhang's former officers to conquer Hunan. One of them, Wu Peifu, wanted peace with the south and refused to fight. Duan was embarrassed and had to resign as Premier a second time in November 1917.

However, Duan still had a lot of influence in Beijing. Many military commanders were loyal to him. Feng Guozhang had to reappoint him as Minister of War. Duan again sent troops south. He also ordered Zhang Zuolin, the ruler of Manchuria, to send troops to Beijing. This was a trick to pressure Feng to make him Premier again. But Wu Peifu still refused to invade the southern provinces.

Duan faced a threat from Feng Guozhang, Cao Kun, and Wu Peifu, who formed the "Zhili clique." To strengthen his position, Duan created his own political group called the "Anhui clique." He used the money from the Nishihara Loans to build his military. He even hired Japanese officers to train his soldiers.

The Forbidden City Bombing

In July 1917, a warlord named Zhang Xun tried to bring back the Qing dynasty. He put Puyi back on the Emperor's throne in the Forbidden City. Many people in China were against returning to an empire. To show his power, Duan Qirui ordered a plane to drop three bombs on the Forbidden City. The bombing caused minor damage and killed one person. This was the first time an airplane was used for bombing by the early Chinese Air Force.

Losing Power

President Feng Guozhang's term ended in October 1918. To calm the south, he agreed not to seek re-election if Duan also left his Premier position. Duan's power was also weakening because rumors about his secret deals with Japan started to spread. When the Nishihara Loans and a secret treaty about Shandong were revealed at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, people in China were furious. This led to the "May Fourth Movement" on May 4, 1919.

Duan's rivals, Cao Kun and Wu Peifu of the Zhili clique, formed an alliance against him. They also managed to get Duan's key assistant, Xu Shuzheng, dismissed in July 1919. In response, Duan forced the new president to dismiss Cao and Wu. He renamed his army the "National Pacification Army" and prepared for war against the Zhili clique.

This conflict was called the Zhili–Anhui War. It lasted from July 14 to July 18, 1920. Even though Duan's army was trained by Japan, it was easily defeated by the Zhili forces. Duan fled to a Japanese settlement in Tianjin. His Anhui clique began to fall apart. Only one province, Zhejiang, remained under Anhui control for a while.

A Brief Return to Leadership

In November 1924, Feng Yuxiang's actions led to the defeat of Wu Peifu. Zhang Zuolin then surprisingly named Duan Qirui as the new Chief Executive of China. Duan's government was accepted by the Zhili clique because he no longer had his own army and was seen as neutral. His title was "Chief Executive" instead of "President," meaning his position was temporary and less powerful.

Duan Qirui invited Sun Yat-sen and the Kuomintang from the south to discuss reuniting the country. Sun demanded that unfair treaties with foreign powers be canceled. Duan promised a new national assembly. However, he couldn't cancel the treaties because foreign powers only recognized his government if he respected them. Sun Yat-sen died in March 1925, and the talks ended.

Duan's government relied heavily on Feng Yuxiang and Zhang Zuolin. Knowing they didn't get along, he secretly tried to play them against each other. On March 18, 1926, a protest against foreign actions in China took place. Duan sent military police to stop the protesters. In the chaos, 47 protesters were killed and over 200 were injured. This event is known as the March 18 Massacre.

The next month, Feng Yuxiang revolted again, this time against Zhang Zuolin. He removed Duan from power. Duan had to flee to Zhang Zuolin for protection. But Zhang was tired of Duan's double-dealings and refused to restore him. Most of the Anhui clique had already joined Zhang. Duan Qirui went into exile in Tianjin and later moved to Shanghai, where he passed away in 1936.

Duan Qirui's Personal Side

Duan was known for being tough and a strong leader, but he didn't seem to love being in public office. He was said to have a "Buddhist inclination" and enjoyed being alone. He trusted his assistants a lot and supported their decisions. His main interest was training soldiers. In government, he preferred a system where a small group of powerful men made decisions.

Duan was also famous for playing and supporting the game weiqi. He usually won because his opponents were afraid to beat him. The only exception was his son-in-law, who also loved weiqi and wasn't afraid to win against him. Duan had four daughters. After he retired from politics, Duan became a devoted Buddhist. He built a worship hall in his home and prayed every morning. Many of his former assistants often came to pray with him.

On certain days of each month, Duan would visit temples for Buddhist events. He supposedly became a vegetarian after the March 18 Massacre. This was his way of repenting for his involvement in the event. Douchi (fermented black beans) was his favorite food and was served at every meal. Duan also kept a hen farm at home for eggs. He claimed that without roosters, the eggs were still vegetarian.

See also

In Spanish: Duan Qirui para niños