A revolt led by
Ma Tingxiang (
Ma T'ing-hsiang) () (a son of
Ma Anliang) in the spring of 1928 broke out among the
Hui people in Gansu province against the
Guominjun of Feng Yuxiang. The
Fengtian clique under Zhang Zuolin sent weapons shipments to Ma to aid him in his revolt. The American botanist
Joseph Rock saw the
fighting between the Hui Muslim warlord Ma Qi and the Tibetan Buddhists of
Labrang Monastery. Even more brutal fighting broke out when war between
Zhang Zuolin's
Fengtian clique happened against the
Guominjun warlord
Feng Yuxiang in 1925, autumn. The position of Gansu governor was taken by Feng Yuxiang. Only Muslim warlords were left after many of the non-Muslim warlords were expelled by Liu Yufen's Guominjun army of 15,000 soldiers as acting governor under Feng Yuxiang. A huge amount of taxes was extracted for Feng by Liu Yufen after an earthquake and famine brought about by drought. Then in Hezhou a revolt against Liu Yufen was led in Liangzhou by Hui Muslim warlord Ma Tingxing (son of
Ma Anliang) in 1928, Spring. Hui,
Dongxiang and
Salar Muslims were recruited to also siege Hezhou in the army of 10,000 by
Ma Zhongying, who was related to
Ma Qi. Ma Zhongying's Muslim soldiers were starving and numbered 25,000 by November so that attacked the Tao river valley in the south, slaughtering Tibetan Buddhist monks, burning the palace of the Tibetan
Tusi chief king Yang Jiqing, sacking the Tibetan city of
Chone and defeated
Yang Jiqing's 3,000 strong Tibetan militia. Tibetan areas all across southern Gansu were laid waste to. Tibetan militias defended
Taozhou from Ma Tingxing. The Tibetans inflicted heavy casualties upon Ma Tingxian so he supported Ma Zhongying's Muslim forces and together they ravaged and destroyed the Taozhou-Chone region destroying and burning Tibetan areas. The Muslims burned the printing presses and
temple of the Tibetan Buddhists in Chone. The Muslims then looted the
gompa and massacred the Tibetan Buddhist monks of the Labrang monastery after fleeting from Liu Yufen in January 1929. 2 million died in the war as villages and towns across Gansu's south and east were destroyed during the war when Ma Zhongying was fighting as Feng Yuxiang attacked him. The Chone temple and palaces were rebuilt by the Tibetan Tusi chief king Yang Jiqing after the 1928-1929 war. The rebellion was put down by Feng Yuxiang and Gansu became peaceful again until the 1935 when the communist
Long March came.
Linxia (Hezhou) was often plagued by these frequent rebellions. The entire southern suburbs of the city (ba fang) "eight blocks" was ruined in 1928 by savage fighting between the Muslims and Guominjun forces. Ma Lin defeated Ma Ting-hsiang (Ma Tingxiang). Ma Tingxiang was attacked by the Muslim General
Ma Hongbin who was serving in Feng's administration in
Ningxia.
Ma Zhongying, a Hui commander led three separate attacks against Feng's forces in Hezhou, and the following year, traveled to
Nanjing and pledged his allegiance to the
Kuomintang, attending the
Whampoa Military Academy and promoted to General. Ma Zhongying also fought against his great uncle
Ma Lin (warlord), who was a Muslim General in Feng Yuxiang's army, defeating him when Ma Lin attempted to retake Hezhou. The slogan of the rebels was "don't kill Hui, don't kill Han, only kill the officers of Guominjun" "不杀回，不杀汉，只杀国民军的办事员". Hui Muslims belonging to the
Xidaotang sect and Tibetans in Taozhou were attacked by Hui Muslim leader
Ma Zhongying and his own Hui Muslim soldiers, causing panicked exodus of Xidaotang Hui Muslims. The
Kuomintang incited anti
Yan Xishan and
Feng Yuxiang sentiments among
Chinese Muslims and Mongols, encouraging for them to topple their rule. The revolt ended with all the Muslim Generals and Warlords, like
Ma Qi,
Ma Lin, and
Ma Bufang reaffirming their allegiance to the
Kuomintang government after defeating the Guominjun. Ma Zhongying and
Ma Fuxiang travelled to
Nanjing to pledge allegiance to the
Kuomintang and
Chiang Kai-shek. Ma Fuxiang was promoted, and Ma Zhongying was trained at the
Whampoa Military Academy under Chiang, making secret agreements for a future
invasion of Xinjiang. By 1931 the rebellion stopped totally. Ma Tingxiang first rebelled against Feng and the Guominjun, then defected to Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang after Chiang and Feng went to war against each other, and finally after Chiang dismissed Ma from his posts, attempted to flee and was captured by Feng and executed in 1929. Ma Zhongying's 1928 revolt led to a blaze which destroyed the
Multicoloured Mosque. ==See also==