Ma Lin (warlord)

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Ma Lin

| native_name = 馬麟

| birth_date = 1873

| death_date = {{death date and age |1945|1|26| 1873|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Linxia County, Gansu

| death_place = Qinghai

| image = Ma Lin.jpg

| caption = General Ma Lin

| office = Governor of Qinghai

| term_start = May 1931

| term_end = 5 Mar 1938

| lieutenant =

| predecessor = Ma Qi

| successor = Ma Bufang

| party = Kuomintang

| spouse =

| nationality = Hui

| nickname =

| allegiance = {{flag|Qing Dynasty}}
{{CHN-ROC}}

| serviceyears = 1890s–1945

| rank =

| commands =

| unit =

| battles = Boxer Rebellion, Muslim conflict in Gansu (1927-30), Sino-Tibetan War

| awards =

| portrayedby =

}}

File:Ma Lin (2).jpg

Ma Lin (Xiao'erjing: {{lang|zh-Arab|مَا لٍ}} , {{zh |s=马麟 |t=馬麟 |p=Mǎ Lín |w=Ma Lin }}; 1873 – 26 January 1945) was the governor of Qinghai 1931–38 and the brother of Ma Qi.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v5YcAAAAMAAJ&q=ma+hung-pin|title=Communism in China: as reported from Hankow in 1932|author=Jonathan Oliver Edmund Clubb|year=1968|publisher=Columbia University Press|page=110|isbn=9780231032094|access-date=2010-06-28}} A Hui Muslim born in 1873, Linxia County, Gansu, he mainly acceded to the posts of his brother, being general of southeastern Gansu province, as well as councillor of the Qinghai provincial government and acting head of the Construction Bureau of Qinghai province. His father was Ma Haiyan.{{Cite web |url=http://www.360doc.com/content/11/0917/16/112480_149020067.shtml |title=民国少数民族将军(组图)2 - 360Doc个人图书馆 |access-date=2014-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214124815/http://www.360doc.com/content/11/0917/16/112480_149020067.shtml |archive-date=2018-12-14 |url-status=dead }}

Career

Ma Lin's father Ma Haiyan fought in the Boxer Rebellion at the Battle of Langfang and died of natural causes in 1900.

Ma Lin assisted the Xidaotang in filing a lawsuit against Ma Anliang after his death in 1919, to gain recognition for them as a legitimate Muslim sect.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=90CN0vtxdY0C&q=general+ma+lin|title=Familiar strangers: a history of Muslims in Northwest China|author=Jonathan Neaman Lipman|year=2004|publisher=University of Washington Press|location=Seattle|page=195|isbn=0-295-97644-6|access-date=2010-06-28}}

His great-nephew Ma Zhongying seized the city of Hezhou in the 1920s in a battle during the Muslim conflict in Gansu (1927–1930), and vanquished Ma Lin's army, which was sent to retake the city.{{cite book|title=Warlords and Muslims in Chinese Central Asia: A Political Jistory of Republican Sinkiang 1911-1949|author=Andrew D. W. Forbes|year=1986|publisher=CUP Archive|location=Cambridge, England|isbn=0-521-25514-7|page=334}} Ma Lin defeated Ma Ting-hsiang (Ma Tingxiang).{{cite book|title=Who's who in China; biographies of Chinese leaders|year=1936|location=Shanghai|publisher=THE CHINA WEEKLY REVIEW|url=https://archive.org/stream/5edwhoswhoinchina00shanuoft#page/184/mode/2up|page=185|access-date=24 April 2014}}

Ma Lin succeeded his brother Ma Qi as Governor of Qinghai following his death in 1931, but real military power remained in the hands of his nephew, Gen. Ma Bufang, who succeeded his father Ma Qi as military commander.{{cite book|title=The China monthly review, Volume 67|year=1933|publisher=J.W. Powell|page=189}}

In 1932, during his administration of Qinghai, the Sino–Tibetan War broke out. Ma Lin's personal representative was Chao Pei-lei.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AYsTAAAAIAAJ&q=kokonor|title=The China monthly review, Volume 61|year=1932|publisher=FJ.W. Powell|page=142|access-date=2011-06-01}}

Ma Lin held the position of Civil Governor, while Ma Bufang was Military Governor. They feuded with and disliked each other. People did not admire Ma Bufang as much as his uncle Ma Lin, who was adored by the people.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hINCAAAAIAAJ&q=ma+bu+lin+Civil+Governor%2C+a+well-liked+Mohammedan%2C|title=Journey into China|author=Violet Olivia Rutley Cressy-Marcks|year=1942|publisher=E.P. Dutton & co., inc.|page=292|access-date=2010-11-28}} Ma Lin worked in the governor's yamen during his reign. His secretary was named Feng.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ULrtAAAAMAAJ&q=ma+bu-fang+|title=Forbidden journey: from Peking to Kashmir|author=Ella Maillart|author-link=Ella Maillart|year=2003|publisher=Northwestern University Press|edition=illustrated|isbn=0-8101-1985-4|page=53|access-date=2010-06-28}}

In autumn of 1936 Ma Bufang made his move to expel his uncle from power and replace him.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CKc5AQAAIAAJ&q=nephew+pu-fang+1936+fall+uncle|title=Asia: journal of the American Asiatic Association, Volume 40|author=American Asiatic Association|year=1940|publisher=Asia Pub. Co.|page=660|access-date=2011-05-08}} Ma Bufang made his position unstable and unbearable until Ma Lin resigned from power by making the Hajj to Mecca. Ma Lin's next position was to be part of the National Government Committee. In an interview he was described as having "high admiration and unwavering loyalty to Chiang Kai-shek", and was interested in the progress of the Anti-Japanese war.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gIBCAAAAYAAJ&q=In+his+conversation+with+us+he+expressed+keen+interest+in+the+development+of+the+war+against+Japan+and+high+admiration+of+and+unwavering+loyalty+to+Generalissimo+Chiang+Kai-shek.+He+seemed+punctilious+in+his+religious+observances|title=The Moslem World, Volumes 31-34|author=Hartford Seminary Foundation|year=1941|publisher=Hartford Seminary Foundation|page=183|access-date=2011-05-08}}

He was reported to be pious and his family mosque was in good shape.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CKc5AQAAIAAJ&q=ma+family+mosque|title=Asia: journal of the American Asiatic Association, Volume 40|author=American Asiatic Association|year=1940|publisher=Asia Pub. Co.|page=660|access-date=2011-05-08}} The new Yihewani (Ikhwan) sect was patronized and backed by Ma Lin and Ma Bufang to help modernize society, education, and reform old traditions.{{cite book|title=Confucianism and Spiritual Traditions in Modern China and Beyond|editor1-first=Fenggang|editor1-last=Yang|editor2-first=Joseph|editor2-last=Tamney|volume=3 of Religion in Chinese Societies|edition=illustrated|year=2011|publisher=BRILL|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JbGaMUZ6j5IC&pg=PA222|page=222|isbn=978-9004212398|access-date=24 April 2014}}

In 1942 Ma Lin was serving on the 36-seat State Council; the only other Muslim member was the Uyghur Masud Sabri.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r3AJFusMHJwC&q=ma+lin+muslim&pg=PA23|title=Biographical dictionary of Republican China, Volume 3|author1=Howard L. Boorman |author2=Richard C. Howard |author3=Joseph K. H. Cheng |year=1970|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=0-231-08957-0|page=23|access-date=2010-06-28}}

He went on a Hajj to Mecca.{{cite journal|jstor=189017|title=Ethnicity and Politics in Republican China: The Ma Family Warlords of Gansu|last=Lipman|first=Jonathan N.|journal=Modern China|date=July 1984|volume=10|issue=3|pages=285–316|publisher=Sage Publications, Inc.|doi=10.1177/009770048401000302|s2cid=143843569}} Approximately 123 persons accompanied him, including the Imams Ma Debao and Ma Zhengqing, who brought Salafi/Wahhabism ideology back to China, which the Yihewani Imams promptly rejected as heretical.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BwuSpFiOFfYC&q=ma+lin+former+head+of+qinghai+hajj&pg=PA103|title=China's Muslim Hui community: migration, settlement and sects|author=Michael Dillon|year=1999|publisher=Curzon Press|location=Richmond|page=104|isbn=0-7007-1026-4|access-date=2010-06-28}} Ma Lin's nephew, Ma Bufang, the governor of Qinghai, persecuted the new Salafi Wahhabis.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wEih57-GWQQC&q=ma+bufang+secret+war&pg=PA79|title=Guide to Islamist Movements|author=BARRY RUBIN|year=2000|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|page=79|isbn=0-7656-1747-1|access-date=2010-06-28}}

He died on 26 January 1945.

Ma Lin's eldest son Ma Burong (Ma Pu-jung) 馬步榮 defected to the Communists after 1949 and donated 10,000 Yuan to support Chinese troops in the Korean War. He had another son, Ma Buyuan (Ma Pu-yüan) 馬步援.[http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/33588/11/15301511.pdf 甘、寧、青三馬家族世系簡表]