Ma Hongbin

Ma Hongbin 马鸿宾
General Ma Hongbin
Governor of Gansu
In office November 1930 – December 1931
Preceded by	Wang Zhen (Wang Chen)
Succeeded by	Ma Wenche (Ma Wen-ch'e)
Governor of Ningxia (1st time)
In office 7 Jan 1921 – Dec 1928
Preceded by	Ma Fuxiang (Ma Fu-hsiang)
Succeeded by	Men Zhizhong (Men Chih-chung)
Governor of Ningxia (2nd time)
In office 1948–1949
Preceded by	Ma Hongkui
Succeeded by	Pan Zili (P'an Tzu-li)
Personal details
Born	September 14, 1884 Linxia County, Gansu
Died	October 21, 1960(1960-10-21) (aged 76) Lanzhou
Nationality	Hui
Political party	Kuomintang
Children	Ma Dunjing (1906–1972)
Religion	Sunni Islam
Awards	Order of Leopold (Belgium)
Military service
Nickname(s)	"Ma the Kind Man"
Allegiance	Republic of China  People's Republic of China
Years of service	1910–1960
Rank	general
Unit	Ma clique
Battles/wars	Second Zhili–Fengtian War, Central Plains War, Long March, Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War

Ma Hongbin (Xiao'erjing: ﻣَﺎ ﺡْﻮ بٍ, September 14, 1884 – October 21, 1960), was a prominent Chinese Muslim warlord active mainly during the Republican era, and was part of the Ma clique. He was the acting Chairman of Gansu and Ningxia Provinces for a short period.

Ma was born in the village of Hanchiachi, in Linxia County, Gansu. He was the son of Ma Fulu who died in 1900 when fighting against the foreigners in the Battle of Peking (1900) in the Boxer Rebellion. As a nephew of Ma Fuxiang, he followed him and later Feng Yuxiang into the army. He and Ma Fuxiang protected a Catholic mission in Sandaohe from attacks by the Gelaohui, and he received the Order of Leopold (Belgium) ("King Leopold decoration") During an uprising in Gansu in the Central Plains War, the Muslim General Ma Tingxiang was attacked by Ma Hongbin who was serving in Feng's administration in Ningxia. Upon his cooperation with Chiang Kai-shek, he was named commander of the 22nd Division, 24th Army, within the National Revolutionary Army. He was governor of Ningxia from 1921 to 1928 and chairman of the government of Ningxia in 1930. However, Ma Hongbin developed and consequently lost a power struggle with his cousin Ma Hongkui, a fact that was exploited by Chiang Kai-shek to his own advantage by preventing Ma Hongbin from total defeat. In 1930, Chiang named Ma Hongbin as the Chairman of the Provincial Council of Gansu, a post he held until 1931. However, Ma Hongbin only had very limited control, as the actual control of Gansu was mostly under the control of another rival Muslim warlord Ma Zhongying's. Even after Ma Zhongying's departure to former-USSR in July, 1934, most local troops remaining and population was still loyal to Ma Zhongying. During Ma Hongbin's rise to power, together with his cousin Ma Hongkui and other Muslim Generals and warlords like Ma Bufang and Ma Buqing, they were instrumental in helping Ma Bufang's cousin, Ma Zhongying, to prevail in Gansu, because they did not want Ma Zhongying to compete with them in their own turfs, so they encouraged and supported Ma Zhongying to develop his own power base in other regions such as Gansu and Xinjiang.