Chihli Clique

Chihli Clique

 

a group of the Peiyang Militarists in China that was formed after the death of Yuan Shih-k’ai in 1916. The clique took its name from Chihli Province, the home of several of the group’s leaders, including Wu P’ei-fu and Ts’ao K’un. Its main territorial base comprised Chihli, Honan, Hupei, and Hunan. The clique, which received financial support from British and American imperialists, controlled the government in Peking from 1920 to 1924; in 1920 and 1921 it shared control with the Fengtien clique. After the National Revolutionary Army defeated Wu P’ei-fu during the Northern Campaign of 1926–27, the Chihli clique vanished from the political scene.