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Xiqia | |
|---|---|
熙洽 | |
 Xi Qia as a member of the Manchukuo Cabinet | |
| Minister of the Imperial Household ofManchukuo | |
| In office 21 May 1935 – 1945 | |
| Monarch | Kangde |
| Preceded by | Shen Ruiling |
| Minister of Finance of Manchukuo | |
| In office 9 March 1932 – 21 May 1935 | |
| Prime Minister | Zheng Xiaoxu |
| Succeeded by | Sun Qichang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 October 1883 Shenyang,Liaoning,Qing China |
| Died | 1950 Fushun,Liaoning,People's Republic of China |
| Citizenship | Manchukuo |
| Alma mater | Imperial Japanese Army Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Qing Dynasty Republic of China Manchukuo |
| Unit | Provincial Army ofJilin Province |
Xi Qia | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Hsi Ch'ia, Hsi Hsia, Xi Xia |
Xi Qia orXi Xia (Hsi Hsia;Chinese:熙洽;pinyin:Xīqià;Wade–Giles:Hsi1-hsia4;Hepburn:Ki Kō; 1883–1950) was a general in command of the Jilin Provincial Army of theRepublic of China, who defected to the Japanese during theInvasion of Manchuria in 1931, and who subsequently served as a cabinet minister inManchukuo.
Xi Qia was an ethnicManchu (Plain Blue Banner) of the imperial clan ofAisin Gioro as a direct descendant ofMurhaci (穆爾哈齊), a younger half-brother ofNurhaci and second son ofTaksi, thus, making him a member of the collateral bloodline of the Aisin Gioro clan. He contributed to making and a supporter of efforts to create a new Manchu-dominated state inManchuria after theXinhai Revolution overthrew theQing dynasty in China. As a youth, he studied in Japan at theTokyo Shimbu Gakko, a military preparatory school for Chinese students, followed by theImperial Japanese Army Academy. He rose to the rank oflieutenant general andcommanding officer of the Provincial Army ofJilin Province under theFengtian clique.
On 23 September 1931, after theMukden Incident, Xi Qia, was invited by the Japanese government to form a government for Jilin Province. TheImperial Japanese Army succeeded in achieving a bloodless occupation of the capital,Jilin city. General Xi Qia called a meeting of government organizations and Japanese advisers, and on 30 September 1931 issued a proclamation declaring Jilin Province to be independent of the Republic of China, with himself as head of a provisional government.
After the JapaneseKwantung Army completed military control over southern Manchuria in early January 1932, occupyingJinzhou andShanhaiguan, it turned to the north to secure the remainder of Manchuria. When negotiations with GeneralsMa Zhanshan andDing Chao had come to naught, Japanese ColonelKenji Doihara in early January 1932 requested that General Xi Qia advance with his forces to takeHarbin from the last majorKuomintang force in the north led by General Ding Chao. General Xi Qia advanced toShuangcheng on 25 January, and fighting began on the morning of the 26th. However, Xi Qia's troops soon suffered a serious reverse and Doihara was forced to call upon the Kwantung Army to assist. To justify this, Colonel Doihara created theHarbin Incident.
TheJapanese 2nd Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant GeneralJiro Tamon, was ordered to go to the rescue of General Xi Qia, and entrained on 28 January. Because of transportation difficulties in the cold winter weather it took seven days for Japanese columns to struggle north over the frozen countryside in temperatures of 30° below zero. Finally they closed in on the Harbin from the west and south on 4 February and took the city on 5 February 1932. Within two months, the state ofManchukuo was established, and Xi Qia was confirmed by the new government as governor of Jilin Province.
A couple of months later, on 29 March 1932, Xi Qia's militia suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of theAnti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The Country, aVolunteer Army led by GeneralLi Hai-ching on outside the town ofNong'an, only 35 miles from the Manchukuoan capital ofXinjing. Japanese forces from the east atYao-men, tried to fight their way through to Nong'an withclose air support fromIJAAF bombers but the defender's radio ceased broadcasting when Li's forces captured the town. Japanese regular army troops soon drove Li's forces out of Nong'an. Xi Qia was removed from command soon after his defeat and was henceforth given civilian duties.
Xi Qia became Minister of Finance of Manchukuo in 1932. He subsequently served as Imperial Household Minister from 1936. At the end ofWorld War II, he was captured by theSovietRed Army and held in aSiberian prison until he was extradited to thePeople's Republic of China in 1950, where he later died in captivity at theFushun War Criminals Management Centre inFushun,Liaoning Province.
