# Communications Clique > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Communications_Clique > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Communications_Clique.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Clique > Source revision: 1333368574 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Chinese interwar interest group}} The '''Communications Clique''' ({{zh|c=交通系|p=Jiāotōng Xì}}) was a powerful [interest group](/source/interest_group) of politicians, bureaucrats, technocrats, businessmen, engineers, and labour unionists in [China](/source/Republic_of_China_(1912%E2%80%931949))'s [Beiyang government](/source/Beiyang_government) (1912–1928). It is also known as the '''Cantonese Clique''' because many of its leaders hailed from [Guangdong](/source/Guangdong). They were named after the [Ministry of Posts and Communications](/source/Ministry_of_Posts_and_Communications) which was responsible for railways, postal delivery, shipping, and telephones as well as the [Bank of Communications](/source/Bank_of_Communications). This ministry earned five times more revenue for the government than all the other ministries combined. The clique was founded by [Tang Shaoyi](/source/Tang_Shaoyi) but it was led by [Liang Shiyi](/source/Liang_Shiyi) throughout most of its existence. They were instrumental in the rise of [Yuan Shikai](/source/Yuan_Shikai) in the late [Qing](/source/Qing_dynasty) and [early republican period](/source/History_of_the_Republic_of_China). Because they were Yuan's biggest supporters of [his attempt to restore the monarchy](/source/Empire_of_China_(1915%E2%80%931916)), their leaders were forced to flee the country when President [Li Yuanhong](/source/Li_Yuanhong) ordered their arrest. In their absence, the '''New Communications Clique''' (1916-1919) was formed by [Cao Rulin](/source/Cao_Rulin). President [Feng Guozhang](/source/Feng_Guozhang) vacated these arrest warrants in early 1918, allowing Liang and [Zhou Ziqi](/source/Zhou_Ziqi) to return. Within a few months, the old clique became powerful enough to run as a quasi-political party in the [National Assembly](/source/National_Assembly_(Beiyang_government)) on a platform of modernization. It was a distant second compared to [Duan Qirui](/source/Duan_Qirui)'s [Anfu Club](/source/Anfu_Club). Together with the [Research Clique](/source/Research_Clique), they used political maneuvering to deny [Cao Kun](/source/Cao_Kun) the vice-presidency, Cao ended up blaming Duan for his loss. Cao Rulin's conduct during the [1919 Paris Peace Conference](/source/1919_Paris_Peace_Conference) caused the [May Fourth Movement](/source/May_Fourth_Movement) which led to his downfall and the collapse of this rival "new" clique. Liang became [premier](/source/Premier_of_the_Republic_of_China) in 1921 after [Jin Yunpeng](/source/Jin_Yunpeng) was forced to resign by [Zhang Zuolin](/source/Zhang_Zuolin). [Wu Peifu](/source/Wu_Peifu) removed Liang from his month-long premiership because he suspected Liang gave concessions to the Japanese during the [Washington Naval Conference](/source/Washington_Naval_Conference), Liang denied the allegations. Zhang Zuolin opposed the removal and that sparked the [First Zhili-Fengtian War](/source/First_Zhili-Fengtian_War). For a very brief period after the war, Zhou Ziqi was acting [President of the Republic of China](/source/President_of_the_Republic_of_China). Zhou left politics after complaining of [Zhili Clique](/source/Zhili_Clique) domination. The clique was dissolved during the [Northern Expedition](/source/Northern_Expedition). What they once controlled was given to powerful [Nationalist](/source/Kuomintang) businessmen like [T. V. Soong](/source/T._V._Soong) and [H.H. Kung](/source/H.H._Kung). The clique supported training programs and better working conditions for its rail workers. They even supported their strikes against local [warlords](/source/Warlord_era). They were friendly to the [Fengtian clique](/source/Fengtian_clique) (half of the country's railroads were in [Manchuria](/source/Manchuria)) and hostile to the Anhui and Zhili cliques. Their control of the railways threatened the logistics of warlords that opposed them. In 1923, Wu Peifu attempted to wrest control of the [Hankou-Beijing railway](/source/Jinghan_railway) by inviting [Communists](/source/Communist_Party_of_China) to defect their workers but it succeeded too well and the Communists began agitating against Wu. He responded violently leading to 35 deaths and many injuries which only served to advertise the little-known and nascent Communist Party. ==References== * {{cite book |last = McCormack |first = Gavan |authorlink = Gavan McCormack |title = Chang Tso-lin in northeast China, 1911-1928 : China, Japan, and the Manchurian idea |language = English |date = 1977 |publisher = [Stanford University Press](/source/Stanford_University_Press) |isbn = 9780804709453 |pages = 334 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISBN9780804709453 }} * {{cite book |last = Nathan |first = Andrew |title = Peking Politics 1918-1923: Factionalism and the Failure of Constitutionalism |language = English |date = 1998 |publisher = Center for Chinese Studies |isbn = 9780892641314 |pages = 320 }} {{Reflist|30em}} {{Warlord era}} Category:Defunct political parties in China Category:Politics of the Republic of China (1912–1949) Category:Political parties in the Republic of China (1912–1949) Category:Republic of China politicians from Guangdong --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Communications Clique](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Clique) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Clique?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.