Du Wenxiu

Du Wenxiu (1823–1872) was the Chinese Muslim leader of the Panthay Rebellion, an anti-Qing revolt during the Qing dynasty. Although ethnically Han from both parents, he was raised as a Muslim. Born in Yongchang (now Baoshan, Yunnan) as Yang Xiu, he studied the Chinese classics and, like other elite Hui sons, prepared for the civil service exams. At sixteen he earned his xiucai degree. He gained respect among Yunnanese Hui after traveling to Beijing with two others to petition the imperial court for compensation following the 1845 Baoshan Massacre of the Hui. Failing to secure a settlement, he worked in western Yunnan’s trading networks, becoming acutely aware of the region’s commercial, political, and multiethnic dynamics.

The rebellion erupted after Qing authorities perpetrated massacres of Hui. Du employed anti-Manchu rhetoric, calling on Han to join Hui in overthrowing the Manchu-led Qing. He invited fellow Hui leader Ma Rulong to join him in driving out the Manchus and “recover China,” but Ma Rulong later defected to the Qing. Du’s forces attacked and sacked Kunming multiple times. His son, Du Fengyang, also participated in the rebellion. Another Hui leader, Ma Shilin, a descendant of Ma Mingxin, served as a garrison commander and civil official for the rebels and died at Donggouzhai after a year-long Qing siege.

Ma Rulong argued that corrupt local officials, not the central government, were responsible for Hui massacres and urged Du to make peace, claiming all Muslims were one family. Du refuted this in a letter, stating that Ma’s defection had divided Muslims. Du asked the prominent Hui scholar Ma Dexin to intervene, urging Ma Rulong to stop killing fellow Muslims. Ma Dexin acted as a mediator and spiritual leader respected by both sides. In 1860 he sent forces to aid Du, claiming he had secretly ordered Ma Rulong and others to launch a rearguard attack. Evidence suggests Ma Dexin and Ma Rulong only pretended to surrender in 1862 to enter Kunming. Ma Dexin later declared himself “King-Who-Pacifies-the-South,” seized official seals, and stopped using Qing reign dates, hoping to unite rebels under him before handing control to Du. Ma Rulong, rebuked by followers for craving office, attacked Kunming with Qing forces and placed Ma Dexin under house arrest. In 1864 Ma Dexin was sent to convince Du to surrender, arguing that with the Taiping rebellion ende