Jinan’s mosque ethnic question: Hui hero Ma Hefu

Ma Hefu (1893-1937) was born in a poor Hui family in Linxia County, Gansu Province. Due to war and famine, he fled to Ningxia with his grandfather, and worked as a long-term laborer and did odd jobs in Xiji and Tongxin areas. live.

In June 1936, when the Red Army marched westward to liberate Yuwang City, Ma Hefu was deeply moved when he saw the Red Army's strict discipline, respect for Hui customs and habits, and relief for the poor. He rushed to inform the Hui people who had believed the rumors and fled the country. "The Red Army is very good. It does not enter the homes of the Hui people casually, does not take advantage of the masses, and does not use the pots and pans of the Hui people. The Red Army is a team that works for the poor..." Driven by his propaganda, the masses came back one after another. At home, he got close to the Red Army and enthusiastically sent food and donations to support the Red Army, treating the Red Army as his relatives.

After the Red Army entered Yuwang City, it vigorously carried out ethnic work and held training courses to train Muslim cadres. Ma Hefu was also selected to study. His ideological consciousness improved rapidly, and he soon joined the Communist Party of China with honor. When the Yuwangbao Muslim Autonomous Government was established, he was elected chairman.

With the deepening of ethnic work in various districts and townships, the consciousness of the Hui people has generally increased, and the conditions for the establishment of county-level Hui autonomous government have matured. The Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Provincial Party Committee and the Western Expedition Red Army Headquarters decided to establish the Hui Autonomous Government of Yuhai County, Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Province, in the Muslim-inhabited areas west of Yuwang County and east of Haiyuan County. On October 20, the Yuhai County Hui Autonomous Government was established at the Tongxin Mosque. Ma Hefu was elected as the chairman and concurrently served as the captain of the Hui guerrilla brigade. Shortly after the establishment of the autonomous government, the three main forces of the Red Army joined forces and prepared to annihilate the southern part of Hu Zong in the Haiyuan and Tongxin areas and repel the enemy's attack. Yuhai County is on the edge of the battlefield and has an extremely heavy task. At this time, he was busy mobilizing various districts and villages to organize stretcher teams, transport teams, and ambulance teams, and also cooked cooked food and baked dry food to prepare to support the large troops. In order to fully mobilize the masses, on the fifth day after the establishment of the autonomous government, he rushed to the lower reaches of the Shuibei Circle where the Red Army had not yet arrived, carrying the proclamation of the Yuhai County Hui Autonomous Government signed by himself - the "Letter to the Compatriots in the Northern Circle" to convene People, explain the self-government documents in detail. He also used rural market days to preach about the situation and tasks at that time. He told everyone in his thick local accent: "With the help of the Red Army, we established the Hui Autonomous Government of Yuhai County, canceled all exorbitant taxes, and implemented rent and interest reductions. We Hui people have gained freedom. This is very impressive. A happy thing. We must unite to support the Red Army in destroying the Kuomintang army. We, the Red Army, will also fight to liberate all the hardworking people in Ningxia." His speech often attracted enthusiastic responses from everyone on the street.

At the end of October, Zhu De led the headquarters of the Fourth Front Army to Tongxin City. Ma Hefu led all the cadres and masses of the Yuhai County Government to "warmly welcome the arrival of the Second and Fourth Front Armies" and "celebrate the victory of the three main forces of the Red Army." Banners with slogans such as "Let's Meet" were carried along the aisles with sumptuous food to welcome them. Ma Hefu arranged for Commander-in-Chief Zhu De to stay in a large and spacious house and entertained him warmly. The masses sent beef, mutton, dry food, steamed buns and other cooked foods to the Red Army to express their condolences to all the officers and men. The Red Army officers and soldiers fought hard for 20,000 miles and had a good meal in Tongxin City, which made them feel as if they were back home.

In early November, the Red Army from all walks of life arrived in the Tongxin City area one after another, and a gathering of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians was held on the river beach outside the west gate of Tongxin City. Ma Hefu first delivered a welcome speech on behalf of the returning Han people in Yuhai County. He spoke from the bottom of his heart: "Comrades of the Red Army, fellow villagers, we people in the Yuhai area are living a worse life under the rule of Ma Hongkui of the Kuomintang. They seize soldiers and demand money, forcing us to have no choice but to save our lives.* The Communist Party is our great savior, and the Red Army is our savior. The Red Army climbed the snow-capped mountains and crossed the grassland, overcame difficulties and obstacles, defeated the enemy, and successfully achieved the three-army meeting. When we came to Tongxin City, I returned to Han on behalf of Yuhai County. The people expressed warm welcome, and we will support the Anti-Japanese Red Army with practical actions..."

Ma Hefu's simple words inspired the entire army and people in the audience.

In order to repel the enemy's pursuit, the Red Army continued to move eastward. Ma Hefu firmly believed that the Red Army would come back soon, so he decided to stay and fight guerrillas and carry out underground struggles. Unfortunately, he was arrested. Ma Hongkui ordered Ma Hefu to be escorted to the provincial capital of Ningxia for personal interrogation.

Ma Hongkui persuaded him: "Ma Hefu, as long as you write a letter of repentance and eliminate the influence of the Communist Party, you can live!" Ma Hefu replied categorically: "People are bound to die, and I have risked my life long ago. It's up to you to live or die, but if you want me to repent, this is your delusion!" He endured all kinds of torture and tests in the enemy's prison, but he still preferred death over surrender.

On April 3, 1937, Ma Hongkui ordered Ma Hefu to be taken back to Tongxin. The enemy was about to kill Ma Hefu. At this time, the streets were crowded with people, with tears in their eyes, coming to see off their relatives. On the way to the execution ground, Kuomintang County Magistrate Qu Duanzhuang asked him: "What else do you have to say?" He dragged the heavy shackles and angrily shouted: "You oppress the people, kill the people, and do all the bad things, you will eventually be judged by the people. "It's worth dying for the liberation of the Hui people." He also said that he wanted to leave cleanly and "change Wusuli" (cleanse his body). Ma Hefu "changed the water" (cleaned his body), got dressed, and walked to the execution ground with his head held high, showing the revolutionary integrity of a Communist Party member.

After the founding of New China, the Tongxin County People's Government built a martyrs' cemetery, erected a tombstone and a memorial pavilion for him, becoming one of the bases for Ningxia's patriotism and revolutionary traditional education.