Qinghai Muslim forces repelled a Tibetan military advance and recovered lost territory, compelling the Dalai Lama to seek British intervention and a negotiated ceasefire.
Key Facts
- Conflict year
- 1932
- Truces signed
- 1933, separate truces by Ma and Liu with Tibetans
- Territory recovered
- Counties held by Tibet since 1919 recaptured
- Key river boundary
- Tibetans pushed back across the Jinsha River
- Ceasefire mechanism
- British diplomatic pressure prompted Chinese ceasefire declaration
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 13th Dalai Lama sought to extend an ongoing conflict with Sichuan warlord Liu Wenhui in Xikang into Qinghai, using a dispute over a monastery in Yushu as a pretext to launch a Tibetan military offensive against Qinghai in 1932.
Qinghai Muslim General Ma Bufang, with forces led by General Ma Biao, repelled the Tibetan army and recaptured multiple counties in Xikang province, including Shiqu and Dege, pushing the Tibetans back across the Jinsha River and threatening Tibetan supply lines in Garze and Xinlong.
Facing severe territorial losses to both Ma Bufang and Liu Wenhui, the Dalai Lama telegraphed British officials in India for help. British diplomatic pressure led China to declare a ceasefire, and separate truces were signed in 1933, ending the fighting and consolidating Qinghai and Xikang gains.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents
Ma Bufang, Ma Biao, Liu Wenhui.