How did the People’s Liberation Army gain control of Ningxia in 1949?

In 1949, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) secured control of Ningxia by defeating the armies of the Ma clan, a group of Muslim warlords who had maintained political control over the region since 1911.1

Prior to this victory, the region had been a complex arena of conflict, with the Ma clan serving as a key political base within the "Muslim" belt and maintaining nominal allegiance to the Nationalist Party. While the Chinese Communist Party had previously attempted to gain support in the area by appealing to minority rights during the Sino-Japanese War, most of the local Hui population remained aligned with the Ma clan until the final military confrontation. Following the PLA's success, the region was placed under the authority of the Northwest Military Administrative Committee.1