Career
He ruled over an area of southern Xinjiang, nicknamed by westerners from 1934 to 1937. Ma Hushan fought against the Russian Red Army and White Russian forces during the Soviet Invasion of Xinjiang and defeated them in battle. Ma Hushan also took part in the war to destroy the First East Turkestan Republic, commanding the 36th division at the Battle of Kashgar and Battle of Khotan.
The 36th division under General Ma Hushan crushed a Charkhlik Revolt by the Uighurs in the Charkhlik oasis.
The 36th division under General Ma Hushan controlled southern Xinjiang"s oasis and was nicknamed "" by Peter Fleming. Khotan was the base of Ma Hushan during his rule over the southern oases.
Ma Hushan"s troops were said to be "strongly anti-Japanese", and the territory they ruled was covered with "most of the stock anti-Japanese slogans from China proper," and Ma made "Resistance to Japanese Imperialism" part of his governing doctrine. Ma Hushan was described by Ella Maillart as a "well-set-up long-legged man".
Carpet Factory
Ma"s regime forced the switch from the old style to the manufacture of Chinese style carpets by the government owned factory.
Ma Hu-shan ordered the creation of "small blue carpets", "woven in Khotan". They were of Chinese design, with Chinese writing on them. Xinjiang War (1937)
After Ma"s troops were defeated by Sheng Shicai and the Soviets, or deserted or defected, Ma fled to British India.
He brought thousands of ounces in gold, which was confisticated by the British.
The British kept the money used on detaining Ma Hushan"s troops and also for the alleged "looting" of British property in Kashgar, then sent the money "back" to Sheng Shicai"s regime. He was detained by the British, then he took a steamer from Calcutta back to China, Qinghai province in 1938.
British telegrams from British India in 1937 said that Tungans like Ma Zhongying and Ma Hushan had reached an agreement with the Soviets whom they had fought before, that since the Japanese had begun full scale warfare with China, that the Tungans, led by Ma Hushan would help Chinese forces battle Japan, and that Ma Hushan would return to Gansu. Sven Hedin wrote that Ma Hushan would "certainly obey the summons" to join the Chinese side against Japan in the war.
He was captured in 1954 and executed at Lanzhou.
