DEMCHUGDONGRUB

Prince 'Demchugdongrub' (Дэмчигдонров, pronunciation: Demchig Dong-roe) (February 8, 1902 - May 23, 1966) was the leader of a Mongol independence movement in Inner Mongolia. His Chinese courtesy name is Xixian (希賢). He assumed the Mongolian chairman of Mengjiang, a Japanese puppet state in World War II.
Some see him as a Mongol nationalist promoting Pan-Mongolism. Others view him as a traitor and as the pawn of the Japanese during World War II.

Contents

Names

Rise to leadership

Collaboration with the Japanese

Downfall

Biography

External links

Names

★ 'Demchugdongrub' in Tibetan

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★ 'Demchigdonrov' (Дэмчигдонров) in Mongolian

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★ 'Demuchukedonglupu' (德穆楚克棟魯普) in formal Chinese

★ Often called 'Te Wang, Teh Wang' in the West

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★ 'De Noyon' in Mongolian

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★ 'De Wang' (德王, Дэ Ван) in Chinese and in Mongolian

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★ Some Mongolians called him King Lord De (德王爺)

Rise to leadership

A Chahar born of the Plain White Banner (正白旗) in Chahar Province, Demchugdongrub was the sole son of Namjil Wangchuk (Namzhil Vanchig 那木濟勒旺楚克), the Chief of Shilingol Alliance (Шилийн гол чуулга, 锡林郭勒盟) and Duoluo Duling Junwang of Sonid Right Banner (苏尼特左旗扎萨克多罗杜棱郡王)
After Namjil Wangchuk died in 1908, the six-year-old Demchugdongrub, with the approval of the Qing Empire, inherited one of his father's titles -- the Duoluo Duling Junwang. Demchugdongrub studied Mongolian, Chinese, Manchu languages. After the fall of the Qing Empire, Yuan Shikai promoted Demchugdongrub's to the title of Zhasake Heshuo Duling Qinwang (扎萨克和硕杜棱亲王) in 1912.
Demchugdongrub married a daughter of a Taiji (Qing aristocratic title) nobleman from his own Sönid Right Banner (Баруун сөнид хошуу, 苏尼特左旗), and the next year had their first child, Dolgorsuren (都古爾蘇隆). Several years later, Demchugdongrub had four more sons and one daughter with his second wife (Fujin,福晉 - Manchu, wife of feudal lord from 夫人), a daughter of another Taiji nobleman from Abaga Banner (Авга хошуу, 阿巴嘎旗).
Demchugdongrub was appointed as a member of the Chahar Provincial Committee in 1929. Then in 1931 he succeeded to the post of the Chief of Shilingol Alliance, after Yang Cang (楊桑), then Sodnom Ravdan (Содном Равдан,索特那木拉布坦).

Collaboration with the Japanese

The Japanese Kwantung Army, in February 1936, established the Mongolian Military Government (蒙古軍政府) with Demchugdongrub as the commander and the Toyonori Yamauchi (山内豊紀) as the advisor, on a mission to "inherit the great spirit of Genghis Khan and retake the territories that belong to Mongolia, completing the grand task of reviving the prosperity of the nationality".
After the ceremonial Mengjiang-Manchukuo alliance in May 1935, Henry Puyi honoured Demchugdongrub with the title of Prince De the Martial (武德親王 ''Wude Qinwang'').
The Mengjiang United Autonomous Government (蒙疆連合自治政府) was set up in 1939 with Demchugdongrub first being the vice-chairman, then the chairman. In 1941 he became chairman of the Mongolian Autonomous Federation.

Downfall

After World War II, and thus the collapse of the Federation, Demchugdongrub lived in Beijing for four years under the supervision of the Kuomintang government. Just before the Communist Party of China took control the whole country, in August 1949 he managed to establish an Autonomous Government in the western most region of Inner Mongolia. In December, pushed by the coming communist army, Demchugdongrub fled to Mongolia and was at first welcomed there, but then captured by the People's Republic of Mongolia in the following February and deported to China in September, where he was charged with treason by the People's Republic of China. Under supervision, he wrote nine memoirs and was pardoned 13 years later in April. Until his death at the age of 64 in Hohhot, he had worked in an Inner Mongolian history museum.

Biography

The definitive biography of Demchugdongrub is Sechin Jagchid, ''The Last Mongol Prince: The Life and Times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966'' (Western Washington University, 1999).

External links

★ Article on Demchigdonrov in Chinese

★ Demchigdonrov's photo