---
title: "Anhui Clique Definition and Overview | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Anhui clique was a faction of Beiyang warlords led by Duan Qirui, dominating China's Beijing government from 1916 to 1920 during the Warlord Era."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/anhui-clique"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Anhui clique was a faction of Beiyang warlords led by Duan Qirui that dominated China's Beijing government from 1916 to 1920 during the Warlord Era.
- Who led the Anhui clique and what was its foreign backer?
- How did the Anhui clique's dominance end?
- Why is the Anhui clique linked to the May Fourth Movement?
- What policy distinguished the Anhui clique from its rivals?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The Anhui clique was a faction of Beiyang warlords led by Duan Qirui that dominated China's Beijing government from 1916 to 1920 during the Warlord Era.

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In August 1917, Premier Duan Qirui used the Anhui clique's Japanese-financed armies to declare China's entry into World War I, a move that helped trigger the 1919 May Fourth Movement.

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