The Warlord of Reunion – not quite, sadly

A fascinating little snippet from Frances Wood’s newly published Penguin Special in their China and World War One series, Picnics Prohibited, about the warlord Zhang Xun. Zhang, a Qing loyalist had been a military escort to Cixi, fought for the Qing in 1911 and afterwards remained loyal to Yuan Shih-kai. He never cut off his queue. In 1917 Zhang and his warlord army invaded Peking with the intention of restoring Puyi to the throne. His attempt to restore the monarchy was thwarted and he sought refuge, eventually finding sanctuary in the Dutch (neutral in WW1) legation. However, there was almost a deal to put Zhang under theb protection of the French. China was entering the war on the side of the Allies and it was believed that Germany supported Zhang’s aims. The French suggested he accept an offer from them of asylum on the island of Reunion. Sadly it never happened, Zhang stayed in the Dutch Legation until his death in 1923.

However, a warlord’s arrival in Reunion, in the Indian Ocean, would have been quite something. About 3% (or about 25,000) of Reunion’s population (still a colony of France) are of Chinese ancestry – all descended from indentured labourers. Presumably Zhjang would have joined the island’s Chinois (also known as Sinwa or Sinoi). However, the estimated 25,000 Chinese (the French census does not allow for questions on ethnicity) now in Reunion are a significant growth from before WW2 due to the male:female ration balancing better and so more kids and about 2,000 PRC migrants in recent years too. If Zhang Xun had ended up in Reunion he would also have found about 4,000 Chinese there in 1917.

But it never happened. Reunion has hosted political exiles over the decades though…several rebellious Vietnamese princes of the Nguyen Dynasty were sent to Reunion during WW1, in 1916 – Thanh Thai and his son (one of 46 kids!!) Duy Tan. Thai was eventually allowed to return home to Saigon in 1945. Prince Bảo Vang of Vietnam (also known as Yves Claude Vinh San) the son of Emperor Duy Tân,still resides in Reunion – but that’s another fascinating story….

Zhang Xun

Rue de Paris – Reunion’s capital Saint-Denis, circa 1900