Du Wenxiu (1823-1872) was a charismatic Hui Chinese Muslim leader who led a successful insurrection between 1862 and 1872 which established him as the ruler of the Sultanate of Shaanxi and Gansu. As in the case of the independent state of Xinjiang, established by Yaqub Beg, the Sultanate of Shaanxi and Gansu was crushed by successive Chinese regimes