[1] The Anfu Club was primarily organised by Duan's right-hand man, Xu Shuzheng, along with the politicians Wang Yitang, Zeng Yujun, Liu Enge and others.
Although officially not a political party, as the term was stigmatised following Yuan Shikai's disbandment of the Kuomintang, the Anfu Club operated as China's first party-state.
There was the Executive Office (干事部), led by Wang Yitang, the council (评议会), which Tian Yinghuang presided over, and the Public Policy Research Association (政务研究会) that was managed by Li Shengduo.
However, the actual policy of signing the treaty and suppressing the subsequent student protests where directed by the president of the time, Xu Shichang, and the Anfu Club was blamed for the fiasco by Research Clique affiliated media, which became the widespread belief.
[7] Moreover, the Anfu Club did not fully support the generals and military governors of the Anhui Clique, as demonstrated by the reduction of the Army Budget by 20% during 1919.