Chang Hsueh-liang

In this Chinese name, the family name is Chang.

Chang Hsueh-liang (Chinese: 張學良; June 3, 1901^{[note 1]} – October 15, 2001), also romanized as Zhang Xueliang and known later in life as Peter H. L. Chang, was a Chinese warlord who ruled Manchuria from 1928 to 1936 and the commander-in-chief of the Northeastern Army after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin. A reformer who was sympathetic to nationalist ideas, he completed the official reunification of China at the end of the Warlord Era by pledging loyalty to the Nationalist government in Nanjing. He nonetheless retained Manchuria's de facto autonomy until the Empire of Japan invaded and occupied the region in 1931. He was frustrated by Chiang Kai-shek's policy of "first internal pacification, then external resistance" and helped plan and lead the 1936 Xi'an Incident. Northeastern soldiers under Chang's command arrested Chiang to force him to negotiate a Second United Front with the Chinese Communist Party against Japan. Chiang eventually agreed, but upon his release he had Chang arrested and sentenced to 50 years of house arrest, first in mainland China and then in Taiwan. Although never personally a communist, Chang is regarded by the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Republic of China as a patriotic hero for his role in ending the encirclement campaigns and beginning the war of resistance against Japan.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Chang Hsueh-liang
張學良
Chang in 1928
Warlord of Manchuria
In office June 4, 1928 – December 26, 1936
Preceded by	Zhang Zuolin
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	(1901-06-03)June 3, 1901 Tai'an County, Fengtian, Qing Empire
Died	October 15, 2001(2001-10-15) (aged 100) Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States
Resting place	Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, Honolulu County, Hawaii
Nationality	Chinese
Spouses	Yu Feng-chih ​ ​ (m. 1916; div. 1964)​ Edith Chao Chang ​ ​ (m. 1964; died 2000)​
Domestic partner	Gu Ruiyu (1924–1931)
Children	5
Parent	Zhang Zuolin (father)
Relatives	Zhang Xueming (brother)
Awards	Order of Rank and Merit Order of Wen-Hu Order of the Sacred Treasure Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
Nickname	Young Marshal
Military service
Allegiance	Fengtian Clique (until 1928)  Nationalist China (1928–1937)
Branch/service	Fengtian Army  National Revolutionary Army
Rank	General of the Army^[citation needed]
Commands	Northeast Peace Preservation Forces
Battles/wars	Sino-Soviet conflict Central Plains War Mukden Incident Battle of Rehe Xi'an Incident

Chang Hsueh-liang
Traditional Chinese	張學良
Simplified Chinese	张学良
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhāng Xuéliáng Wade–Giles Chang^1 Hsüeh^2-liang^2 IPA [ʈʂáŋ ɕɥěljǎŋ]

Early life

Chang Hsueh-liang was born in Haicheng, Liaoning province on June 3, 1901. Chang was educated by private tutors and, unlike his father, the warlord Zhang Zuolin,^[6] he felt at ease in the company of westerners.^[7]

Career

Chang graduated from Fengtian Military Academy, was made a colonel in the Fengtian Army, and appointed the commander of his father's bodyguards in 1919. In 1921 he was sent to Japan to observe military maneuvers, where he developed a special interest in aircraft. Later, he developed an air corps for the Fengtian Army, which was widely used in the battles that took place within the Great Wall during the 1920s. In 1922, he was promoted to major general and commanded an army-sized force. Two years later, he was also made commander of the air units. Upon the death of his father in 1928, he succeeded him as the leader of the Northeast Peace Preservation Forces (popularly "Northeastern Army"), which controlled China's northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Fengtian, and Jilin.^[8] In December of the same year he proclaimed his allegiance to the Kuomintang (KMT; Chinese Nationalist Party).

Warlord to republican general

 

Chang with Chiang Kai-shek in November 1930.

The Japanese believed that Chang Hsueh-liang, who was known as a womanizer and an opium addict, would be much more subject to Japanese influence than was his father. On this premise, an officer of the Japanese Kwantung Army therefore killed his father, Zhang Zuolin by exploding a bomb above his train while it crossed under a railroad bridge. Surprisingly, the younger Chang proved to be more independent and skilled than anyone had expected and declared his support for Chiang Kai-shek, leading to the reunification of China in 1928. With the assistance of Australian journalist William Henry Donald and Dr. Harry Willis Miller, he overcame his opium addiction in 1933 with the administering of Cantharidin auto-serum therapy.^[1]

He was given the nickname "Hero of History" (千古功臣) by PRC historians because of his desire to reunite China and rid it of Japanese invaders; and was willing to pay the price and become "vice" leader of China (not because it was good that he was supporting the Kuomintang).^{[citation needed]} In order to rid his command of Japanese influence, he had two prominent pro-Tokyo officials executed in front of the assembled guests at a dinner party in January 1929. It was a hard decision for him to make. The two had powers over the heads of others. In May 1929, relations between the Kuomintang Nanjing and the excessively strengthened Feng Yuxiang worsened. In addition, the Japanese government, dissatisfied with the pro-Kuomintang policy of Zhang Zuolin, and now his son, threatened to "take the most decisive measures to ensure that the Kuomintang flag never flies over Manchuria". The "Young Marshal" supported Nanjing, and Feng's troops were pushed back to the outlying provinces of Chahar and Suiyuan, and in July 1929, Japan officially recognized Kuomintang China. At the same time, Chang Hsueh-liang and Chiang Kai-shek held a personal meeting in Beiping, at which a decision was made on the armed seizure of the Chinese Eastern Railway or CER. By pushing Chang Hsueh-liang to take this step, Chiang Kai-shek sought to make the Young Marshal completely dependent on Nanjing and at the same time raise his prestige and get most of the profits from the operation of the CER at the disposal of Nanjing. Chang Hsueh-liang, in turn, believed that the capture of the CER would strengthen his position in the Northeast, allow him to personally manage the profits of the CER, and ensure his independence from Nanjing. As a result, on July 10, 1929, the Conflict on the CER began. However, the Red Army showed a higher combat capability, and the conflict ended with the signing of the Khabarovsk Protocol of December 22, 1929.

 

Chang and Chiang with their respective wives, Yu Feng Tze and Soong Mei-ling.

 

Autograph of Chang Hsueh-liang (c. 1930s).

In 1930, when warlords Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan attempted to overthrow Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government, Chang stepped in to support the Nanjing-based government against the Northern warlords in exchange for control of the key railroads in Hebei and the customs revenues from the port city of Tianjin. A year later, in the September 18 Mukden Incident, Japanese troops attacked Chang's forces in Shenyang in order to provoke a full-on war with China, which Chiang did not want to face until his forces were stronger.^[9] In accordance with this strategy, Chang's armies withdrew from the front lines without significant engagements, leading to the effective Japanese occupation of Chang's former northeastern domain.^[10] There has been speculation that Chiang Kai-Shek wrote a letter to Chang asking him to pull his forces back, but Chang later stated that he himself issued the orders. Apparently, Chang was aware of how weak his forces were compared to the Japanese and wished to preserve his position by retaining a sizeable army. Nonetheless, this would still be in line with Chiang's overall strategic standings. Chang later traveled in Europe before returning to China to take command of the Encirclement Campaigns, first in Hebei-Henan-Anhui and later in the Northwest.

Xi'an incident

Further information: Xi'an incident

On April 6, 1936, Chang met with CPC delegate Zhou Enlai to plan the end of the Chinese Civil War. KMT leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek at the time took a passive position against Japan and considered the communists to be a greater danger to the Republic of China than the Japanese, and his overall strategy was to annihilate the communists before focusing his efforts on the Japanese.^[9] He believed that "communism was a cancer while the Japanese represented a superficial wound." Growing nationalist anger against Japan made this position very unpopular, and led to Chang's action against Chiang, known as the Xi'an Incident.

In December 1936, Chang and General Yang Hucheng kidnapped Chiang, imprisoning him until he agreed to form a united front with the communists against the Japanese invasion. After two weeks of negotiations, Chiang agreed to unite with the communists and drive the Japanese out of China.

After Chiang negotiated with the Communists, Chang flew back to Nanjing as a demonstration of good faith.^[11]: 53 Chiang had him placed under house arrest.^{[11]: 53–54}

Later life from 1949

Further information: Republic of China retreat to Taiwan

 

Former residence of Chang Hsueh-liang in Wufeng, Hsinchu County, Taiwan.

Chang was eventually taken to Taiwan where he remained under arrest until Chiang's 1975 death.^[11]: 53 Much of his time was spent studying Ming dynasty literature and the Manchu language and collecting Chinese fan paintings, calligraphy and other works of art by illustrious artists (a collection of more than 200 works, using his studio's name "Dingyuanzhai" (定遠齋), was auctioned with tremendous success by Sotheby's on April 10, 1994).

Chang studied the New Testament. In 1964, he formally married Edith Chao, daughter of a senior official, who left her family in her teens to become his companion and later followed him into exile. His first wife, Ms. Yu, said she was so moved by Ms. Chao's devotion that she released her husband from his vows. Chang and his wife, Edith, became devout Christians who also regularly attended Sunday services at the Methodist chapel in Shilin, a Taipei suburb, with Chiang Kai-Shek's family. After Chiang's death in 1975, his freedom was officially restored.

Death

 

Chang Gravesite at Valley of the Temples Memorial Park

Chang emigrated to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1995. There were numerous pleas for him to visit mainland China, but Chang declined, citing his political closeness to the KMT. He died of pneumonia at the age of 100^{[note 2]} at Straub Hospital in Honolulu,^[1] and was buried in Hawaii.

Awards

•  :
  •   Order of Rank and Merit (1920)^[12]
•  :
  •   Order of National Glory
  •   Order of Blue Sky and White Sun with Grand Cordon
  •   Order of Wen-Hu, 1st class, twice (1919, 1921)^[12]
•  :
  •   Commandeur of the Legion of Honor^[13]
•  :
  •   Order of the Rising Sun
  •   Order of the Sacred Treasure, second class^[14]

Family

Parents

• Zhang Zuolin (張作霖 Chang Tso-lin) (1875–1928), father of Chang, Warlord of Manchuria, assassinated by the Japanese
• Zhao Chungui (趙春桂) (?–1912), mother of Chang

Spouses

• Yu Feng Tze (于鳳至 Yu Fengzhi) (c. 1899–1990), known in the U.S. as Feng Tze Chang, first wife of Chang (m. 1916; div. 1964), immigrated to the U.S. in 1940, died in Los Angeles, CA
• Gu Ruiyu (谷瑞玉) (1904–1946), concubine of Chang (m. 1924; div. 1931)
• Edith Chao Chang (趙一荻 Zhao Yidi) (1912–2000), mistress and later second wife of Chang (m. 1964), immigrated with him to the U.S. in 1995, died in Honolulu, HI^[15]

Children

• Pauline Tao, born Chang Lu-ying (張閭瑛 Zhang Lüying) (c. 1916–), eldest daughter born to Yu, resides in the U.S.
• Martin Chang Lu-hsun (張閭珣 Zhang Lüxun) (c. 1918–1986), eldest son born to Yu, died in Taipei
• Raymond Chang Lu-yu (張閭玗 Zhang Lüyu) (c. 1919–1981), second son born to Yu, died in Los Angeles, CA
• Chang Lu-chi (張閭琪 Zhang Lüqi) (c. 1920–1929), third son born to Yu
• Robert Chang Lu-lin (張閭琳 Zhang Lülin) (1930–), illegitimate son born to Chao, resides in the U.S.

Siblings

• Zhang Xueming (張學銘 Chang Hsueh-ming) (1908–1983), defected to the Communists, died in Beijing
• Hsueh Tseng Chang (張學曾 Zhang Xuezeng) (1911–2004), died in Novato, CA
• Zhang Xuesi (張學思 Chang Hsueh-ssu) (1916–1970), defected to the Communists, died in China
• Henry Chang Hsueh-sen (張學森 Zhang Xuesen) (1920–1995), died in Beijing while visiting
• Zhang Xuejun (張學浚 Chang Hsueh-chun) (1922–1984), died in Taiwan
• Zhang Xueying (張學英 Chang Hsueh-ying) (1924–?)
• Zhang Xuequan (張學銓 Chang Hsueh-chuan) (1925–1992 or 1996), died in Tianjin

In popular culture

• Chang was portrayed by Andy Lau in a cameo appearance in the 1994 martial arts film Drunken Master II.
• Chang was centrally featured in the 1981 Chinese film The Xi'an Incident (Xi'an Shibian), directed by Cheng Yin, with Chang played by Jin Ange.
• A 2007 TV series on the Xi'an Incident was produced and aired in mainland China, with Chang Hsueh-liang being portrayed by Hu Jun.^[16]
• Chang is a main figure in the American novel Soul Slip Peak (2013).
• The Peter H. L. Chang reading room at Columbia University's Butler Library is named after Chang. The library hosts a collection of Chang's papers.
• Beijing microbrewery Great Leap Brewing named its Little General IPA after Chang.^[17]
• A Chinese TV series titled Young Marshal [zh] is based on Chang's life.

See also

• Warlord era
• History of the Republic of China
• Military of the Republic of China
• Politics of the Republic of China
• Sino-German cooperation (1911–1941)

Notes

1. According to other accounts, 1898 or 1900
2. Following the Chinese way of counting, his age is often given as 101.

References

1. Kristof, Nicholas D. (October 19, 2001). Baquet, Dean; Louttit, Meghan; Corbett, Philip; Chang, Lian; Drake, Monica; Kahn, Joseph; Kingsbury, Kathleen; Sulzberger, A.G.; Levien, Meredith Kopit; Caputo, Roland A.; Bardeen, William; Dunbar-Johnson, Stephen; Brayton, Diane (eds.). "Zhang Xueliang, 100, Dies; Warlord and Hero of China". National news. The New York Times. Vol. CL, no. 210. p. C13. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
2. "Tribute for Chinese hero". BBC News. October 16, 2001. Retrieved July 21, 2002.
3. . neu.edu.cn. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
4. 张学良先生今逝世 江泽民向其亲属发去唁电. chinanews.com. October 15, 2001. Retrieved October 16, 2001.
5. . people.com.cn. October 16, 2001. Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2001.
6. "张学良小传". www.cctv.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
7. Matthews, Herbert L. (December 29, 1929). "Young Chang an Uneasy War Lord of Manchuria; Chang Hsueh-Liang". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
8. Li, Xiaobing, ed. (2012). "Zhang Xueliang (Chang Hsueh-liang) (1901-2001)". China at War: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 531.
9. "Chiang Kai-shek | Biography & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
10. Taylor, Jay (2009). The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China (illustrated ed.). Harvard University Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0674033382. Retrieved April 24, 2014. ma fuxiang.
11. Coble, Parks M. (2023). The Collapse of Nationalist China: How Chiang Kai-shek Lost China's Civil War. Cambridge New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-009-29761-5.
12. "Chang Hsueh-liang". Who's Who in China, 3rd edition. The China Weekly Review. 1925.
13. Limited, Alamy. "General Chang Hsueh Liang , son of Chang Tso Lin . 1927 Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
14. Limited, Alamy. "Opposing the Japanese in Manchuria . General Chang Hsueh Liang . He is Chinese Military Governor and is popularly known as Young Chang . 3 February 1932 Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
15. Chao, Edith (June 25, 2000). Rong-San, Lin (ed.). . Local edition. Taipei Times. Vol. II, no. 270. Taipei, Taiwan: The Liberty Times Group. p. 2. ISSN 1563-9525. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
16. "西安事变 - 搜狗百科". Sogou. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
17. McDonnell, Justin (July 23, 2013). "Interview: Great Leap Brewery Founder Taps into China's Thirst for a Good Microbrew". Asia Society. Retrieved May 13, 2015.

Further reading

• Rainer Kloubert, Warlords. Ein Bilderbogen aus dem chinesischen Bürgerkrieg, Elfenbeinverlag, Berlin 2023,ISBN 978-3-96-160-077-9.

Matray, James I., ed. East Asia and the United States: an encyclopedia of relations since 1784. (2 vol, Greenwood, 2002) 2:700.

• Mitter, Rana. "The Last Warlord" History Today (Feb 2004), Vol. 54 Issue 2, p28-33 online
• Itoh, Mayumi. The Making of China’s War with Japan: Zhou Enlai and Zhang Xueliang (Springer, 2016).
• Shai, Aron. Zhang Xueliang: The General Who Never Fought (Springer, 2012)
• Yilin, Jin. "Yan Xishan’s Activities Opposing Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Xueliang before and after the Nanjing-Guangdong Conflict." Modern Chinese History Studies 5 (2005): 2.
• at the Wayback Machine (archived 2002-10-27)
• Iriye, Akira (November 1960). "Chang Hsueh-Liang and the Japanese". The Journal of Asian Studies. Association for Asian Studies. 20 (1): 33–43. doi:10.2307/2050070. JSTOR 2050070. S2CID 155052191.
• Liu, Bernard. The House Arrest of Zhang Xueliang: A Memoir of Growing Up with China's Most Famous Political Prisoner (Caruachi Press LLC 2022).

Obituaries

• Heller, Richard (December 18, 2001). "Chang Hsueh-liang". The Guardian.
• "Chang Hsueh-liang". The Daily Telegraph. October 16, 2001.
• "Chang Hsueh-liang". The Economist. October 25, 2001.
• "Chang Hsueh-liang, 101; General Abducted Chiang Kai-shek in 1936". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 16, 2001.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chang Hsueh-liang.

• Newspaper clippings about Chang Hsueh-liang in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW