Chang Hsueh-liang

Chang Hsüeh-liang or Zhang Xueliang , 1898-2001, Chinese warlord , son of Chang Tso-lin . On the death (1928) of his father, he succeeded as military governor of Manchuria. He was then known as Chang Hsiao-liang but later changed his name. Chang supported Chiang Kai-shek against a rebellious northern army in 1929-30 and was made vice commander in chief of all Chinese forces and a member of the central political council. Ousted (1931) by the Japanese from Manchuria, he suffered a loss of prestige. In 1936, with the help of Chinese Communists, he had Chiang kidnapped at Xi'an, to compel cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists and to force a declaration of war against Japan. Chiang Kai-shek was released unconditionally a few weeks later. Chang, who then surrendered to Chiang, was tried and sentenced for his part in the affair; he was pardoned but kept in custody until 1962. He was taken to Taiwan when the Nationalist regime fled there in 1949.

Chang Hsüeh-liang (b. 4 July 1901, d. 14 Oct 2001). Chinese warlord Born in Taishan County (Liaoning), son of the warlord Chang Tso-lin, he graduated from the Military Institute and soon distinguished himself in his father's army. In 1926, he reluctantly fought Chiang Kai-shek's National Revolutionary Army during its Northern Expedition. Known as the ‘Young Marshal’, he inherited control of Manchuria in 1928 when his father was murdered by officers of the Japanese Guandong Army. Fully appreciating the danger from Japan's expansionism in the area, he sought to develop his territory economically (e.g. through the building of railways), educationally (through the foundation of the Northeastern University), and through a military build-up. At the same time, he accepted the authority of the Guomindang government in Nanjing (Nanking). With many of his troops dispatched at Chiang Kai-shek's demand, he was powerless to prevent the Japanese invasion into Manchuria in 1931 (Manchukuo). He remained an important ally to Chiang, and successfully urged him to form an anti-Japanese alliance with the Communists, mainly by placing him under house arrest until he agreed. Chang never forgave him for this, and had him arrested soon afterwards. He was taken to Taiwan in 1949, and lived under house arrest until Chiang's death. Released in 1990, he moved to Hawaii in 1995, where he died.