Zhang Jingyao
Encyclopedia
Zhang Jingyao, Chang Ching-yao, 張敬堯, (1881–1933), was a Chinese General, the military governor of Chahar
and later Hunan
Province. He was known as one of the most notorious of China's war-lords, known for his troops' atrocities and the looting of Hunan of its wealth during his administration. He was removed from office for his abuses and eventually assassinated in 1933 for aiding the Empire of Japan
by attempting to set up the monarchy of Puyi
in northern China with Japanese money.
Zhang Jingyao was born in 1881 and became a General in the Beiyang Army and then was part of the Anhui clique
. He was Military Governor of Chahar Province from October 18, 1917 to March 29, 1918. He was then given the post of Military Governor of Hunan province from March 1918. While he was governor his troops committed many atrocities, killing civilians, robbing the wealthy, and raping women throughout the time they garrisoned the province. He is also said to have reduced the province to a state of beggary.
In August 1919, Zhang Jingyao censored Mao Zedong
's "Xiang-jiang River Commentary" magazine because of Mao's efforts to organize the movement for expelling him from the governorship. Mao led a Hunan students' delegation to Peking where he appealed nationwide for support and revealed Zhang Jingyao's atrocities in Hunan Province.
At Yochow on June 16, 1920, Zhang's troops murdered an American missionary, William A. Reimert. This provoked the intervention of an American gunboat Upshur
, which sent ashore a landing party of one officer and 40 men on 25 June to protect the American mission. Two days later—when local tensions had eased—they were reembarked. On the 29th, Zhang Jingyao, was removed from office, and the Chinese foreign office investigated the incident and expressed its profound regrets to the Americans. Zhang was later pardoned, in obscure circumstances.
In 1933, Zhang became involved in the scheme of the Empire of Japan
to set up the monarchy of Puyi
in northern China
with Japanese money. An assassin shot and fatally wounded him in Peiping's Grand Hotel.
See also
Chahar (province)
Chahar , also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar, or Qahar, was a province of China in existence from 1912 to 1936, mostly covering territory in what is part of eastern Inner Mongolia. It was named after the Chahar Mongolians....
and later Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
Province. He was known as one of the most notorious of China's war-lords, known for his troops' atrocities and the looting of Hunan of its wealth during his administration. He was removed from office for his abuses and eventually assassinated in 1933 for aiding the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
by attempting to set up the monarchy of Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
in northern China with Japanese money.
Zhang Jingyao was born in 1881 and became a General in the Beiyang Army and then was part of the Anhui clique
Anhui clique
The Anhui clique was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of China's Warlord era. It was named after Anhui province because several of its generals including its founder, Duan Qirui, was born in Anhui...
. He was Military Governor of Chahar Province from October 18, 1917 to March 29, 1918. He was then given the post of Military Governor of Hunan province from March 1918. While he was governor his troops committed many atrocities, killing civilians, robbing the wealthy, and raping women throughout the time they garrisoned the province. He is also said to have reduced the province to a state of beggary.
In August 1919, Zhang Jingyao censored Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's "Xiang-jiang River Commentary" magazine because of Mao's efforts to organize the movement for expelling him from the governorship. Mao led a Hunan students' delegation to Peking where he appealed nationwide for support and revealed Zhang Jingyao's atrocities in Hunan Province.
At Yochow on June 16, 1920, Zhang's troops murdered an American missionary, William A. Reimert. This provoked the intervention of an American gunboat Upshur
USS Upshur (DD-144)
USS Upshur was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy before and during the World War II. She was the first ship named for Rear Admiral John Henry Upshur....
, which sent ashore a landing party of one officer and 40 men on 25 June to protect the American mission. Two days later—when local tensions had eased—they were reembarked. On the 29th, Zhang Jingyao, was removed from office, and the Chinese foreign office investigated the incident and expressed its profound regrets to the Americans. Zhang was later pardoned, in obscure circumstances.
In 1933, Zhang became involved in the scheme of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
to set up the monarchy of Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
in northern China
Northern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
with Japanese money. An assassin shot and fatally wounded him in Peiping's Grand Hotel.
See also
- Warlord EraWarlord eraThe Chinese Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China, from 1916 to 1928, when the country was divided among military cliques, a division that continued until the fall of the Nationalist government in the mainland China regions of Sichuan, Shanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia,...
Sources
External links
- 百年中国汉奸榜: 张敬尧 in Chinese with photo (see #19)