Zhang Zuoxiang
Encyclopedia
Zhang Zuoxiang, (1881~1949) was an important member of the Fengtien warlord clique
.
Zhang Zuoxiang was born in 1881, in Jinzhou
, western Fengtian (now Liaoning
), China. A loyal follower of Zhang Zuolin
he was the commander of the 27th Regiment, 27th Division, of the Fengtian Defence Force from 1911 to 1916 as Zhang Zuolin took control of Fengtian
. He rose up through the ranks of the new Fengtian Army as commander of a brigades (1916-1919), acting command of 27th Division (1919,1920), Fengtian garrison commander (1919). From 1920 to 1922 he was staff officer Military Governor of Fengtian, Zhang Zuolin himself.
He soon was given significant commands of the Eastern Route Army in 1922 and the 3rd Detachment, Zhenwei Army from 1922 to 1924.
In April 1924 he was rewarded with the military governorship of Jilin
province which he retained until December 1928. He also held the civil governorship of the province in the same time, except for the time between December 1924 and June 1927.
Zhang rose higher in command as General of the 4th Army, Zhenwei Army from 1924 to 1925 and of the North-eastern Provinces Railway Route Army from 1925 to 1926. By 1928 he became Deputy General Commander of the North-eastern Border Defence Command and became the Chairman of the Jilin Provincial Government and oversaw the reorganization of the Jilin provincial Army.
In 1931, following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria he was forced to retreat to Jinzhou
, where he became General Commanding the remnant Fengtian forces of the North-eastern Border Defence Command. After their defeat he became a Member of the Peking Branch, National Military Council in 1933. He was commander of the Chinese 6th Army Group (2nd Northern China Army Group) during the Battle of Rehe
. Following that defeat he resigned. In 1936 he was again appointed a Member of the National Military Council and Member of the Political Board, North-eastern Field Headquarters but was soon removed due to his links to Zhang Xueliang
following the Xi'an Incident
.
During the Chinese Civil War
in 1947 Zhang Zuoxiang was recalled and made a member of the Government Affairs Board, North-eastern Field Headquarters, later becoming its Deputy Head in 1948. That same year he became Deputy Comamnder in Chief of the North-eastern Bandit Suppression Headquarters and was then captured by the People's Liberation Army
. He died the next year on May 7, 1949, in Tianjin
.
Fengtian clique
The Fengtian 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 for Fengtian Province and led by Zhang Zuolin...
.
Zhang Zuoxiang was born in 1881, in Jinzhou
Jinzhou
Jinzhou , is a prefecture-level city of Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city located in the "Liaoxi Corridor" , which connects land transportation between North China and Northeast China. Jinzhou is China's northernmost seaport and the coastal economic center of West...
, western Fengtian (now Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
), China. A loyal follower of Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin was the warlord of Manchuria from 1916 to 1928 . He successfully invaded China proper in October 1924 in the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. He gained control of Peking, including China's internationally recognized government, in April 1926...
he was the commander of the 27th Regiment, 27th Division, of the Fengtian Defence Force from 1911 to 1916 as Zhang Zuolin took control of Fengtian
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
. He rose up through the ranks of the new Fengtian Army as commander of a brigades (1916-1919), acting command of 27th Division (1919,1920), Fengtian garrison commander (1919). From 1920 to 1922 he was staff officer Military Governor of Fengtian, Zhang Zuolin himself.
He soon was given significant commands of the Eastern Route Army in 1922 and the 3rd Detachment, Zhenwei Army from 1922 to 1924.
In April 1924 he was rewarded with the military governorship of Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
province which he retained until December 1928. He also held the civil governorship of the province in the same time, except for the time between December 1924 and June 1927.
Zhang rose higher in command as General of the 4th Army, Zhenwei Army from 1924 to 1925 and of the North-eastern Provinces Railway Route Army from 1925 to 1926. By 1928 he became Deputy General Commander of the North-eastern Border Defence Command and became the Chairman of the Jilin Provincial Government and oversaw the reorganization of the Jilin provincial Army.
In 1931, following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria he was forced to retreat to Jinzhou
Jinzhou
Jinzhou , is a prefecture-level city of Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city located in the "Liaoxi Corridor" , which connects land transportation between North China and Northeast China. Jinzhou is China's northernmost seaport and the coastal economic center of West...
, where he became General Commanding the remnant Fengtian forces of the North-eastern Border Defence Command. After their defeat he became a Member of the Peking Branch, National Military Council in 1933. He was commander of the Chinese 6th Army Group (2nd Northern China Army Group) during the Battle of Rehe
Battle of Rehe
The Battle of Rehe was the second part of Operation Nekka, a campaign by which the Empire of Japan successfully captured the Inner Mongolian province of Rehe from the Chinese warlord Zhang Xueliang and annexed it to the new state of Manchukuo...
. Following that defeat he resigned. In 1936 he was again appointed a Member of the National Military Council and Member of the Political Board, North-eastern Field Headquarters but was soon removed due to his links to Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang , occasionally called Peter Hsueh Liang Chang in English, nicknamed the Young Marshal , was the effective ruler of Manchuria and much of North China after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese on 4 June 1928...
following the Xi'an Incident
Xi'an Incident
The Xi'an Incident of December 1936 is an important episode of Chinese modern history, taking place in the city of Xi'an during the Chinese Civil War between the ruling Kuomintang and the rebel Chinese Communist Party and just before the Second Sino-Japanese War...
.
During the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
in 1947 Zhang Zuoxiang was recalled and made a member of the Government Affairs Board, North-eastern Field Headquarters, later becoming its Deputy Head in 1948. That same year he became Deputy Comamnder in Chief of the North-eastern Bandit Suppression Headquarters and was then captured by the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
. He died the next year on May 7, 1949, in Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
.
Sources
- Rulers: Chinese Administrative divisions, Jilin
- The Generals of WWII; Generals from China; Zhang Zuoxiang
- Arthur Waldron, From War to Nationalism, Cambridge University Press, 1995.
- Rana Mitter, THE MANCHURIAN MYTH: NATIONALISM, RESISTANCE, AND COLLABORATION IN MODERN CHINA, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2000