Zhang Xue-liang

Zhang Xue-liang (or Chang Hsueh-liang in Wade-Giles) was a controversal figure in modern Chinese history. He died of pnuemonia in Hawaii on Oct 15, 2001 at the age of 101.

On April 6, 1936, General Zhang met with [Zhou En-lai]? (the enemy then) to plan the end of the [Chinese Civil War]?. In the [Xian incident]? (Dec 12, 1936), Zhang and another general Yang Hu-cheng kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek and imprisoned the head of the Nationalist government until he agreed to form a united front with the communists against the Japanese invasion. Chiang at the time took a non-resistent position against the Japanese invasion, he rather put his efforts in fighting his own countrymen than the foreign invaders.

Zhang was considered a patriotic hero by some because he forced his own government to fight against the invaders, even though his effort might not have made a difference after the Nationalist government later broke the truce with the communists. He was also considered a traitor by some because he worked with the enemy to plot against the political leader of his own party. He spent half a century in house arrest for his role in the Xian incident.

He later emmigrated to Hawaii and spent the rest of his life there.