| Zhànpíng | |
|---|---|
| King of the Northerm Realm Prince of Manchuria | |
 | |
| Full name | Zhang Xueliang |
| Born | June 3, 1901 |
| Died | October 15, 2001 |
| Royal House | Jiānhú |
| Religious beliefs | Buddhism (until 1964) Taoism (1975-2001) |
| Zhànpíng | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 戰平 | ||
| |||
Chang Hsueh-liang (Chinese: 張學良; June 3, 1901 – October 15, 2001), also romanized as Zhang Xueliang and known later in life as Prince Zhànpíng (Chinese: 戰平), was the King of the Northern Realm from 1955 to 2001. He was also the Generalissimo of the Empire of China from 1953 to 1965. Prior, he was a prince and warlord of Manchuria and commander-in-chief of the Northeastern Army after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin. He is the third of the "Three Zhangs", who became Generalissimo of the Chinese Empire, with the first having been his father Zhang Zuolin, followed by Zhang Zhongchang, and then himself. He is considered of the three, to be the "Greatest Zhang", or "Wei Zhang". A reformer who was sympathetic to nationalist ideas, he supported reconciliation with Chiang Kai-Shek, opposed the State of Manchukuo and joined the war of resistance against the Empire of Japan.
He nonetheless retained Manchuria's de facto autonomy until the Empire of Japan invaded and occupied the region in 1931. He remained a political opponent of the nominally Western-backed Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-Shek whom the Western powers regarded as their favorite, culminating in the Second Chinese Civil that lasted until 1949, when the United States withdrew their support for Chiang Kai-Shek, believing him to be too dictatorial in his power. However, in the ensuing Sino-Russian and Sino-American split, he was a major participant in the Beifang-Kuomintang Meetings, as both parties now found out they were played. The Prince then made a controversial decision to release Imperial Japanese POWs and use them against Russian forces in a war if they didn't withdraw from Dalien and Harbin. He also allowed the royal family of Puyi to reign as the Kings of Manchuria, simply to piss off the Western allies, and allowed a variant of the Manchukuo flag to be the Kingdom of Manchuria's official flag. Although the Russians were more understanding, but the western Allies soon treated the Manchurian prince as a threat and enemy.
He succeeded Zhang Zonchang in 1953 when Zongchang passed away. He was opposed to the brutal policies of Zhang Zhongchang and undid many of his policies, this included the ending of persecutions of suspected KMT members, as Xueliang supported rather appeasing and making mends with the people of southern China in order to gain their support into joining the Empire. Xueliang also successfully used the widespread poverty in the Republic of China's territories, and the wealth enjoyed by the modernized and industrialized northern Chinese Empire as a ammunition to gain many former KMT members, leading to the formation of the "New KMT". This is a move that successfully turned the majority of Chinese citizens, and former KMT members, against the Republic of China.
The Great Beiyang Accord formed the seeds for the expulsion of the Republic of China into Taiwan, and uniting its former territories in the mainland under the Empire of China. Chiang Kai-Shek recognized the Hongxian Emperor as the forefather of Modern China and swore his loyalty to the Chaoxiang Emperor. For this, both he and Chiang Kai Shek were granted the titles of King, as the Chaoxiang Emperor decided to model the Empire of China's territorial divisions with that of the old German Empire. Thus, he was titled the King of the Northern Realm, whereas Chiang Kai Shek was the King of the Southern Realm.
After the Sino-Russian conflict, he stepped down as the Generalissimo, and was succeeded by King Sūzhōng. He was a Buddhist, however in 1975, he became a Taoist and his descendants however, are all Taoists and the House of Jiānhú is a Taoist dynasty. Him becoming a Taoist influenced many of King Sūzhōng's descendants to leave Christianity to become Taoists or Chinese Folk Religion practitioners.