Zhang Xueliang's estate was donated to Columbiayears of death.
Zhang Xueliang was imprisoned for 54 years before regaining his freedom and has lived in the United States ever since. Curiously, however, despite his lack of earning power in his later years, he was able to enjoy the daily airlift of fruit from all over the world and smoke imported cigars worth the equivalent of a year's expenses of other people's families.
Zhang Xueliang died on October 14, 2001, at the age of 101, in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, when his total estate was as high as 600 million US dollars.
But what is even more amazing is that he donated his entire estate to Columbia University in the United States, a move that caused a global uproar. Why didn't Zhang Xueliang leave his inheritance to his children?
Why did he choose to donate to the United States? The reasons behind this are thought-provoking.
Zhang Zuolin compensated for his son's company with money, and little Zhang Xueliang spent his childhood carefree, but he did not have political ambitions because of this.
Zhang Xueliang was a reckless teenager from an early age, not good at planning, and his father Zhang Zuolin knew this, so he brought him into the military when he was sixteen years old, and arranged a number of adjutants around him to ensure his safety in the army.
Zhang Zuolin also paved the way for Zhang Xueliang, not only introduced him into the military circles, but also invested 60,000 taels in Zhongxing Company, became a major shareholder, and attached the company to Zhang Xueliang's name, hoping that he could make a difference in the business field in addition to studying.
Therefore, Zhang Xueliang started his business career while joining the army.
Zhang Xueliang graduated from the Artillery Department in 1920 with excellent grades. Under the arrangement of his father Zhang Zuolin, he served as the commander of the Second Regiment of the Third Mixed Brigade of the Northeast Army, and met many "upper-class people" during this period.
Under the influence of these people, Zhang Xueliang began to enjoy the party, driving supercars, taking airplanes, and even developed a strong interest in the development of China's first automobile.
Although he received his father's pocket money every month, he always spent more than he budgeted, and even ZTE's quarterly dividends were all used up. In short, as long as it is something that costs money, he will not miss it.
Zhang Zuolin may have a premonition that he has become a thorn in the side of others, so he decided to send Zhang Xueliang to the army to undergo the tempering of war. However, tragedy struck on Zhang Xueliang's birthday.
Zhang Zuolin's train encountered the Japanese army's conspiracy in Huanggutun, and he was killed in **. Since then, Zhang Xueliang has never had a birthday.
Zhang Zuolin, the king of the Northeast who controls the entire Northeast region, is Zheng Xueliang's money bag**, especially after he sits on the throne of the Fengtian Overseer. In 1926, a civil ** in Chengdu publicly released a warlord property statistics table showing that Zhang Zuolin ranked first in the country with 50 million bank deposits.
50 million silver dollars was an astonishing fortune at that time, enough to feed a large family, and even buy a 500-square-meter courtyard house in Beiping. But Zhang Zuolin is not limited to this, he also purchased many family properties, collections, industries, etc.
More importantly, he arranged for Zhang Xueliang a person who changed his fate.
Zhang Xueliang recalled that in addition to cash, the most precious thing in his father's family was various collections. These collections span dynasties and dynasties, including Wang Xianzhi's Twenty-Nine Day Post, Dong Yuan's Shanshui Scroll, and Song Huizong's Edict.
These collections undoubtedly had a profound impact on Zhang Zuoliang's production.
Precious cultural relics that originally belonged to China were looted during the Japanese invasion of Tohoku, and can now only be viewed in Japanese museums. Although Zhang Xueliang's father left him a large fortune, Zhang Xueliang spent most of the money on helping those who were in trouble in the Chinese nation.
He often provided assistance to the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. For example, in 1936, he learned that northern Shaanxi was in financial difficulties, and immediately donated 50,000 silver dollars; Before the Xi'an Incident, he donated 200,000 francs and 40,000 silver dollars to the Red Army to fight against the Japanese.
In addition, he often donated military supplies to the Red Army.
After the Xi'an Incident, Zhang Xueliang was imprisoned for 54 years, and in his later years, he often recalled those years and sighed with emotion: "At that time, I was so poor that I didn't even have the money to buy a toothpaste!" ”
It was in such a situation that his first wife gave him great help. In fact, as early as when Zhang Zuolin handed over the ZTE Group to Zhang Xueliang, he expressed concern about Zhang Xueliang's business ability, so he deliberately married the wealthy businessman Yu Wendou and paved a business path for him.
Yu Wendou, the president of the two major chambers of commerce in Northeast China, is also a well-known wealthy businessman in the local area. His eldest daughter, Yu Fengzhi, is not only sweet in appearance, but also shrewd**. After marrying Zhang Xueliang, she not only successfully managed the finances of the Shuaifu, but also handled the banking business in Fengtian City with ease.
Without Yu Fengzhi, Zhang Xueliang would not be able to live so comfortably whether he is in prison or wandering in the United States. Although it was an arranged marriage, Yu Fengzhi's deep love for Zhang Xueliang made her willing to give everything for him, even her life.
After Zhang Xueliang was imprisoned, Yu Fengzhi fled to the United States with his children to seek asylum, and has been trying to rescue Zhang Xueliang. In 1940, she was diagnosed with breast cancer after a long period of stress.
Although she was distressed when she first learned of her condition, she did not despair. After receiving a comprehensive ** in the United States, she finally regained her health, but the family's savings were running low, and if she continued like this, her children and Zhang Xueliang would be in danger.
Therefore, Yu Fengzhi began to look for business opportunities, and she set her sights on Wall Street.
In this magical place, some people get rich overnight, and some people go bankrupt. However, Yu Fengzhi is extraordinary, with her natural investment acumen, she has made a lot of money in the United States in just one year, and has become the most dazzling rich woman on this street.
However, although she missed Zhang Xueliang on the other side of the ocean, she received his letter of resignation. In 1964, the marriage between the two was dissolved, and Zhang Xueliang then married Miss Zhao Si.
However, Yu Fengzhi still loves him deeply, and even regularly sends money to Zhang Xueliang after the divorce, and also buys two villas in Hollywood, USA, one for himself and the other for Zhang Xueliang and Miss Zhao Si to live in.
Even after her death, she left all the money she earned in the United States to Zhang Xueliang. In 1990, Yu Fengzhi died of illness, and she bought two cemeteries in Los Angeles, hoping to be buried with Zhang Xueliang, but in the end Zhang Xueliang hid with Miss Zhao Si.
Although Zhang Xueliang hoped to return to the mainland in his later years, his life was always under the close surveillance of Chiang Kai-shek during his years in captivity. When he was initially detained, his range of motion was only 500 meters, and he was later taken to a Chinese travel service in Xuedou Mountain, Shanghai.
It was not until Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 1990 that Zhang Xueliang truly regained his freedom.
Although Zhang Xueliang once held a high military rank, the Taiwanese authorities withheld a huge pension from him when he retired from the army. As a result, after leaving China, he could only rely on the funds left by his ex-wife to spend the rest of his life in Hawaii.
Some people may wonder why Zhang Xueliang has not been able to return to his homeland in Northeast China after ten years from his freedom to his death? In fact, Chinese mainland leaders have been eagerly looking forward to the return of this former KMT general who was reunified with the KMT and the Communist Party, and has taken action to this end.
The top leader of the Communist Party of China personally presided over the meeting, arranged the matters of welcoming him back to China, and sent his former subordinate General Lu Zhengcao to San Francisco to convey the Chinese Communist Party's welcome to him.
Despite the sincere invitations issued by the Chinese Communist Party on many occasions, Zhang Xueliang was unable to fulfill his wish to return to his homeland.
Some people say that it is because Zhang Xueliang is not in good health and is not suitable for long-distance flights. Indeed, as people get older, people's health declines, especially people like Zhang Xueliang who have bone spurs in their feet, and it will be difficult to go up and down stairs, let alone the torment of long-distance flights.
In addition, his wife also suffered from senile calcium deficiency, osteoporosis, and immobility. It was also revealed that Zhang Xueliang had made it clear that he could not return to the Northeast.
He once said: "I am very eager to return to my hometown, but the time is not yet ripe, and any action I take could cause complex political issues between the mainland and Taiwan."
I don't want to complicate politics because of my personal affairs. At that time, because of the relationship between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, Zhang Xueliang felt that he was getting older and did not want to get involved in complicated political relations anymore.
If the weather is fine one day, he will go back to his hometown in the northeast. However, in 2001, Zhang Xueliang died in Xiangtan Mountain, USA, at the age of 101. His death was shocking, and all of his $600 million legacy was donated to the United States.
Zhang Xueliang's legacy of $600 million to the United States includes many rare treasures, in addition to a large number of precious calligraphy, paintings, and collections. These include the original handscrolls on silk by Xu Wei, Zheng Banqiao, and Wu Daozi, as well as the unique books of Ming history and the works of celebrities.
These celebrity calligraphy and paintings carry the profound culture of the Chinese nation and cannot be measured by money. Every Chinese firmly believes that Zhang Xueliang, as a Chinese, will bring the precious cultural relics in his hands back to the motherland.
However, the will clearly stated that all of these were donated to Columbia University in the United States free of charge. Although this result is disappointing, it is really the best choice for no choice.
Zhang Xueliang was born in a warlord family, although he has always been loyal to **, but in the 918 Incident, his policy of non-resistance led to the fall of Northeast China, exposing 3 million compatriots to the iron cavalry of the Japanese warlords, which made him feel deeply guilty.
Do you remember Qian Xuesen's experience in the United States? It was in order to protect these precious cultural relics that Zhang Xueliang made this difficult decision. In addition, before moving to the United States, Zhang Xueliang also took with him important confidential documents of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, which, if discovered, could adversely affect the current peace situation, so the United States must take measures to prevent them.
After more than 50 years of captivity, Zhang Xueliang is well aware of his suffering, and he does not want his children to find themselves in this predicament again.
Donating to Columbia University was the ideal solution, because Columbia University was not only one of the few China-friendly universities at the time, but also the first university in the United States to establish a major in Sinology.
This avoids future disputes and allows for maximum preservation of all artifacts.
ConclusionRegarding Zhang Xueliang, people's evaluations have always been divided. Some people say that he has no backbone, because in the face of the invasion of the Japanese Kwantung Army, he had 400,000 troops, but he chose not to resist, which intensified the arrogance of the Japanese army and accelerated the process of all-out invasion of China.
Some people also say that he was loyal and patriotic, because he united with Yang Hucheng to launch the Xi'an Incident and established the anti-Japanese national united front, which became the key to changing China's destiny. Personally, I think we should look at Zhang Xueliang with a tolerant attitude.
Although he adopted a policy of non-resistance in the three northeastern provinces, his attitude during the Xi'an Incident showed his resistance to foreign invaders, which had an important impact on the fate of the entire country.
In the eyes of important national leaders, he is a national hero, and in the eyes of ***, he is a national hero. Although the reasons for his policy of non-resistance may be subject to speculation, we cannot deny that he was a man of deep love for his homeland.
He had great prestige and influence in the Northeast, but he never chose to be independent.
As he once said: "If our Zhang family father and son don't love the motherland, how can we encounter such a fate." "Perhaps Zhang Xueliang's heroic performance was not reflected on the battlefield, but his dedication and dedication cannot be ignored, and his sacrifice to the nation cannot be forgotten.
For such a hero who deeply loves the motherland, we should have the highest respect and always remember it in our hearts.