Zhang Xueliang’s later years: Living a simple and warm life in the United States, taking photos when he was 100 years old

Zhang Ailing once wrote a novel called "The Young Marshal", which tells the story of the seemingly real and illusory, hopeless and everlasting love between the Young Marshal and the fourth lady in the era of warlords. Although the article does not mention the name of the protagonist, anyone with a discerning eye can see that this young marshal is Zhang Xueliang.

Zhang Xueliang had a legendary life, from taking the power of the Fengcian warlord to being imprisoned, and finally ending up in the United States in his later years. Later generations have much praise and criticism for his experience, but he lived a simple and warm life in the United States in his later years. , and also left photos of him when he was one hundred years old.

Since the outbreak of the "September 18th Incident", the conflict between China and Japan has reached an incompatible situation. However, in the 1930s when the Japanese army was raging, Zhang Xueliang was appointed by Chiang Kai-shek as the commander-in-chief of "Suppression of Bandits". However, Zhang Xueliang discovered during the "anti-Japanese suppression" operations that Chiang Kai-shek simply wanted to use the Red Army to eradicate the Northeast Army.

In his contacts with the leaders of the Communist Party of China, Zhang Xueliang deepened his understanding of "resisting foreign aggression and avenging his father". However, after repeatedly persuading Chiang Kai-shek to fight against Japan with the Communist Party, he failed. , on December 12, 1936, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched the famous "Xi'an Incident", forcing Chiang Kai-shek to join forces with the Japanese to resist Japan by means of military remonstrance.

This action, which greatly benefited China's war of resistance, also became a turning point in Zhang Xueliang's life.

After the Xi'an Incident, Zhang Xueliang was "controlled" in Xikou, Fenghua, Chiang Kai-shek's hometown, for more than ten years. Although he moved to many places for some reason, Zhang Xueliang never gained freedom. During the period of house arrest, , Zhang Xueliang’s confidante Miss Zhao Si is always by his side, taking care of his food and daily life.

In 1946, Zhang Xueliang was brought to Taiwan. He did not expect that after leaving, he would never have the opportunity to set foot on the mainland again until his death. Zhang Xueliang also wanted to return to the mainland. The reason why he was never able to do so was because there were always people who blocked him. As a result, there was no place for him in Taiwan or the mainland, so he had to go to the United States to live with his wife.

After arriving in Taiwan, Zhang Xueliang was still under house arrest. After the death of Chiang Ching-kuo in 1988, this life of stagnant water finally ushered in a turning point. Zhang Xueliang regained his personal freedom and began to plan a return trip to the mainland. .

Before the Spring Festival in 1991, Zhang Xueliang called his old friend Wang Ji and told him that he wanted to return to the mainland in his lifetime. He wondered whether the Chinese leaders would welcome him. Wang Ji advised him to relax. In 1956, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was held in Xi'an. On the 20th anniversary of the incident, Premier Zhou also called Zhang Xueliang an "eternal hero" of the Chinese nation.

Under the comfort of his old friends, Zhang Xueliang decided to relax and concentrate on preparations for returning to the mainland. Zhang Xueliang was able to regain his freedom thanks to Lee Teng-hui coming to power, so he was always very grateful to Lee Teng-hui in his heart. However, what Zhang Xueliang did not expect was that the benefactor who restored his freedom would block his trip to the mainland that he thought about day and night.

After Wang Ji received Zhang Xueliang's trust, he quickly made contact with the mainland units in charge of Taiwan affairs by virtue of his connections. The mainland welcomed Zhang Xueliang very much.

Just when Zhang Xueliang was filled with joy and thought that he had finally cleared the obstacles, Lee Teng-hui called him to the "Presidential Palace" with a phone call. Lee Teng-hui took the invitation letter sent from the mainland and asked Zhang Xueliang: "I trust you so much, how can you do this behind the scenes? Are you going to cause a Xi'an Incident or a Taipei Incident?"

Li Tenghui was very opposed to Zhang Xueliang's return to the mainland. Perhaps it was because the Xi'an Incident was too powerful, or maybe he did not want Zhang Xueliang to have any contact with the Chinese Communist Party. In short, under his obstruction, Zhang Xueliang was the only time that he came closest to returning. The opportunity to go to the mainland disappeared like this.

However, because of this incident, the Taiwan authorities' attitude towards Zhang Xueliang gradually became subtle. Zhang Xueliang could no longer gain a foothold in Taiwan, so he had to go to the United States with Miss Zhao Si to spend the rest of his life.

Why Zhang Xueliang never returned to the mainland from the United States? Many people speculated that it was because he was old and his body could not withstand long-term turbulence. Some people said it was because his wife Zhao Yidi was ill and unable to survive. Go together. But accompanied by Miss Zhao Si, Zhang Xueliang still spent a very warm final life in the United States.

In 1964, Zhang Xueliang divorced his first wife, Yu Fengzhi, and entered into marriage with Miss Zhao Si, Zhao Yidi.

In 1940, in order to treat breast cancer, Yu Fengzhi took his children to the United States for treatment. After recovering from the disease, he worked hard in the Wall Street stock market and accumulated a lot of wealth. However, after Zhang Xueliang went to the United States, he did not have any relationship with him. Yu Fengzhi lived with her children, but settled in Hawaii with Zhao Yidi.

Zhang Xueliang and Zhao Yidi live in a quiet place on Oahu Island in Hawaii. Neighbors and management staff all call him "Mr. Zhang." The management staff said that someone came to explain to Mr. Zhang before he came that he is a special person and cannot talk about his situation to others casually.

Zhang Xueliang’s life in Hawaii is very simple. No one there knows who he is, and there are not so many shackles on him. He often goes to the beach in a wheelchair to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. He also plays cards. Since he is a Christian, he also goes to church to worship.

But even in the United States, Zhang Xueliang still has not let go of his beloved Peking Opera. On Zhang Xueliang's 95th birthday, with the assistance of Yan Mingguang, the daughter of Yan Baohang, Zhang Xuesen's eldest daughter, and relevant departments, Zhang Xueliang invited Yu Kuizhi, a famous Peking opera actor from the Beijing Peking Opera Company, and his wife to Hawaii to celebrate Zhang Xueliang's birthday.

At the birthday banquet, Yu Kuizhi sang the traditional Peking Opera "Up to the Rooftop" a cappella, which elicited bursts of cheers and cheers from the audience. With the sound of Xipi Sanban playing, Zhang Xueliang gradually regained the high-spirited feeling he had when he listened to operas in Northeast China.

Sitting in the audience, he couldn’t help but beat the music. When he was so excited, he stood up and sang "Lost Street Pavilion" and "Zhan Zhan" with full Beijing charm without using a microphone. Excerpts from "Ma Su" and "Zhulian Village".

Zhang Xueliang fell in love with Peking Opera when he was young, but Peking Opera had a more special meaning to him. During his long fifty-four years of imprisonment after the Xi'an Incident, Peking Opera brought a lot of comfort to Zhang Xueliang .

People always cherish things that are lost and found more. After more than half a century of isolation from the world, Zhang Xueliang loves life even more, and he lives every day in full spirit.

When in Hawaii, famous local fans Tong Yujie and Wang Wenjuan invited Zhang Xueliang to dinner. That fan party also invited several actors from Nanjing and Beijing and many local Peking Opera lovers in Hawaii. get together.

At first, Zhang Xueliang was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea quietly and listening to everyone singing opera. After a while, he suddenly stood up. Everyone thought that Zhang Xueliang was going for convenience, and the people around him came over to help him, but unexpectedly he stood up. He waved his hand, walked straight to the piano player Shen Fuqing, and told him that he also wanted to sing two verses.

Who knew that he would not be able to stop this scene? He sang several verses of "Empty City Strategy" and "War for Peace", and then he also sang the entire "Missing Kong Zhan", which was completely satisfying. Drama addiction. The nephew said, "My uncle has a straight voice. He likes to sing, but his singing is not very good, but he remembers the lyrics very clearly. He has worked hard in Peking Opera."

Due to his old age, Zhang Xueliang's daily life is very regular. After getting up in the morning, he first goes to Zhao Yidi's room. His wife will read him a passage from the Bible, then he has breakfast, sometimes drinking fresh milk, sometimes drinking orange juice, and then eating Egg, while listening to his secretary read Chinese and foreign newspapers for him, to understand the international news.

During the decades of house arrest, Zhang Xueliang’s food and daily life were all arranged by Zhao Yidi himself. He lived a simple life with the help of Filipino maids in Hawaii. And comfortable.

Zhang Xueliang’s fifth brother’s family lives not far from him. Although he does not live with his biological children, his younger brothers and nephews are by his side. Zhang Xueliang can be regarded as making up for his inability to have children. The regret of wrapping around the knees and enjoying family happiness in old age.

After listening to the newspaper, his nephew would help him take the elevator from the 15th floor of the building to the downstairs, and walk along the cement road to the beach. After returning home, he would rub hemp with his friends, and his life would be very peaceful.

Zhang Luheng once recalled his uncle’s life in Hawaii: “My uncle said that he has three loves in his life: one is playing mahjong; the other is telling jokes; the third is singing old songs, which is Peking Opera. As long as he has fun, , he is not tired."

In addition to singing Peking Opera, what Zhang Xueliang loved to do was to invite friends to play cards together. However, Zhang Xueliang's eyesight was not very good in his later years, so he could only read the words on the cards. He can see things that are slightly farther away, such as the cards played by others on the table, but he can't see them clearly at all.

So Zhang Xueliang relied entirely on his hand to play cards, and when playing cards with him, he had to report the cards to him every time he played. Fortunately, Zhang Xueliang had a very good memory. Although he couldn't see the cards, he was reported to him. He just remembered it. But he had to memorize the cards of four players, including himself, at one time, which was a bit difficult.

Despite the "difficulties" of playing cards, Zhang Xueliang still refused to give up this pleasure, so he invented a new way of playing, asking everyone to remove one set and only play eleven cards. The other rules remain unchanged, so it is easier to remember the cards.

Zhang Xueliang's card skills are very good. He wins nine times out of ten when playing cards. For this reason, he always laughs and says that he was "not doing his job properly" when he was young and studied to become a bird sage. Zhang Xueliang once said that playing cards is a useful pastime. He has long been unable to stand or walk when he is old. Playing cards can not only entertain himself, but also exercise his body and brain.

People always cherish things that are lost and found more. After more than half a century of isolation from the world, Zhang Xueliang loves life even more, and he lives every day in full spirit.

When he was in Hawaii, he didn’t seem to feel that he was already an old man in his nineties. There was bright sunshine and sandy beaches, and there were always many people active on the beach. He liked the excitement, We also especially look at small animals, especially birds.

There is no industrial noise or pollution in Hawaii. Whenever he sees children playing on the beach, Zhang Xueliang feels as if his life has flown back to his youth.

He especially loved being with young people. Once, his niece wanted to go to a karaoke hall with her sisters. Zhang Xueliang was like a child, full of interest in this place, and insisted on being pushed by his niece. Take him to see it in a wheelchair.

Later, it was Zhao Yidi who stopped him. After all, he was old, and the music in the karaoke hall was too loud and noisy. Zhao Yidi was worried that Zhang Xueliang's heart couldn't bear it, so he reluctantly gave up.

Even when he was sick and hospitalized, Zhang Xueliang did not stop exploring the world. He always let the nurses push him around the hospital, as if he could never see enough. In the end, there was no place to go. , he asked someone to push him to the toilet to take a look.

The nephew felt cute and angry at the same time, so he asked him why he had to go to that place? Zhang Xueliang said seriously, "I'm going to see if the toilets are clean and if they are properly managed." Every time he saw this kind of conversation, Zhao Yidi would smile from ear to ear.

Zhao Yidi was infatuated with Zhang Xueliang, but fortunately in the end she managed to ensure that Yun Kai Jian Yueming could stay with him forever. On June 1, 2000, Zhao Yidi spent his last birthday with Zhang Xueliang, which was also his 100th birthday.

For ordinary people, one hundred years old is a good day worthy of big things, but Zhang Xueliang, who has been imprisoned for half his life, now yearns more for a quiet and warm life. He refused to hold a big banquet. It is recommended that you only invite relatives and friends to have a small gathering at home.

At the 100th birthday party, Zhang Xueliang was like an ordinary old man, looking at his children and grandchildren with a smile, cherishing this hard-won reunion. In his later years, Zhang Xueliang left many photos. Even at this advanced age, we can still see his tenacity and love for life in his photos.

Some people always ask, what exactly is happiness? Someone must answer that being in the business world is like a fish in water, being able to travel all over the world in the political world, becoming famous, leaving one's name in history, and realizing one's own life value. This is happiness.

However, if you ask Zhang Xueliang this question, he will definitely answer that plainness is happiness. After decades of ups and downs in officialdom, he was trapped in the political whirlpool and spent half his life without freedom. He once had the power and wealth that ordinary people envied.

However, the days in Hawaii in his later years were the warmest, calmest and most unrestrained days that Zhang Xueliang lived. In him, there is no longer hatred between family and country, and no more political struggles. All he needs to do is to be an ordinary old man, watching flowers and birds, and taking care of himself.

Such freedom is hard-won, and such happiness is also hard-won. The famous "Young Marshal" is just in the past. In the last days of his life, Zhang Xueliang returned to his free self as he wished.