History has its own life, it is like a person, both easy-going and self-respecting. ——Yu Qiuyu
Zhang Xueliang was imprisoned for 50 years, spent his later years in the United States, it is said that he was imprisoned for such a long time, the original property in the northeast was also confiscated when the Japanese army occupied the northeast, in his later years he should have no income, but Zhang Xueliang's life in the United States is not bad at all, living in a mansion, driving a luxury car, so where did he get these properties?
After Zhang Xueliangzi inherited his father's business, unlike his father Zhang Zuolin's hobby of collecting money, Zhang Xueliang paid more attention to the financial situation of the entire northeast and did not care much about his own private property. At that time, Zhang Xueliang's income was mainly from the salary of the security commander-in-chief of the three eastern provinces every year, as well as the assets left by his father before his death. During his own reign, even some of the industries left by his father were rarely managed, and many properties were left behind by him.
Zhang Xueliang once wrote to his eldest sister in a letter:
"I don't know exactly how much property there is and where it is. In addition to what my father left behind, I bought my own house, land, or stocks, etc., either for fun or to help my friends. I never paid much attention to them."
It can be seen that Zhang Xueliang's attitude towards wealth is relatively indifferent.
So where did Zhang Xueliang's huge fortune in his later years come from? This brings us to one of his hobbies.
Zhang Xueliang was very enthusiastic about collecting ancient and modern calligraphy and paintings in his lifetime, which was also the largest of his personal expenses, and the only place where he was willing to spend money. During his imprisonment, Zhang Xueliang did not have gold and silver jewelry around him, but some books and ancient calligraphy and paintings that he regarded more than life carried with him.
Many of the calligraphy and paintings in his collection are the works of famous painters and literati of the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as Shi Xieyuan, Wu Daozi, Xu Wei, Zheng Banqiao and other famous artists. The collection of books is now a very rare orphan book, and there are many books with Zhang Xueliang's autograph annotations.
A large part of these precious books were donated by Zhang Xueliang to the library of Tunghai University in Taiwan in 1993. In 1994, Zhang Xueliang decided to settle in Hawaii, when he commissioned his niece Zhang Luzhi to auction off a batch of collectibles. The main reason for the disposal of these precious cultural relics is that they will be used for the needs of life after settling in the United States.
After settling in the United States, Zhang Xueliang still has a number of his favorite collections, even though there are still many places in the United States that need money, but he is still not willing to sell.
But in 1995, Zhang Xueliang learned that Columbia University in the United States planned to open a pavilion for him and Ms. Zhao Yidi. After careful consideration, Zhang Xueliang decided to donate this last batch of collections to Columbia University free of charge.
This last collection is very precious, including Zhang Xueliang's manuscript notes during his imprisonment, handwritten letters from Kuomintang military and political leaders to Zhang Xueliang, family letters, famous seals, and photographs. There are also various collections of Ms. Zhao Yidi.
By auctioning off a part of the precious collection, Zhang Xueliang can still live a rich life in the United States, which is the main source of wealth after Zhang Xueliang was released in his later years. As for the rumors, his living in his later years by gifts from friends and Yu Fengzhi's business in the United States should not be the main source of his huge wealth.