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Preface
Zhang Xueliang is a legendary figure in modern Chinese history who continues to fascinate countless people today. His story is full of historical changes and personal choices, from the warlord of Northeast China to the retirement of his later years, Zhang Xueliang's life trajectory is not only the embodiment of his personal legend, but also reflects the ups and downs of an era. Although historians have published many studies about him, the public is still curious about his life: what kind of person is Zhang Xueliang?
The year 1940 was a carefree childhood for most ten-year-olds, but for Zhang Lulin, it marked a major turning point in his life. He is the son of Zhang Xueliang, a young marshal in the Northeast, and the talented Zhao Yidi, born in a turbulent and unstable childhood. Despite the chaos in the world around him, he still retains an optimism about the future.
It was in this year that his mother made the difficult decision to send him to the home of Iago in the United States. This is undoubtedly a huge blow to the young Zhang Lulin, who may not fully understand the pressure and helplessness behind this decision.
Zhang Lulin's father, Zhang Xueliang, played a key role in the Xi'an Incident in 1936, and his political choices not only changed the course of China's history, but also put himself on the cusp. When Zhang Xueliang was secretly placed under house arrest and his political career came to a standstill, Zhang Lulin was still too young to know much about these profound political upheavals.
Zhang Lulin's mother, Zhao Yidi, has been trying to rescue her husband in various ways during the years when she was imprisoned, but in vain. She had thought about spending time with her husband through difficult times, but eventually decided to stay outside to take care of her young son. Zhao Yidi's decision, although it came out of maternal love, made Zhang Lulin's childhood full of shadows of tossing and turning.
When Zhang Xueliang's first wife Yu Fengzhi was critically ill, Zhao Yidi faced another difficult choice. She decided to go to Guiyang to accompany her seriously ill husband, which meant that Zhang Lulin had to find a new place to live. In that time of uncertainty and danger, Zhao Yidi thought that sending his son to the relative safety of the United States was the most ideal option.
So Zhang Lulin was sent to the home of Ijag in the United States, a family he barely knew. This decision is undoubtedly a huge change in Zhang Lulin's life. At the moment of parting, he couldn't control his emotions, and tears flowed freely on his cheeks. His heart was filled with uncertainty about the future and deep incomprehension of his mother's departure.
This year is not only a major turning point in Zhang Lulin's life, but also a violent psychological shock in his personal growth process. He was forced to come to maturity prematurely, to learn to accept the trials that life has to offer without fully understanding it.
Zhang Lulin has shown extraordinary intelligence since he was a child, and he has always achieved outstanding results in school, which has attracted the attention of teachers and students. Unfortunately, his ability to communicate in Chinese was affected by his early absence from his home country, which became a rift in his cultural identity.
After graduating from high school, Zhang Lulin, who showed outstanding talent, entered the University of California with honors after graduation, specializing in aerospace engineering, which was considered extremely challenging at the time. His intelligibility and diligent study have earned him the appreciation and respect of many professors.
During her time at university, Zhang Lulin happened to meet Chen Shuzhen, a classmate who was also mysterious and charismatic. Chen Shuzhen always carefully hides her deep family background, and the extraordinary temperament revealed in her speech and demeanor makes Zhang Lulin deeply attracted almost at first sight. After a period of dating, Zhang Lulin expressed her love to Chen Shuzhen, and the two soon established a deep emotional connection.
It wasn't until the two became closer that Chen Shuzhen revealed her amazing identity as the niece of the southern warlord Chen Jitang. This news shocked Zhang Lulin, and he immediately confessed his background and family background. In addition to being surprised, the two felt that the meeting between the two was fate. Soon after, they got married and soon became life partners.
After marriage, Zhang Lulin and his wife had two sons, and they attached great importance to their children's education, not only imparting knowledge, but also paying more attention to cultivating moral character. After completing her studies, Zhang Lulin successfully entered the work of NASA by relying on her outstanding talents in the aerospace field, and made outstanding contributions in this field, winning wide respect from her peers and society.
Despite the great success of her career, Zhang Lulin has always been concerned about her family in the East. Although his memories of his parents as a young man have faded, he still longs to return to his homeland and reconnect with his parents, and after years of separation, Zhang Lulin and his half-sister Zhang Luying finally have the opportunity to reunite with their father, Zhang Xueliang, in the United States.
In the course of Zhang's life journey, becoming an expert in aerospace engineering was not what he expected in his early years. If it weren't for the great changes he encountered at a young age, his life might have followed a completely different trajectory. But the turning point of fate came in 1955, and one day that year, although seemingly ordinary, silently changed the direction of his life.
Since then, Zhang Lulin has devoted himself to the aerospace field, and after decades of diligence and research, he has made remarkable achievements in this industry. His career was full of challenges and achievements until he retired as a senior engineer in the United States. This experience not only made him highly skilled, but also tempered his will and determination.
No matter how successful his career was, there was always a faint regret in his heart - the separation from his family. Fifteen years passed quietly, and when he finally reunited with his long-lost family, time seemed to stand still at that moment. A simple hug releases the emotions accumulated over the years, and this hug carries too much waiting and missing.
Although Zhang Lulin's inner journey is difficult to fully reveal, we can feel that the blood connection is far more than the indifference that the numbers can represent. The moment of reunion is the long-awaited picture in Zhang Lulin's heart. Every detail and eye contact is an expression of the emotions in their hearts, a review of the past years, and an expectation for the future.
In this moment of reunion after a long absence, Zhang Lulin and his family refound each other at the intersection of emotions. It was more than a simple gathering of three people, but an affectionate family reunion that marked the reweaving of their shared memories and future. This reunion not only made up for Zhang Lulin's psychological lack for many years, but also made him cherish every moment with his family even more.
Zhang Xueliang finally regained his freedom in 1990, but his special status and sensitive political status prevented him from returning to the mainland smoothly. In Taiwan, although he is no longer visibly imprisoned, the surveillance and restrictions around him have never been relaxed. Zhang Xueliang had conceived a detour through the United States, but in the end this plan did not come to fruition. Miss Zhao Si, who had been by his side during this process, witnessed him sinking and losing day by day.
He said to Miss Zhao Si: "As long as you can live longer, there will always be a chance to go back." "But they all know that as they get older, such opportunities are quickly becoming slimmer. After eventually settling in Hawaii, Zhang Xueliang gradually realized that he might never be able to set foot in his homeland in person. Therefore, he pinned this deep homesickness and unfulfilled wish on his son Zhang Lulin.
In 1965, Zhang Lulin reunited with his parents, and although he was an adult, the lack of his father's teaching made him cherish every communication with his father even more. Zhang Xueliang poured out all his nostalgia and unfinished emotions to his son, hoping to pass on this deep affection through the connection of blood. Under the influence of a long time, Zhang Lulin's longing for the motherland has become more and more serious. He longed to return to his homeland and visit the landscapes and loved ones that are remembered for a long time.
In the late spring of 1994, Zhang Lulin and his wife took a flight to China at the invitation of the Beijing Ministry of Aerospace Technology. For Zhang Lulin, this journey is not only a simple visit, but also an emotional return. The first stop on their itinerary was Beijing, and as soon as they stepped out of the cabin, they were surrounded by warm reception and cordial greetings, which made Zhang Lulin feel the warmth of her long-lost home.
Within a few days in the capital, the couple was respected by the Ministry of Aerospace Technology, visiting a number of famous sites, including Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall. These iconic locations not only made Zhang Lulin feel the prosperity and development of the motherland, but also deeply inspired his pride in the motherland, and the place that Zhang Lulin longed to visit most was Shenyang, which his father Zhang Xueliang was deeply concerned about. Finally on May 9, Zhang Lulin and his wife stepped into the Dashuai Mansion that haunted Zhang Xueliang's dreams.
This courtyard house, which was built in 1917, has witnessed the glory and rise and fall of the Zhang family, and still maintains its luxury and solemnity. The moment he stepped into the Marshal's Mansion, Zhang Lulin couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion, and his eyes unconsciously burst into tears. As he strolled to his father's former residence, the Daqing Building and his office, every familiar corner touched his heartstrings. These well-preserved historical sites made him feel as if he had stepped back in time, and history and reality were intertwined, stirring up deep emotional resonances in him.
During the tour of the Marshal's Mansion, Zhang Lulin did not forget to record every detail and freeze every moving moment with the camera. He hopes that through these photos, his father in the United States can witness today's Shenyang and feel the changes of the times and the continuation of the family's history.
At the end of the trip, Zhang Lulin went to the grave of his grandfather Zhang Zuolin. Standing in front of the tombstone, he said in simple Chinese, in a choked voice: "Grandpa, I came to see you for your son!" This sentence is not only a memory of the past years, but also a symbol of the emotional bond of three generations, so that everyone present can't help but be moved to tears.
Zhang Xueliang, a complex figure ranging from a warlord in the Northeast to a recluse in his later years, his wealth and historical legacy have always been the focus of public curiosity. Unlike his father Zhang Zuolin, Zhang Xueliang did not attach importance to the accumulation of personal wealth. Although he inherited his father's vast assets, including large amounts of securities and cash, his attitude towards wealth was relatively indifferent.
In the 20s of the 20th century, when he was in charge of the Northeast, he focused more on the economic development of the region than on the increase or decrease of personal property. Zhang Xueliang's attitude of not being happy with things and not feeling sorry for himself is vividly reflected in his refusal to accept the 20 million "rent" paid by the central government. This amount was originally intended as compensation for part of the Zhang family's property in Northeast China.
The central government believes that appropriate financial compensation should be made to Zhang Xueliang's family to demonstrate the state's respect for the historical figure. However, Zhang Xueliang sees the funds as a support for his hometown, hoping to use the funds to help improve the public facilities and infrastructure in his hometown, so that his hometown can have better development.
During his years in Hawaii, Zhang Xueliang's life was full of reflections and records. Not only did he collaborate with historians to complete The Oral History of Zhang Xueliang, but the work, which included 145 cassette tapes, provided posterity with first-hand accounts of that tumultuous period. These records have become invaluable historical resources, helping scholars and the public to better understand the complexity of that history and the multifaceted nature of Zhang Xueliang's personal nature.
Although Zhang Xueliang lived in the United States in his later years, he always cared about his motherland. He has expressed his desire to return to China through his son Zhang Lulin many times, although he was unable to make the trip due to health reasons. In 2001, Zhang Xueliang died in a hospital in Honolulu at the age of 101. In accordance with his last wishes, his ashes were brought back to China, allowing him to return spiritually to his roots.
After Zhang Xueliang's death, Zhang Lulin and his wife continued to visit China frequently, paying special attention to the development and changes in their hometown and China. They visited many new public facilities and economic development projects, and felt the tremendous changes and progress in China. These trips are not only the fulfillment of Zhang Xueliang's wishes, but also the embodiment of Zhang Lulin and his wife's deep affection for the motherland.
Bibliography:
1. Zhang Xueji, Liu Hong. The Complete Biography of Zhang Xueliang (Volume II)[M]. 2006
2. China News Network September 10, 2005 Zhang Xueliang's son Zhang Lulin and his family revisited Xi'an after 68 years
https://news.sohu.com/20050910/n226920867.shtml