At almost 90 years of age, the Young Marshal seems to have everything a man could want -- public esteem, a splendid house, a family extending for four generations. But he still has one other, more poignant desire: to discard his reputation as one of the greatest heroes in modern Chinese history
"Even this name, Zhang Xueliang -- I don't want it!" he said earnestly, leaning forward in his chair. "I don't want to be Zhang Xueliang! I just want to be an ordinary person, free to do as I wish. I can't take everybody's compliments."
Then one of China's most-powerful warlords, Mr. Zhang intervened to amend Chinese history in 1936, by kidnapping Chiang Kai-shek, the paramount national leader. Before releasing Chiang, Mr. Zhang made him promise to work with the Communists, instead of killing them, so that China could stand united to battle the Japanese troops that were steadily encroaching on eastern China as a prelude to World War II.
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