Zhang Xueliang Mansion

Lavish mansion of the 'Young Marshal' whose kidnapping changed Chinese history

The Zhang Xueliang Mansion is the former residence of the "Young Marshal" — the Manchurian warlord who controlled northeastern China after his father's assassination in 1928 and orchestrated the famous Xi'an Incident of 1936. The mansion complex is a remarkable hybrid of Chinese and Western architectural styles, reflecting the worldliness of its owner, who had studied in Japan, travelled to Europe, and maintained a famously glamorous social life before the Japanese occupation forced him out of Manchuria.

The residence includes a main hall with period furnishings, several guest buildings, and a collection of documents and photographs covering Zhang Xueliang's life and the turbulent history of Manchuria in the early twentieth century. The adjacent museum covers the Japanese occupation (1931–1945) and the resistance. It is one of the more interesting museums in Shenyang for visitors interested in modern Chinese history.

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A story
Zhang Xueliang was the warlord who controlled Manchuria in the 1930s. In December 1936, frustrated by Chiang Kai-shek's refusal to resist the Japanese invasion, Zhang had him kidnapped in Xi'an and held until Chiang agreed to form a united front with the Communists. The Xi'an Incident is considered a turning point that made the eventual Communist victory possible. Zhang was held under house arrest for decades afterward — in Taiwan, not Manchuria.