Chang Yinhuai (; 1876–1888 - 1929) was a Chinese statesman and general active during the

Warlord Era The Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1928, when control of the country was divided between rival Warlord, military cliques of the Beiyang Army and other regional factions. It began after the de ...

working under the

Fengtian clique The Fengtian clique () was the faction that supported warlord Zhang Zuolin during Republic of China (1912–1949), China's Warlord Era. It took its name from Fengtian Province, which served as its original base of support. However, the clique quic ...

. He was the governor of

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

, Minister of Communications, and a close friend and associate of

Yang Yuting Yang Yuting may refer to: *Yang Yuting (warlord) (1886–1929), Chinese warlord of the Fengtian clique *Yang Yuting (martial artist) Yang Yuting ( zh, c=杨禹廷, p=Yáng Yǔtíng, w=Yang Yü-t'ing; 1887–1982) was a Chinese teacher of W ...

Life

Chang Yinhuai was born in

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

to a family originating in

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

. For his education, he attended the Fengtian Law and Public Administration Academy, where he was educated to become an administrator. He later became a judge in a military court, where he served for a short amount of time. For a time, Chang was appointed the chief of the Fengtian military police. In 1927, he started working with the

Communications Clique The Communications Clique () was a powerful interest group of politicians, bureaucrats, technocrats, businessmen, engineers, and labour unionists in China's Beiyang government (1912–1928). It is also known as the Cantonese Clique because many of ...

as the Minister of Communications for the

Beiyang government The Beiyang government was the internationally recognized government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China between 1912 and 1928, based in Beijing. It was dominated by the generals of the Beiyang Army, giving it its name. B ...

under the

, which meant that he had considerable power over media. Sometime during the same year, he played a major role in the construction of the Dahushan-Tongliao Railway. During the

Northern Expedition The Northern Expedition was a military campaign launched by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Kuomintang (KMT) against the Beiyang government and other regional warlords in 1926. The purpose of the campaign was to reunify China prop ...

, he was charged with the transport of ammunition down the Beijing-Mukden Railway. In 1928, Chang was appointed governor of

Zhang Xueliang Zhang Xueliang ( zh, t=張學良; June 3, 1901 – October 15, 2001), also commonly known by his nickname "the Young Marshal", was a Chinese general who in 1928 succeeded his father Zhang Zuolin as the commander of the Northeastern Army. He is bes ...

, who had recently taken over the

and its attached National Pacification Army. Upon becoming governor of Heilongjiang, Chang's hatred for Zhang Xueliang became more apparent. He refused to lend money to Zhang, and even started building up his own army. On 10 January 1929, Chang and Yang went to Zhang to demand that Chang be appointed ''Northeast Railway Supervisor'', a new role they wanted to create so they could take over the

China Eastern Railway The Chinese Eastern Railway or CER (, , or , ''Kitaysko-Vostochnaya Zheleznaya Doroga'' or ''KVZhD''), is the historical name for a railway system in Northeast China (also known as Manchuria). The Russian Empire constructed the line from 1897 ...

. When they left, Zhang ordered the two men's execution. Zhang himself claimed that this action was due to a conspiracy by Chang and Yang to rebel against the Fengtian clique, while Zhang's secretary traced it back to the poor attitudes Yang and Chang held toward Zhang, their superior.

References

Citations

General bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Yinhuai 19th-century births 1929 deaths Republic of China warlords from Jilin Governors of Heilongjiang People from Jilin