Zang Shiyi ( Hepburn: ''Zō Shikiki''; October 1884 – November 13, 1956) was a Chinese general and Governor of

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

Province at the time of the invasion of Manchuria in 1932.

Biography

Zang was born in

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

county of

Province in 1884. He traveled to Japan on a scholarship to the Tokyo Shinbu Gakko and subsequently graduated from 9th class of the

Imperial Japanese Army Academy The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...

, with a specialty in the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

, in 1909. On his return to China, he joined the pro-republican forces in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

during the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

. After the founding of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 1914 he became an instructor at the

Baoding Military Academy Baoding Military Academy or Paoting Military Academy () was a military academy based in Baoding, during the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China, in the first two decades of the 20th century. For a time, it was the most important military ...

, where he soon caught the attention of Admiral Shen Honglie, who appointed him to his staff. He rose to

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

for the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

forces in

Jilin Province ) , 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_a ...

. He participated in the

Zhili–Anhui War The Zhili–Anhui War was a 1920 conflict in the Republic of China between the Zhili and Anhui cliques for control of the Beiyang government. Prelude Tensions between the two factions developed during the Constitutional Protection War of 191 ...

in 1920 and the

First Zhili–Fengtian War The First Zhili–Fengtian War (First Chihli-Fengtien War; ) was a 1922 conflict in the Republic of China's Warlord Era between the Zhili and Fengtian cliques for control of Beijing. The war led to the defeat of the Fengtian clique and the ex ...

of 1923. Together with Yan Yuting, he subsequently became Chief of Staff of the business administration section of the Kuomintang

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; zh, labels=no, t=國民革命軍) served as the military arm of the Kuomintang, Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) from 1924 until 1947. From 1928, it functioned as the regular army, de facto ...

headquarters in

. After the death of

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

Zhang Zuolin Zhang Zuolin; courtesy name Yuting ( zh, c=雨亭, p=Yǔtíng, labels=no) and nicknamed Zhang Laogang ( zh, c=張老疙瘩, p=Zhāng Lǎo Gēda, labels=no) (March 19, 1875June 4, 1928) was a Chinese warlord who ruled Manchuria from 1916 to 1928 ...

, Zang supported the Chinese Reunification Movement and was appointed governor of

Province in 1930. After the Mukden Incident Zang initially refused to cooperate with the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

and was imprisoned. However, he later decided to defect and was re-appointed governor of Liaoning Province (renamed Fengtian Province) on 16 December 1931. He was part of the

Northeast Supreme Administrative Council Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...

or " Self-Government Guiding Board that made plans for a new "independent" State of Manchuria to be established in February 1932. When the government of the new state was formed in March, Zang became the first Minister of Civil Affairs. At the same time, he was re-appointed governor of Fengtian Province of Manchukuo, a position he retained until an administrative reorganization of the provinces of Manchukuo from four to ten provinces in October 1934. In March 1935 he was Emperor

Puyi Puyi (7 February 190617 October 1967) was the final emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh monarch of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. When the Guangxu Emperor died without an heir, Empress Dowager Cixi picked his nephew Puyi, aged tw ...

's first choice to replace

Zheng Xiaoxu Zheng Xiaoxu (Cheng Hsiao-hsu; ; Hepburn: ''Tei Kōsho'') (2 May 1860 – 28 March 1938) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat and calligrapher. He served as the first Prime Minister of Manchukuo. Early life and diplomatic career Although Zhe ...

as Prime Minister of Manchukuo, but Zhang Jinghui was appointed instead at the insistence of the Japanese

Kwantung Army The Kwantung Army (Japanese language, Japanese: 関東軍, ''Kantō-gun'') was a Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army, general army of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1919 to 1945. The Kwantung Army was formed in 1906 as a security force for th ...

leadership. Zang was instead appointed to replace Zhang the largely ceremonial role as President of the Privy Council of Manchukuo—a post which he held from 21 May 1935 until the collapse of Manchukuo in August 1945. In 30 November 1940, Zang was sent as plentipotentiary to

in order to sign the Japan-Manchukuo-China joint declaration for Manchukuo, in which the

Wang Jingwei regime The Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China, commonly described as the Wang Jingwei regime, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in eastern China. It existed coterminous with the Nationalist government of the Republic of ...

recognised the country. It was part of the Basic Treaty by which Japan recognised the Reorganised National Government of China.Signing of Japan-Manchukuo-China Joint Declaration
/ref> Following the

Soviet invasion of Manchuria The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation () and sometimes Operation August Storm, began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet Union, Soviet invasion of the Emp ...

, he declared an emergency session of the Manchukuo Privy Council to promulgate the abdication of Emperor Puyi on 17 August 1945, effective 18 August, and attempted to open negotiations with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. However, the Manchukuo capital of Xinjing fell to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

on 20 August 1945, and Zang was captured ten days later. He was initially held in custody in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

, but was extradited to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 1950, where he died of illness in captivity at the War Criminals Management Centre in

Fushun Fushun ( zh, s=, t=, p=Fǔshùn, historically Fuxi ()) is a prefecture level city in Liaoning province, China, about east of Shenyang, with a total area of , of which is the city proper. Situated on the Hun River ("muddy river"), it is one o ...

, Liaoning, on 13 November 1956.

References

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External links

IMTFE Judgement: Japanese Aggression Against ChinaPhoto at World War II Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zang, Shiyi 1884 births 1956 deaths People of the 1911 Revolution Politicians from Shenyang People from Manchukuo Government ministers of Manchukuo Kuomintang collaborators with Imperial Japan People extradited from the Soviet Union People extradited to China Chinese people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Chinese detention