Former Residence of Wang Zhuoran

Former Residence of Wang Zhuoran

The former residence of Wang Zhuoran is a protected cultural heritage site of Tianjin Municipality.

The former residence of Wang Zhuoran is located at No. 23 Bo’ai Avenue. It is a two-story brick-and-wood structure, simple, elegant, and of European-style architecture.

In late July 1928, Wang Zhuoran returned to Shenyang from Europe and America. At that time, Zhang Xueliang was actively recruiting talents and striving to reform the region. Upon hearing that Wang Zhuoran, who had been studying overseas, had just returned to the country, Zhang Xueliang immediately arranged a meeting for an in-depth discussion. The friendship between Wang Zhuoran and the young marshal began that very year. One morning in January 1929, Wang Zhuoran arrived at the “Marshal’s Mansion” to teach according to his scheduled timetable. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he noticed a tense atmosphere. It turned out that the night before, Zhang Xueliang had invited Yang Yuting, Chief of Staff of the Northeast Security Headquarters, and Chang Yinhuai, Governor of Heilongjiang Province and Chairman of the Northeast Transportation Committee, to the mansion and had them executed. Overexcited, Zhang Xueliang had not slept all night. Upon seeing Wang Zhuoran, he immediately asked for his opinion on the killings of Yang and Chang. Wang Zhuoran replied, “This is not a legal issue, but a political one. Politically speaking, it depends on your conduct going forward. You should reverse the accusations listed in the public telegram against Yang and Chang. Especially this arms factory, which wastes the people’s wealth and labor, lies within the firing range of the Japanese garrison, and can only be used for civil war rather than national defense. Since this arms factory is now being cited as the reason for Yang and Chang’s execution, it would be best to relocate it to western Liaoning, reduce its scale, and turn it into a defense-oriented repair facility. The current arms factory could instead be repurposed to manufacture farming tools and repair automobiles.” Zhang Xueliang immediately accepted Wang Zhuoran’s suggestion and sent him to Europe to recruit experts to transform the arms factory into a civilian facility.

In 1933, after the loss of Rehe, Wang Zhuoran accompanied Zhang Xueliang along with Australian journalist Doulton to meet Chiang Kai-shek in Baoding. Although Zhang originally intended to volunteer for battle, Chiang forced him to resign in self-reproach, which left Zhang in tears of disappointment. Fortunately, Wang Zhuoran and Doulton continuously encouraged and inspired him, while also urging Zhang to overcome his drug addiction. To help Zhang quit drugs, Wang Zhuoran proposed staging a “drama”—for a time, the young marshal’s family and subordinates knelt around him, vowing not to rise unless he committed to quitting. This urged Zhang to make up his mind. Under the careful medical treatment and round-the-clock supervision of Wang Zhuoran and others, Zhang Xueliang finally rid himself of the opium addiction that had plagued him for years, becoming a healthy new man—an event crucial to the rest of his life. On the eve of the Xi’an Incident, Zhang Xueliang invited Wang Zhuoran for an all-night conversation. Wang Zhuoran advised Zhang to be extremely cautious. However, circumstances still pushed Zhang and Yang to resort to a military remonstrance. Wang Zhuoran immediately wrote the article “What Kind of Person Is Zhang Xueliang?” Amidst the widespread condemnation of Zhang Xueliang by the authorities, Wang Zhuoran described him as: “His love for the nation was almost fanatical; he cared nothing for fame or fortune. A patriot gone mad—that’s how Zhang Xueliang defined himself. His motto was: first, not afraid of death; second, not fond of money.” To secure Zhang Xueliang’s release, from the time of his imprisonment onward, Wang Zhuoran busied himself traveling between Nanjing and Xi’an, distributing his pamphlet “What Kind of Person Is Zhang Xueliang?”, and advocating everywhere for Zhang. In February 1937, Wang Zhuoran and Northeast Army General He Zhuguo visited Zhang Xueliang in Fenghua. Zhang entrusted them with his final words for the Northeast Army. During the Anti-Japanese War, Wang Zhuoran was in Chongqing, where he joined many patriotic individuals in submitting proposals to the National Political Council demanding the release of Zhang Xueliang.

After the Xi’an Incident, when Zhang Xueliang was placed under house arrest, Wang Zhuoran went to Beiping (now Beijing) to participate in publishing the Eastern Express and the Diplomatic Monthly, using writing to advocate for resistance against Japan and the recovery of lost territory. After the fall of Beiping, the entire staff of the Eastern Express and the Diplomatic Monthly evacuated, planning to regroup within Tianjin’s foreign concessions. Wang Zhuoran hid at the home of American journalist Snow in the Dongjiaominxiang area for two weeks before returning to Tianjin with Snow. He didn’t stay long at his home in Tianjin before deciding to head south with his comrades to join the resistance. “Before I left, I made a will for my family and left my eldest son, Wang Fushi, in Tianjin to maintain communication. We boarded a British ship heading south, and my wife wept by the river, as if it were a permanent farewell.” In addition to actively participating in the resistance, Wang Zhuoran was also one of the founders of the Jiusan Society. In 1945, he joined the China Democratic League and co-founded the Jiusan Society with Xu Deheng and others. Wang Zhuoran was among the first group of council members of the Jiusan Society. In early 1948, due to persecution by the authorities, he had to go to Japan to do business. He specifically asked Zhang Shizhao to deliver a letter to Zhou Enlai, clearly stating his desire to “work towards future reconstruction and material procurement.” After the founding of New China, he stayed in Japan at the organization’s request to continue serving the economic construction of New China, often engaging in import-export trade. It was not until May 1951 that he returned to Tianjin to reunite with his family.

During his time living in Tianjin, Wang Zhuoran also invested in founding the Heping Kindergarten, located in the former residence of Feng Guozhang on Haihe East Road. He also established a Children’s Cultural Education Service Center on the upper floor of his own home, which housed up to ten thousand books. Later, he handed over the center to the Hebei District government and donated the books to the Hebei District Library. In his later years, Wang Zhuoran devoted significant energy to collecting historical materials about Zhang Xueliang and used every possible means to appeal for Zhang’s freedom. His heartfelt words were deeply moving. In the late 20th century, after 54 years of house arrest, Zhang Xueliang was finally freed. Wang Zhuoran’s son wrote to Zhang, providing some information about Wang Zhuoran. Zhang immediately wrote back and inscribed a dedication for the book Collection of Historical Materials on Wang Zhuoran, expressing his remembrance of his old friend. This inscription was later used on the cover of the book and engraved on the gate of Wang Zhuoran’s former residence and on his tombstone.

Wang Zhuoran (May 24, 1893 – 1975) was born into a common farming family in Liandao Bay Village, urban area of Fushun City. In 1911, he was admitted to the Fengtian Two-Level Normal School. During this time, he joined the Young Christian Association and successively became close friends with progressive figures in the northeast such as Zhang Xueliang, Yan Baohang, Du Chongyuan, and Lu Guangji. In the autumn of 1919, Wang Zhuoran was admitted to Peking Normal University. Two years later, he graduated and returned to Fengtian to serve as an educational inspector for the provincial education department. In the autumn of 1923, he received a government scholarship to study at Columbia University in New York, USA. In order to help the American people gain a broad understanding of China... More details about Wang Zhuoran ++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Tianjin Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Units