Phoenix Temple – Former Site of Zhang Xueliang’s Detention

Phoenix Temple – Former Site of Zhang Xueliang’s Detention

The Phoenix Temple – Former Site of Zhang Xueliang’s Detention is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

The Phoenix Temple – Former Site of Zhang Xueliang’s Detention is located within the Phoenix Mountain Forest Park on the southern bank of the Yuan River, east of Yuanling County, Huaihua City.

In October 1938, General Zhang Xueliang, who had been detained by Chiang Kai-shek following the earthshaking Xi’an Incident, was secretly transferred from Suxian Ridge in Chenzhou to Yuanling and confined in the Phoenix Temple on Phoenix Mountain until December of the following year, when he was moved to Xiuwen in Guizhou. On the mountain, there remain sites and artifacts associated with Zhang Xueliang and his companion Miss Zhao, including a release pond, fishing platform, tennis court, air-raid shelter, and boat pavilion. Inside the temple, there is an exhibition hall dedicated to General Zhang Xueliang, displaying precious photos from his life and artifacts he once used. In the room where he was detained—known as the Child-Giving Hall—he left behind a poem inscribed on the wall titled “Written Out of Regret”: “A lone shadow drifts far under boundless blue skies; / My old friends’ journeys stretch long and far. / The black hair of youth gradually greys; / Only the spring wind returns this year.” He also had the Chinese characters “零” (zero) engraved on the stone wall of the air-raid shelter where he took refuge from Japanese air raids. These historical traces attract numerous patriots and tourists from home and abroad who come to follow in the footsteps of the “Young Marshal” and explore the renowned Phoenix Mountain.

To commemorate General Zhang Xueliang’s patriotic devotion, in 1981 the Yuanling County People’s Government allocated funds to renovate the ancient temple and install a statue of the general. The original structures—a boat-shaped pavilion and a pond—were restored. In 1988, the Phoenix Mountain Garden established the General Zhang Xueliang Exhibition Hall within the historic buildings of the Phoenix Temple, setting up four exhibition rooms. The entire display vividly reflects General Zhang Xueliang’s spirit of patriotism, concern for his country and people, and indomitable courage in the face of adversity.

The Phoenix Temple was originally built in the 28th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era (1600), renovated in the 7th year of the Chongzhen era (1634), and maintained again in the 7th year of the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi era (1668). In the 23rd year of the Qianlong era (1758), the “One-Day Gate” was constructed, and in the 30th year of the Daoguang era (1850), the ancient temple was renovated, with three refined chambers added to the left of the Guanyin Hall. The temple complex consists of historic structures such as the Mahavira Hall, Grand Buddha Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Child-Giving Hall, Amitabha Pavilion, Guanyin Hall, and Jade Emperor Tower, covering an area of 2,000 square meters.

The Phoenix Mountain Forest Park, where the Phoenix Temple is located, was approved as a provincial cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Hunan Province in May 2002; in July 2010, it was designated as a Hunan Provincial Patriotic Education Base by the Publicity Department of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee.

Zhang Xueliang (June 3, 1901 – October 14, 2001), courtesy name Hànqīng, art name Yǐ’ān, and childhood names Shuāngxǐ and Xiǎoliùzǐ, was a first-class general of the Army, of Han ethnicity, with ancestral roots in Haicheng, Liaoning. He was born on June 3, 1901 (the 17th day of the 4th lunar month), in Zhangjiabao Village, Ejia Village, Jiujian Township, Tai’an County, Liaoning Province (formerly known as Sangzilin Zhanjiawopu). Known as the “Young Marshal,” he was the eldest son of Zhang Zuolin, leader of the Fengtian Clique warlords, and one of the “Four Handsome Men of the Republic.”

Educational Background

In 1917, he served in his father Zhang Zuolin’s army. In 1919, he studied at the… Zhang Xueliang Detailed Information++