Yu Zhishan
Encyclopedia
Yu Zhishan was a military officer under the Beiyang Government
and the Fengtian clique
, subsequently becoming a cabinet minister in the Empire of Manchukuo
.
Province, in 1923, Yu served as commander of the Northwest Army’s 5th Combined Regiment stationed in Shandong Province. In 1924, he was reassigned to command the 8th Combined Regiment by order of the Manchurian warlord
Zhang Zuolin
. He was promoted to lieutenant general in June 1927. He returned to Shandong Province as commander of the 30th Army, assisting Chiang Kai-shek
in defeating the forces of Yan Xishan
in the Central Plains War
. However, his alliance with the Kuomintang
was short, as he was recalled to Manchuria to guard against the Northern Expedition. Following the death of Zhang Zuolin in the Huanggutun Incident
in 1928, Manchuria fell back into chaos. Yu initially supported Zhang Xueliang
, who appointed him commander in chief of the military in the 20 prefectures immediately surrounding Shenyang
. Following the Mukden Incident
of September 1931, Yu worked with Kan Chaoxi to declare Shenyang independent from the Republic of China, and subsequently cooperated with the Imperial Japanese Army
on the Self-Government Guiding Board
in the establishment of the state of Manchukuo.
In March 1932, Yu was appointed chief of police for Fentian Province
in Manchukuo. From July, 1934, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the First Army of the Manchukuo Imperial Army
, and from May of the same year, was appointed Army Minister in the Manchukuo Cabinet. In July 1937, the Army Ministry was renamed the Ministry of Public Security, and took over control of all police activities. Yu remained a cabinet minister until April 1939, at which time he was made a member of the Privy Council
.
Following the collapse of Manchukuo, he fled to Beijing
, where he lived under an assumed name until some point after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in October 1949. He died in prison at the Fushun
War Criminals Management Centre
in May 1951 at the age of 72.
Beiyang Government
The Beiyang government or warlord government collectively refers to a series of military regimes that ruled from Beijing from 1912 to 1928 at Zhongnanhai. It was internationally recognized as the legitimate Government of the Republic of China. The name comes from the Beiyang Army which dominated...
and the Fengtian clique
Fengtian clique
The Fengtian Clique was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of China's warlord era. It was named for Fengtian Province and led by Zhang Zuolin...
, subsequently becoming a cabinet minister in the Empire of Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
.
Biography
A native of LiaoningLiaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
Province, in 1923, Yu served as commander of the Northwest Army’s 5th Combined Regiment stationed in Shandong Province. In 1924, he was reassigned to command the 8th Combined Regiment by order of the Manchurian warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin was the warlord of Manchuria from 1916 to 1928 . He successfully invaded China proper in October 1924 in the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. He gained control of Peking, including China's internationally recognized government, in April 1926...
. He was promoted to lieutenant general in June 1927. He returned to Shandong Province as commander of the 30th Army, assisting Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
in defeating the forces of Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan, was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. Yan effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War...
in the Central Plains War
Central Plains War
Central Plains War was a civil war within the factionalised Kuomintang that broke out in 1930. It was fought between the forces of Chiang Kai-shek and the coalition of three military commanders who had previously allied with Chiang: Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, and Li Zongren...
. However, his alliance with the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
was short, as he was recalled to Manchuria to guard against the Northern Expedition. Following the death of Zhang Zuolin in the Huanggutun Incident
Huanggutun Incident
Huanggutun Incident was an assassination plotted by the Japanese Kwantung Army that targeted Fengtian warlord Zhang Zuolin. It took place on June 4, 1928 at Huanggutun rail station near Shenyang in which Zhang's train was destroyed by an explosion...
in 1928, Manchuria fell back into chaos. Yu initially supported Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang , occasionally called Peter Hsueh Liang Chang in English, nicknamed the Young Marshal , was the effective ruler of Manchuria and much of North China after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese on 4 June 1928...
, who appointed him commander in chief of the military in the 20 prefectures immediately surrounding Shenyang
Shenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
. Following the Mukden Incident
Mukden Incident
The Mukden Incident, also known as the Manchurian Incident, was a staged event that was engineered by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for invading the northern part of China known as Manchuria in 1931....
of September 1931, Yu worked with Kan Chaoxi to declare Shenyang independent from the Republic of China, and subsequently cooperated with the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
on the Self-Government Guiding Board
Self-Government Guiding Board
The Self-Government Guiding Board was organized by the Imperial Japanese Army, in Mukden during the last half of September 1931 following the Mukden Incident and Invasion of Manchuria. The purpose of the Board was to start an independence movement and spread it throughout Manchuria...
in the establishment of the state of Manchukuo.
In March 1932, Yu was appointed chief of police for Fentian Province
Fengtian
Fengtian is:* The name of an old prefecture under which Shenyang city was administered. Abolished in 1910.* The former name of Liaoning province from 1907 to 1929. Under the Manchukuo regime, the name was revived, but was again abolished in 1945....
in Manchukuo. From July, 1934, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the First Army of the Manchukuo Imperial Army
Manchukuo Imperial Army
The Manchukuo Imperial Army was the armed force of the Japanese dominated puppet state of Manchukuo, serving as the land forces, along with the Manchukuo Imperial Guards...
, and from May of the same year, was appointed Army Minister in the Manchukuo Cabinet. In July 1937, the Army Ministry was renamed the Ministry of Public Security, and took over control of all police activities. Yu remained a cabinet minister until April 1939, at which time he was made a member of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
.
Following the collapse of Manchukuo, he fled to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, where he lived under an assumed name until some point after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in October 1949. He died in prison at the Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
War Criminals Management Centre
Fushun War Criminals Management Centre
Fushun War Criminals Management Centre , also known as Liaodong No. 3 Prison or Liaoning No. 3 Prison was the site of the re-education of Manchuko, Kuomintang and Japanese prisoners of war, held by China from 1950 onwards. It was located in the Xinfu District of Fushun city, Liaoning Province,...
in May 1951 at the age of 72.