Zhang Qun or Chang Ch'ün (; May 9, 1889 – December 14, 1990) also known as Zhang Yuejun (張岳軍), was

premier of the Republic of China The Premier of the Republic of China, officially the President of the Executive Yuan ( Chinese: 行政院院長), is the head of the government of the Republic of China of Taiwan and leader of the Executive Yuan. The premier is nominally the ...

and a prominent member of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

. He served as secretary general to the President of the Republic from 1954 to 1972 and senior advisor to Presidents Chiang Kai-shek,

Yen Chia-kan Yen Chia-kan (; 23 October 1905 – 24 December 1993), also known as C. K. Yen, was a Kuomintang politician. He succeeded Chiang Kai-shek as President of the Republic of China on 5 April 1975, being sworn in on 6 April 1975, and served out the ...

Chiang Ching-kuo Chiang Ching-kuo (27 April 1910 – 13 January 1988) was a politician of the Republic of China after its retreat to Taiwan. The eldest and only biological son of former president Chiang Kai-shek, he held numerous posts in the government ...

, and Lee Teng-hui. Under the influence of his wife, Ma Yu-ying, he became a Christian in the 1930s.

Education and early career

Born in the Huayang County (now part of

Shuangliu County Shuangliu District () is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, Southwest China. The district covers an area of , and has a population of approximately 1,396,400 as of 2019. It is the h ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

province, Chang was admitted in 1906 to 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 milita ...

, just southwest of Beijing. The next year, he was selected to go to Japan to study at the

Tokyo Shimbu Gakko The was a military preparatory school located in Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1896 by the Imperial Japanese Army for the purpose of providing basic military training to students from China, many of its students later played important roles in th ...

, a preparatory military school, where he specialized in artillery. Together with his classmate, Chiang Kai-shek, he joined the T'ung-meng-hui the same year. After completing their preparatory studies, they both served in the Takada regiment of the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

’s 13th Field Artillery Brigade, stationed in

Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area at . Niigata Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture and ...

before returning to China to serve under Sun Yat-sen in the

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

which would overthrow the Qing monarchy in 1911. During this period, a lifelong friendship between the two men and Huang Fu was formed and the three became sworn, or blood, brothers. Chang married Ma Yu-ying (馬育英) in 1913; because their first child was born in 1917, he later joked to have practiced family planning long before it became popular. When

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. H ...

attempted to restore the monarchy, Chang fled to Japan, finished his military training at 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 ...

in 1915, and then went to the Netherlands East Indies, where he taught in an overseas Chinese school. Returning to China to participate in Yuan's overthrow in the

National Protection War The National Protection War (), also known as the Anti-Monarchy War, was a civil war that took place in China between 1915 and 1916. Only three years earlier, the last Chinese dynasty, the Qing dynasty, had been overthrown and the Republic of ...

, he served as adjutant-general to

Cen Chunxuan Cen Chunxuan (1861 – 27 April 1933), courtesy name Yunjie, was a Zhuang Chinese politician who lived in the late Qing dynasty and Republic of China. Early career Cen was born in 1861 during the late Qing dynasty in Xilin, Guangxi. Hi ...

, president of the southern provinces, which repudiated Yuan's regime. With the restoration of the Republic, Chang held several posts. Becoming a major general of the National Revolutionary Army at age 28, he later became a member of the Kuomintang's Central Executive Committee, mayor of

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

and president of

Tongji University Tongji University () is a comprehensive public research university located in Shanghai. Established in 1907 by the German government together with German physicians in Shanghai, Tongji is one of the longest-standing, most selective, and most pr ...

, governor of

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...

province and foreign minister. In the KMT, he led the Political Science Clique (政學系), which included military men such as Huang Fu and Xiong Shihui (熊式輝), intellectuals, such as Yang Yongtai (楊永泰) and

Wang Ch'ung-hui Wang Ch'ung-hui (; 1881–1958) was a prominent Chinese jurist, diplomat and politician who served the Republic of China from its foundation in 1912 until his death in 1958. He was a close associate of the republic's founding father, Sun Yat- ...

, and bankers and industrialists, including Wu Dingchang (吳鼎昌) and

Chang Kia-ngau Chang Kia-ngau (; 1889–1979), courtesy name Gōngquán (公权), was a Chinese banker, politician, and scholar. He was an influential figure in the history of modern Chinese central bank. Biography Chang was born in 1889 in Jiading outside of ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served as secretary general of the National Security Council and governor of

province.

Post-war career

In 1946, Chang, representing the national government, was a member of the Committee of Three (also known as the

Marshall Mission The Marshall Mission (; 20 December 1945 – January 1947) was a failed diplomatic mission undertaken by United States Army General George C. Marshall to China in an attempt to negotiate between the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist ...

) along with General

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...

, then head of the U.S.

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

, and

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

representative

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Ma ...

, which had been established in Nanjing in January, 1946 to effect a Kuomintang-Chinese Communist Party truce and head off

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The

helped to bring about a temporary cease-fire and but its plans for a political-military settlement did not succeed. In 1947, Chang headed the first coalition government as president of the Executive Yuan, a position also known as

. His platform was to prepare China for constitutional government, land reform and price control. Despite his long ties with Chiang Kai-shek, he could not bring about the political reforms he favored. After the transfer of the capital from Nanjing to

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

, he became chief of staff and secretary general to the president in 1954. Among his duties were planning the government's foreign policy and representing the president in Japan, Africa and Europe, including the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

in 1965. In 1972, he played a large role in the difficult negotiations regarding Japan's switch of diplomatic recognition to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. His last official position was chairman of the Presidium of the Kuomintang's Central Advisory Committee.Biographical Dictionary of Republican China
Volume 1: Ai-Ch'u. Howard L. Boorman, Editor; Richard C. Howard, Associate Editor. New York: Columbia University Press, 1966, pp. 47-52 Three people for peace

Personal life

A member of the board of the National Palace Museum, Chang was a renowned calligrapher, keen art collector, friend of great artists such as

Chang Dai-chien Chang Dai-chien or Zhang Daqian (; 10 May 1899 – 2 April 1983) was one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Originally known as a '' guohua'' (traditionalist) painter, by the 1960s he was also renowned ...

Huang Jun-bi
and Lan Yin-ting, and recipient of honorary doctorates from several universities, including the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

, Seoul National University,

St. John's University (New York) St. John's University is a private Roman Catholic university in Queens, New York City. It was founded in 1870 by the Congregation of the Mission (C.M., the Vincentian Fathers) with a mission to provide the youth of New York with a Catholic un ...

Sungkyunkwan Sungkyunkwan was the foremost educational institution in Korea during the late Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. Today, it sits in its original location, at the south end of the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul ...

University and

Soochow University (Taiwan) Soochow University () is a private university in Taipei, Taiwan. Soochow University maintains a church and a Methodist minister in residence, though it may be considered a secular institution. Soochow University is one of the most prestigious ...

. He died at the age of , of heart and kidney failure, at Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, on December 14, 1990. From 20 January 1990, when former

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni General was a Japanese imperial prince, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945, a period of 54 days. An uncle-in-law of Emperor Hirohito twice over, Prince Hi ...

died until his own death, Chang was the world's oldest living former head of government. Chang's wife, Ma Yu-ying (馬育英; pinyin: Ma Yuying), was a devout Christian and died in 1974. His daughter, Yalan Chang Lew (劉張亞蘭; pinyin: Liu Zhang Yalan), died on July 14, 2014 at age 97 in Seattle, USA; she was the widow of Ambassador Yu-tang Daniel Lew (劉毓棠; pinyin: Liu Yutang), who had died in 2005 at age 92 in Taipei. His son, Dr. Philip Chi-cheng Chang ( 張繼正; pinyin: Zhang Jizheng), who died on October 24, 2015 at age 96 in Taipei, was former communications minister 1969-72, chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development 1973-76,

finance minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

1978-81 and governor of the

Central Bank of China Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

1984-89. His second son, Rev. Dr. Theodore Chi-chong Chang (張繼忠; pinyin: Zhang Jizhong), who died on October 26, 2020 at age 92 in California, was vice president of the Truth Theological Seminary and pastor emeritus of the Mandarin Baptist Church of Pasadena, California.

Awards

* Order of National Glory *

Order of Blue Sky and White Sun The Order of Blue Sky and White Sun with Grand Cordon ( Chinese:青天白日勳章 or 青天白日勛章) is the Republic of China's second highest military award. Created in 1929, it is awarded for "outstanding contributions to national securit ...

Order of Chiang Chung-Cheng Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

* Order of the Brilliant Star, Special Class with Grand Cordon *

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvija ...

, 1st Class (January 19, 1937)

References

External links

Article on the Chang residence in Shanghai
by Michelle Qiao, Shanghai Daily Home
Photo of Premier Chang arriving at the National Assembly's first meeting in 1948Chang Chun examining Yangtze River
the 65-foot-long painting by Zhang Daqian, commissioned for his 80th birthday
Photographic article on the Chang Residence in Shihlin
designed by Wang Da-hong. On April 7, 2014, the residence was declared a cultural heritage site by the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs.
August 4, 2017 TVBS review of future use of the Chang Residence in ShihlinInclusion of the Chang Residence in Soochow University's History Map

Internet videos

Governor Chang takes salute
at a parade of Central Military Academy cadets, marking the 31st anniversary of the Chinese Revolution in 1942
General_George_Marshall
_watches_National_Security_Council_Secretary_General_Chang_Chun.html" ;"title="George Marshall">General George Marshall
watches National Security Council Secretary General Chang Chun">George Marshall">General George Marshall
watches National Security Council Secretary General Chang Chunand Communist representative

sign the truce in 1946. (View from 6:56)
行政院長張群蒞台 Premier Chang
arrives in Taipei in October, 1947
台灣省慶祝第二屆光復節大會 Premier Chang
presides over the celebrations of Taiwan's Retrocession Day, October 25, 1947
張群特使訪日專輯 Special Envoy Chang Chun
visits Japan, where he met with the Emperor, Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi and others in 1957
日本前首相吉田茂訪華
Secretary General Chang receives former Japanese Prime Minister

Shigeru Yoshida (22 September 1878 – 20 October 1967) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. Yoshida was one of the longest-serving Japanese prime ministers, and is the third-long ...

in 1964
長江萬里圖
The 65-foot-long painting, ''Yangtze River'' by

, commissioned for Chang Chun's 80th birthday, on display at the

National Museum of History The National Museum of History (NMH; ) is located in the Nanhai Academy in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. After the Republic of China government moved to Taiwan, the National Museum of History was the first museum to be established in Taiwa ...

in Taipei in 1967
行政院新舊任院長交接典禮
Secretary General Chang presides over the transfer of the premiership in 1972 *張學良 Chang Hsueh-liang'
90th birthday celebration
hosted by 101-year-old Chang Chun on June 1, 1990 (View especially from 0:29-1:04 where Chang Chun remembers their friendship of 60 years) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Qun 1889 births 1990 deaths Chinese centenarians Men centenarians Tongmenghui members People of the 1911 Revolution Mayors of Shanghai Baoding Military Academy cadets Chinese police officers Senior Advisors to President Chiang Kai-shek Senior Advisors to President Chiang Ching-kuo Senior Advisors to President Lee Teng-hui Premiers of the Republic of China Foreign Ministers of the Republic of China Politicians from Chengdu Republic of China politicians from Sichuan Kuomintang politicians in Taiwan Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star Recipients of the Order of Chiang Chung-Cheng Sichuanese Protestants Taiwanese Protestants Taiwanese people from Sichuan