Historical records of Zhang Zuolin’s tomb
According to historical records, in the early years of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin planned to move the Zhang family tomb located in Haicheng to another place, so he entrusted his brother-in-law Wu Yongen to choose a site to build the tomb. After Wu Yongen took the famous Feng Shui master to find this land in the west of Yimafang Village in Jin County (now Linghai City), Zhang Zuolin bought 40 acres of surrounding land and built the Zhang family cemetery. In the second year of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin moved his mother's remains from Heishan County to this place and set it up as the main tomb. Later, his wife Zhao (Zhang Xueliang's biological mother) was also buried here. The tomb covers an area of about 15 acres. There are five or six fruit trees outside the tomb, and it is surrounded by cultivated land.
At the beginning of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin had just made his fortune, and no major construction projects were carried out on the tomb land, only a slight outline. When Zhang Zuolin was promoted from division commander to military governor and then provincial governor, he had a prominent official position and thought he was the spirit of the tomb. So he built a lot of construction and beautified the tomb to make it spectacular. A flower wall was built around the tomb, and an archway and pavilion were erected in front of the tomb door. In front of the tomb gate, there are two thick stone pillars with stone lions engraved on the top. Two huge monuments were erected in front of the tomb of Tomb. The inscriptions on the monuments are clear and meaningful, and they are intended to record events and praise virtues.
Later, when Zhang Zuolin became successful and was promoted from the "King of the Northeast" to the Grand Marshal of the Army, Navy and Air Force, he decided to choose a place with mountains and rivers, beautiful scenery and outstanding terrain near Zhangdang, Fushun. Following the past example of emperors starting to build mausoleums after they ascended the throne, they also built a large-scale construction project and built a marshal's forest. Using the Beiling as a model, 62 pieces of stone horses, stone lions, and Weng Zhong were transported from the Longen Temple in Shijingshan, the western suburbs of Peiping, and the tombs of Abatai, the seventh son of Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Dynasty, and others. The buildings are very majestic and spectacular. As a burial place.
On June 4, 1928, Zhang Zuolin was forced to return to Fengtian from Peiping. He was bombed to death by the Japanese in Huanggutun. His coffin was temporarily placed in the Zhulin Temple in Dongguan, Shenyang until Fushun Marshal Lin Xiucheng Burial again. During the "September 18th" Incident, the Japanese invaded Shenyang, Marshal Lin was forced to stop work, and Zhang Zuolin's burial of Marshal Lin was put on hold.
On the eve of the Xi'an Incident, Wu Yongen's son Wu Tingkui was in Xi'an with Zhang Xueliang. Zhang Xueliang told him to return to Shenyang and bury the general's coffin at Yimafang Tomb as soon as possible, and asked him to take good care of the Zhang family tomb. After Wu Tingkui returned, he worked with many people from Zhang's old ministry to negotiate with the Japanese and puppet authorities and the Puppet Manchukuo Association. In 1937, the son of Wu Tingkui and Zhang Zuolin's sister was a filial piety and guardian. Zhang Zuolin's coffin was transported by train from Shenyang to Yangquan Station, and then carried to Yimafang Tomb for burial with his wife Zhao. At that time, Zhang Zuolin's brother-in-law Wu Yongen presided over the funeral ceremony at Yimafang. The burial ceremony was very solemn, and fake newspapers at the time reported the spirit transfer event. After that, Wu Tingkui also took care of Zhang's tomb.
After the Anti-Japanese War, the War of Liberation, the land reform in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the ups and downs of the "Cultural Revolution" for decades, the tombs were overgrown with weeds and eroded by nature. It is desolate, with the exception of two monuments and other buildings collapsed and destroyed.
After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Zhang Zuolin Cemetery was also bathed in the spring breeze of reform and opening up. In August 1984, the Jinzhou Municipal People's Government listed Zhang Zuolin's tomb as a key cultural relic protection unit, and carved a granite sign to stand in the garden with the inscription "Zhang Zuolin Cemetery" inscribed on the Wei stele. After 1985, Liaoning Province and Jinzhou Municipal Government allocated funds three times, instructing the United Front Work Department of Jinxian County Party Committee and relevant departments to take charge of maintenance. After three renovations, the Zhang Cemetery has become increasingly solemn and solemn. News that Zhang Zuolin's cemetery had been vigorously repaired by the local government quickly spread at home and abroad, and attracted the Zhang family's former members and overseas descendants of the Zhang family. In July 1986, four old men from General Zhang Xueliang's old army, Jing Youyan, Hu Zhen, Hui De'an and Zheng Dianqi, made a special trip to Yimafang Village, Shishan Town to pay their respects to the Zhang family cemetery. On October 2, 1986, General Zhang Xueliang’s niece Ms. Zhang Luheng and nephew Mr. Zhang Tongguang and his wife came from Hong Kong and Brazil respectively to pay homage to their ancestors. In May 1987, General Zhang Xueliang's cousin Zhang Xuewen, his wife Wang Wenrui and their children, accompanied by Mrs. Zhang Xuesi and member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Xie Xueping, also came to visit the cemetery. Descendants of the Zhang family are deeply grateful to the local government for repairing the Zhang family cemetery. According to relevant sources, in the 1990s, Marshal Zhang Xueliang also planned to return to China to visit his grave, but was unable to make the trip for some reason. Now that the young marshal has passed away, sweeping his grave has become a lifelong regret.