Director: Zhang Li

Starring: Article / Li Xuejian / Song Jia / Zhang Xinyi / Huang PinYuan / Sun Liang / Yu Ailei / Bai Yu

First aired: 2015

Plot Summary:

     The autobiography of the legendary figure Zhang Xueliang gently recounts this weathered elder’s life—both illustrious and… A life fraught with hardship. Born during the era of warlord conflicts, Zhang Xueliang lost his mother in childhood and was the beloved eldest son of the powerful warlord Zhang Zuolin. This dashing young man, overshadowed by his father’s towering reputation, embarked on a military career from the moment he entered the army academy founded by his father: first leading troops into battle, then enduring the trials of numerous wars, only to suffer the devastating blow of his close friend Guo Songling’s rebellion against the Fengtian clique, and to bear the personal and national humiliation of his father’s assassination at the hands of the Japanese. Ultimately, he shouldered the heavy responsibilities of family and country, rising to become the leader of the three northeastern provinces. Throughout his life, Zhang Xueliang was known for his charm and romantic pursuits, yet his heart belonged to two remarkable women—his first wife, Yu Fengzhi, and his great love, Zhao Si. He became addicted to drugs and eventually relied on foreign doctors to overcome his addiction. With a pure and sincere heart, he sought China’s reunification, implementing the “Northeast Flag Change” and pledging absolute obedience to Chiang Kai-shek; but this very loyalty led to the Japanese occupation of Shenyang following the Mukden Incident. At last, at the age of thirty-six, he joined General Yang Hucheng in orchestrating the Xi’an Incident, bringing an end to the civil war and paving the way for cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in their joint resistance against Japan—only to be placed under house arrest for half a century as a result.