Did You Know Taiwan Singer David Huang's 'Grandpa' is Chinese National Hero Chang Hsueh-Liang?

If singer-songwriter David Huang, who is best known for his hit song ‘You Make Me Drunk’, strikes you as a serious musician who takes his craft very seriously, it's probably because passion and dedication are in his DNA.

It's recently come to light that his 'grandpa' is none other than Chang Hsueh-Liang, the instigator behind the famous 1936 Xi'an incident in which Chiang Kai-Shek was overthrown.

At the time Chiang was the leader of China's ruling party, the Kuomintang. He was arrested by Chang Hsueh-Liang and forced into a truce with the Communist Party of China, so that they could team up and fight Japan together.

Although Chiang acquiesced at first, he later arrested Chang Hsueh-Liang back and had him put under house arrest for 50 years. Chang Hsueh-Liang is still considered a hero by the Communist Party of China, thanks to his role in the incident.

David's mother Zhang Luheng is in fact Chang Hsueh-Liang’s niece, but David refers to him as 'grandpa' anyway, because Chang Hsueh-Liang adopted Zhang Luheng as his goddaughter.

Chang Hsueh-liang with his wife Edith Chao Chang

Another interesting tidbit: Chang Hsueh-Liang’s father was Zhang Zuolin, a famous warlord who was killed by the Japanese when they invaded Manchuria.

The family's rich political past is not brought up much, but David's most vivid memory of his 'grandpa' is from when he visited Taiwan as a 10-year-old. They were having a meal together when suddenly Chang Hsueh-Liang raised his hand and clapped him on the back, saying 'David! You must be brave! You must love your country!'

Sounds intense. No wonder David went into music instead.

Photos: Weibo