Former Site of Zhang Tingshu Mansion

In 1928, a Roman-style mansion rose at No. 7 Beisijing Street in Shenyang. Built with two floors above ground and a cool basement level, the brick-and-wood structure was the official residence of Zhang Tingshu. He was a lieutenant general in the Northeastern Army and the second son of the powerful warlord Zhang Zuoxiang. Today, the building stands inside the campus of Shenyang No. 126 Middle School, its pale yellow plaster facade shaded by mature trees.

To enter, one climbs a ten-step semi-circular stone staircase. Four towering Doric columns flank the entrance, rising straight to the roof eaves. Above the arched main entryway, a curved balcony features a decorative balustrade of vase-shaped openwork carvings. The windows show a geometric transition. The first floor features rounded arches, and the second floor features rectangular frames. A matching parapet wall of openwork vases crowns the roofline.

This mansion witnessed the quiet resolve of its owner. During the September 18th Incident of 1931, Zhang Tingshu organized defense preparations in Jinzhou, defying non-resistance orders. In 1937, he made a stark personal choice. He left his pregnant wife with three thousand yuan, took his remaining savings, and traveled south to join the anti-Japanese resistance, eventually reaching Yan'an in 1938. After the war, he lived in Beijing, refusing Chiang Kai-shek’s offer to serve as a high-ranking military advisor. He died in 1949 at the age of forty-five.

The mansion is closed to the general public for campus security. Its historical presence remains strong. The sound of school bells and student footsteps now fills the air around the stone columns. The building serves as the school's history museum, preserving the memory of a commander who chose the battlefield over his comfortable home.