Zhang

One of The Twelve Families of the Solar Republic.

The Zhang/Chang Family are a Tier Two family in the Solar Republic but with rising ambitions to Tier One. The current First Citizen is Jianyu Zhang (3215 to date) who has been driving renewed military and scientific investment in support of a broader Earth First policy.

Prior to this Xiao Zhang briefly held office between 3174-3178 following the death of Nikola De Andres (nee Rathbone). Xiao's death in 3178 allowed the relatively young Henry Rathbone to once again take the role into his family. the office. There remain many books and TriVids supporting a conspiracy theory that Xiao was poisoned in office, but these suspicions hold little or no weight outside of small cliques.


The Zhang family draws on significant interests in the intelligence world, and has powerful links to the Imperial Audit Office (IAO). Former First Minister Lee Zhang came to that role after a period as Director of the IAO and brought many of his experiences in that office to bear on his time in office. The family is always seemingly in financial straights (despite significant corporate interests).

The Zhang family is known to have strong links to the Union of Xyon (UoX) - often via intelligence contacts. The family has also shown considerable enmity towards the Sirius Socialist Republic based on deep historical factors dating back to the Sirius Rebellions in the 2900's.

The family supports a very forward leaning Earth First foreign policy and the current relationship between the First Citizen and his First Minister (Vidkun Armstrong) has generated some interesting internal policy debates.