Picture 丨 Jiang Xiaoyong old photo
preface
"The coffin does not fall to the ground, and one day in the future, it will return to the mainland for burial." Before chiang kai-shek's death, Chiang Kai-shek confessed to his descendants in this way, coincidentally, 13 years later, before his death, Chiang Ching-kuo also instructed his descendants: "The coffin is temporarily stable (cuò) Cihu Lake, and will be transported back to the mainland in the future." In March 1996, after Soong Mei-ling, who was far away in the United States, learned about the situation of the Taiwan authorities, she instructed Jiang Weiguo and Jiang Xiaoyong:
"It's time to think about shifting spirits, I think, now is the time."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
After the deaths of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, their mausoleums were built on Cihu Lake and Daxi, respectively, separated by only one kilometer. The General Affairs Bureau under the "Ministry of National Defense" is responsible for security and vigilance tasks, and there are gendarmes in both places, who work in shifts day and night.
However, in 1996, the Taiwan authorities removed the gendarmes guarding the tomb, and Song Meiling learned of this news from Chiang Wai-kuo and said:
"This is to be expected, and it seems that the matter of shifting the soul should be considered."
Pictured: Chiang Kai-shek's coffin
Later, Song Meiling told her grandson Jiang Xiaoyong about this matter once, saying that she had officially told Jiang Weiguo that this matter must be handled by Jiang Xiaoyong and Jiang Weiguo together. As early as the last time Song Meiling returned to Taiwan, Jiang Xiaoyong felt that Song Meiling had the intention of moving the spirit, but did not talk deeply, at this time to listen to Song Meiling again, Jiang Xiaoyong felt that things were not ordinary.
Song Meiling instructed Jiang Xiaoyong,
Before his death, Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly talked about the burial of his coffin, but he had not found a suitable time before, and now that there were no guards in the two mausoleums, why should the two coffins be placed in Taiwan?
Jiang Xiaoyong asked her grandmother where she was going to bury her grandfather and father, and Song Meiling sighed and said:
"Since Taiwan cannot survive the coffins of the two, it has to be buried in the xikou hometown of Fenghua."
Jiang Xiaoyong just thought at first that he had heard wrongly, how could his grandmother ask to go back to the mainland for burial, looking at Song Meiling's serious face, Jiang Xiaoyong felt that his grandmother was explaining a big thing to himself.
After the death of her grandfather, her grandmother Song Meiling has been thinking about what her grandfather told her before she died, and when she can do it, and now that the political situation in Taiwan has changed, Song Meiling is eager to explain the aftermath.
Pictured by Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling
Jiang Xiaoyong, who understands the situation on both sides of the taiwan strait, told Song Meiling that sooner or later the matter of moving the soul must be done, but it is only a matter of time, and I do not know whether it is appropriate to talk about this matter now. Song Meiling ignored Chiang Hsiao-yong and continued to explain Chiang Kai-shek's wishes before his death, and Chiang Kai-shek hoped to be buried in Fenghua and at the Purple Mountain in Nanjing:
"If you can't do it in Fenghua, go to Nanjing, do you understand what I mean?"
Jiang Xiaoyong responded that his father also hoped to be buried in Fenghua, after all, it was the hometown of the Jiang family, but he did not know when he would be able to do so. Song Meiling sighed and said, "
I think it's time.
”
More than a month later, Song Meiling, who was far away in the United States, received a letter from Jiang Xiaoyong saying that he had begun to step up the matter of transferring the souls of his grandfather and father in Taiwan. Song Meiling felt even more uneasy after receiving the letter,
For the situation in Taiwan, Soong Mei-ling is always concerned, especially after the destruction of the bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek and the semi-open opening of the Shilin official residence to the ordinary people, Soong Mei-ling's heart is even more worried.
Picture 丨 Song Meiling in the United States
When she saw from the press that Chiang Wei-kuo had already proposed that the coffins of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo be moved to the mainland, the situation that Soong Mei-ling had anticipated appeared, and the Taiwan media were in an uproar about it, and all the major newspapers and periodicals were publishing news about the "two Chiang Kai-shek's souls" and the speeches of the Kuomintang dignitaries on it.
At an important meeting of the Kuomintang, Jiang Weiguo formally put forward a request to move the spirits of his father Chiang Kai-shek and his brother Chiang Ching-kuo to the mainland for burial, which immediately caused a shock in the Kuomintang, but Jiang Weiguo was not swayed by public opinion, insisted that the transfer of spirits was a reasonable thing, and called on the Kuomintang to make money to set up a "Preparatory Committee for Moving The Spirit Continent" and let his father and brother be buried in the land at an early date. With tears in his eyes, he said to other Kuomintang officials:
"Please put yourself in the shoes of a brother, don't say that I am a son and a brother, even as a comrade, if there is an accident in the mausoleum, it will be difficult to escape the blame!"
Pictured by Jiang Weiguo and his father Chiang Kai-shek
Jiang Weiguo's words were attacked on the spot, and when jiang Weiguo was asked why he said that the two mausoleums were in danger of being destroyed, Jiang Weiguo responded indignantly: ""
What is the basis? Isn't it a reliable basis for the mausoleum defenders to retreat on a chosen day and the destruction of the bronze statue of my father?
Some high-level figures in the Kuomintang said that the matter of moving the spirit was somewhat difficult, and "the issues involved were quite complicated," but agreed to Jiang Weiguo's proposal and set up a planning group to study and analyze the matter of the spirit transfer.
Jiang Xiaoyong's trip to the mainland
In early 1996, Jiang Xiaoyong was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and quietly left Taiwan in July of that year to secretly visit the mainland through Hong Kong. Song Meiling expressed her approval of Jiang Xiaoyong's family returning to the mainland, knowing that Jiang Xiaoyong's condition had reached a critical moment, and if she did not go back, she might not have another chance.
Jiang Xiaoyong went to the mainland with the hope of Song Meiling, on the one hand, he wanted to treat diseases in Beijing, when he mainly carried out Western medicine treatment, so he wanted to listen to the opinions of Chinese medicine in the mainland. On the other hand, I also want to go back to my hometown to see and make some efforts for my grandfather and father to transfer their spirits.
In fact, returning to the mainland has always been Jiang Xiaoyong's wish.
Pictured by Jiang Xiaoyong (left) and his father Chiang Ching-kuo
As early as 1995, Jiang Xiaoyong's wife Fang Zhiyi hoped to accompany her parents to the mainland to visit the mainland, and Jiang Xiaoyong agreed very much after learning about it, and encouraged her to make a public appearance. In fact, Jiang Xiaoyong also wanted to make some tentative attempts in the name of his wife to see what kind of articles the Taiwan side would do in this matter.
The news of Fang Zhiyi's visit to the mainland quickly spread, and the Hong Kong media made a lot of public reports on it, and Fang Zhiyi also told Beijing reporters that she was in a good mood after coming to Beijing. At home and abroad, Fang Zhiyi's visit to the mainland was praised, which made Jiang Xiaoyong put his mind at ease, and his worries did not appear.
Unfortunately, after Jiang Xiaoyong was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, he felt that his physical condition was weakening day by day, so he made up his mind to visit the mainland as soon as possible. After the family arrived in Beijing, they were quietly admitted to beijing hospital, and the mainland side took meticulous care of the arrival of the family and arranged for famous doctors from all over the country to consult on Jiang Xiaoyong's condition.
Pictured by Jiang Xiaoyong and his wife Fang Zhiyi
After the diagnosis, the old Chinese medicine doctor prescribed a prescription to Jiang Xiaoyong, which needed to be decocted twice a day, according to Jiang Youbai's recollection, when his father drank such a bitter Chinese medicine, he did not have the slightest expression of pain, and he could drink it every time, and lamented that chinese medicine had the atmosphere of the mainland and the local atmosphere of his hometown.
The doctors truthfully informed Fang Zhiyi and Jiang Youbai of Jiang Xiaoyong's condition, like Jiang Xiaoyong's disease, often from the onset of the disease to the end of only a year or so, Jiang Xiaoyong actually had a long preparation in his heart, after finding out the condition, he has been arranging the aftermath in an orderly manner.
Subsequently, Jiang Xiaoyong's whole family went to Fenghua Xikou to complete the second thing of this trip to the mainland.
For the hometown of the Jiang family, Jiang Youbai has learned from old photos since he was a child, and adults sometimes talk about the stories that happened in Xikou. In order to avoid alarming the local government, Jiang Xiaoyong's visit to the mainland did not make a big fuss, and even the receptionist did not know their true identities, but only entertained "guests from Taiwan" in accordance with the instructions of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
The picture shows Jiang Xiaoyong's family taking a photo in their hometown
Jiang Xiaoyong's family, like other tourists, spent money to buy tickets and visited large and small attractions under the guidance of a guide. The first attraction is the "Tomb Road of Chiang Kai-shek's Mother", which is the cemetery of Chiang Kai-shek's mother, which needs to walk more than 600 meters of stone steps from the foot of the mountain, and the two Brothers of Jiang Youbai help their father to walk slowly, and the car driver on the side comes to sell business.
Jiang Xiaoyong shook his head decisively and refused the caravan, he wanted to go up on his own, after all, this is a road back to his hometown, it is a road to recognize his ancestors, for more than forty years, Jiang Xiaoyong has the opportunity to take this road for the first time, he must go up step by step.
For half an hour, they stopped and walked, and finally came to the tomb, and the whole family laid flowers and knelt down.
Then Jiang Xiaoyong's family visited the former residence, first visited the house where Chiang Ching-kuo once lived, where everyone was speaking Ningbo dialect, Jiang Xiaoyong talked with the tour guide in Ningbo dialect, which surprised the tour guide, this middle-aged Taiwanese man could actually speak such an authentic local dialect, busy asking if they were fellow countrymen. Jiang Xiaoyong smiled and did not answer the tour guide's question.
Although the mainland side kept Jiang Xiaoyong's visit to the mainland very secret and told them that they could enjoy themselves at Xikou, as long as they did not leak the wind, others would not recognize it. But when visiting the former residence, Jiang Xiaoyong was recognized by an elderly staff member.
Picture 丨 Chiang's former residence
At that time, Jiang Xiaoyong was being helped by his son to visit Chiang Ching-kuo's former residence, and there are many old photos to introduce chiang kai-shek's activities in various periods during his lifetime, including photos of Chiang Ching-kuo and Chiang Hyo-yong himself. The staff looked at the photo, and then looked at Jiang Xiaoyong's face, and they were suddenly a little surprised. When Jiang Xiaoyong left, there was an excited voice behind him, and the family was still recognized.
After visiting Xikou, Jiang Xiaoyong's family came to Shanghai to visit Chiang Kai-shek's former residence in Shanghai.
Originally, Jiang Xiaoyong also wanted to go to Huangshan, although his father Jiang Jingguo traveled to most of China, but he never went to Huangshan in his life. Before Chiang Ching-kuo's death, he repeatedly chanted "The return of the Five Mountains does not look at the mountains, and the return of the Yellow Mountains does not look at the Mountains." So he wanted to help his father fulfill this wish, but because the cancer cells had quickly metastasized, Jiang Xiaoyong's family had to end their trip to the mainland.
"Father looked at the wrong person in his later years"
For many years, Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo have not been able to settle down in the ground, which has always been the heart disease of Jiang Xiaoyong and these Jiang family members. As early as before the operation at the beginning of the year, Jiang Xiaoyong and his son repeatedly discussed the matter of moving the soul, and after returning to his hometown on the mainland to visit, Jiang Xiaoyong wanted to make his grandfather and father move the soul more strongly.
Picture 丨 Jiang Xiaoyong family portrait
Chiang Kai-shek was influenced by Confucianism all his life, and although he was defeated in Taiwan, he also hoped that he could return to his roots, and before he died, he confessed to temporarily take him to Cihu Lake, because the scenery there was very similar to his hometown in Xikou. At the same time, before his death, he had already sent people to build several rows of bungalows on the side of CiHu Lake to imitate the buildings of Xikou, and instructed him to temporarily stay here behind him.
Chiang Kai-shek hoped that after the conditions permitted, he would still be able to move to the mainland, and he chose the foot of the Purple Mountain in Nanjing as his burial place before his death, and if the conditions did not allow it, he would be buried in the Jiang family cemetery at Xikou. At that time, the Taiwan authorities had discussed Chiang Kai-shek's posthumous affairs and persuaded Chiang Ching-kuo to let his father "go into the ground for safety," but Chiang Ching-kuo was unmoved, insisting that his father's wish was to return to the mainland and not to go against his wishes.
Before Chiang Ching-kuo's death, he specially explained to Jiang Xiaoyong his posthumous affairs, in principle, hoping that his father Chiang Kai-shek could move to Nanjing, and Song Meiling would come to Shanghai after a hundred years, while he returned to Xikou, and his mother did not fulfill his filial piety before he died, so he hoped to be buried next to his mother's grave after his death and accompany his mother for life.
Pictured by Chiang Ching-kuo and his father Chiang Kai-shek
However, jiang Weiguo and Jiang Xiaoyong's idea of "two Chiang Kai-shek moving their souls" made the Kuomintang a little embarrassed, and repeatedly suggested that Jiang Xiaoyong "serve security on the spot", but Jiang Xiaoyong did not agree, believing that his grandfather and father had decided to temporarily settle down in the hope of returning to the mainland for burial. As for Lee Teng-hui, who was the chairman of the Kuomintang at that time, Jiang Xiaoyong frankly said:
"My father looked at the wrong person in his later years, and letting Lee Teng-hui succeed him was the biggest mistake he made in his life."
After Chiang Ching-kuo's death, Lee Teng-hui went to the shrine every day as the successor "president" to mourn; in Chiang Hsiung-yong's view, it was Lee Teng-hui who was grateful to his father Chiang Ching-kuo for handing over the "presidential" power to himself, and at that time he also hoped that Lee Teng-hui would show constant gratitude to Chiang Teng-hui's family in the future.
Lee Teng-hui once told Chiang Kai-shek's family that in order to express his remembrance of Chiang Ching-kuo, he would retain Chiang Ching-kuo's office in accordance with the practice of retaining Chiang Ching-kuo's office in the Presidential Palace in those years, while he would still use the "vice president' office." After all, Chiang Ching-kuo retained Chiang Kai-shek's office because they were father and son, but Lee Teng-hui and Chiang Ching-kuo had different relations, so there was no need to do so.
Pictured by Chiang Ching-kuo and Lee Teng-hui
If every "president" had retained his office after his death, the successor "president" would have no place to work, but Lee Teng-hui insisted on keeping Chiang Ching-kuo's office, and at that time the two sides maintained superficial courtesy.
However, chiang kai-shek's office was moved to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Chiang Ching-kuo's office was moved to the Taoyuan Mausoleum, and Soong Mei-ling opened the Shilin official residence before he died, and a series of changes proved that Lee Teng-hui was ungrateful and completely forgot chiang ching-kuo's promotion of him.
On the issue of moving spirits, the mainland side also has some reservations; it has discussed the matter of "two Chiang Kai-shek moving spirits" and welcomed Jiang Xiaoyong's family to visit the mainland, but further consideration is needed for the two Chiangs to be buried. Later, Jiang Xiaoyong received a clear reply from the mainland:
"If the two Chiang Kai-shek are buried as 'deceased leaders of the Kuomintang,' the mainland side welcomes cooperation; if they are the 'late president of the Republic of China,' further study is needed."
The various practices of the Taiwan authorities have made the descendants of the Chiang family worried about the safety of the coffins of the two Chiang Kai-shek, and Jiang Weiguo and Jiang Xiaoyong put forward an application for "moving the souls," hoping to realize the last wishes of their ancestors in their lifetime. However, the Kuomintang's attitude toward "two Chiang Kai-shek moving spirits" made the descendants of the Chiang family feel indignant.
Picture 丨 Chiang Ching-kuo three generations in the same hall
When the Fourth Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee of the Kuomintang was convened, Jiang Xiaoyong attended the meeting with illness and expressed his doubts and dissatisfaction with the Kuomintang in the form of an informal press conference, saying that the Kuomintang had already politicized the matter of "two Chiang Kai-shek moving spirits" and stressed that every locality has the customs of each place, and his hometown is to return to his hometown and go into the soil for safety. In the face of reporters, Jiang Xiaoyong put forward three views:
"First, the Jiang family will adhere to the one-China position and consensus will not change;
2. Honor the last wishes of the ancestors and move the coffin to the mainland for burial;
The well-being left by the three and two Chiang Kai-shek to future generations is already very rich, and others still need to rely on their own efforts. ”
On the afternoon of December 22, Jiang Xiaoyong entered the dying moment, and all kinds of signs showed that he had reached the end of his life, the medical staff could not do anything, and the Jiang family was prepared for the worst. Because Jiang Xiaoyong insisted that he should walk with dignity and instructed not to use medical equipment to maintain his life, the medical staff could only take passive treatment methods with the approval of Jiang Xiaoyong's family to alleviate Jiang Xiaoyong's pain.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, the hospital issued a critical notice, and relatives and friends rushed to the ward to see Jiang Xiaoyong for the last time. In less than an hour, Jiang Xiaoyong's breathing gradually weakened and he fell into a deep coma. At 9 p.m., Jiang Xiaoyong's mother, Jiang Fangliang, accompanied by medical staff, came to the ward, while she was still wearing a respirator and a wheelchair.
Picture 丨 Jiang Fangliang when he was young
Jiang Xiaoyongqiang picked up the last spirit, looked at his mother affectionately, slowly closed his eyes, and a tear slipped from the corner of his eye. Jiang Fangliang looked at his beloved son in front of him and was filled with grief. Jiang Youbai watched his father's heartbeat gradually become stationary, completing his short 48 years of life.
At about 10 p.m., Jiang Xiaoyong's body was sent to the morgue, and Jiang Youbai led his family members out of the hospital, when the hospital gathered a large number of media reporters, who believed that there would be politicians who would come to visit. As these reporters expected,
Accompanied by his wife, Song Chuyu went to the hospital and became the only official to personally see Jiang Xiaoyong for the last time.
On January 12, 1997, Jiang Xiaoyong's farewell ceremony was held in Taipei, and many politicians related to the Chiang family came to mourn. Subsequently, Jiang Youbai led the whole family to follow his father's last wishes and buried his ashes in San Francisco, USA. Until Jiang Xiaoyong died of illness, he was unable to fulfill the last wishes of his grandfather and father and buried them in the mainland of the motherland, which was the regret of the Jiang family.