"Don't visit the old villa, don't count to Lushan". Lushan, not only famous for its beautiful scenery and pleasant climate, but also for its colorful villas throughout the mountains, is also pleasing to the eye and has become a unique cultural landscape of Lushan.
Lushan enjoys the reputation of "villa resort". These villas were built in 1895. In this year, a missionary named Li Deli took a fancy to Muling, so he rented land to build a house. After that, missionaries, merchants, and dignitaries from all over the world flocked to build villas here. By 1935, a total of 322 villas had been built.
Among the many villas in Lushan, the most famous is the Meilu Villa. The "Meilu" villa is Chiang Kai-shek's Lushan official residence and the summer residence of Soong Meiling.
Meilu Villa, covers an area of 455 square meters, with a construction area of more than 900 square meters.
It was built by Lord Lennoz of England. In 1922, he transferred the villa to Ms. Barry.
In the summer of 1933, Ms. Barry transferred the villa to her friend Song Meiling. Song Meiling and Chiang Kai-shek both loved this villa for ten minutes, and since then, they have stayed here every year in Lushan.
Meilu Villa, exquisite and elegant, is one of the top of the many villas in Lushan. However, after visiting another person's villa, Song Meiling sighed to herself, was very envious, and often ran to live with Chiang Kai-shek.
Who is this person?
He was Xiong Shihui, a Kuomintang big man and second-class general of the army.
Xiong Shihui, with a dignified appearance and a tall stature, was the main representative of the Department of Political Science in the Republic of China period, with the rank of general of the army of the second rank, a high-ranking official, a powerful position, and a high-ranking military and political counselor of Chiang Kai-shek.
In the early 1930s, Xiong Shihui began to take charge of Gan Province. Up to a decade.
During Xiong Shihui's reign in Gan Province, he was very helpful to Chiang Ching-kuo and was known as Chiang Ching-kuo's mentor. After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chiang Ching-kuo, who had lived in Soviet Russia for 12 years, returned to China. Soon, under the strong recommendation of Xiong Shihui, Chiang Ching-kuo served as the administrative inspector and security commander of Gannan Province. As a result, Chiang Ching-kuo stepped into politics, and soon pulled up his own team in Gannan and gave birth to two sons with his secretary Zhang Yaruo.
Xiong Shihui served as the head of Gan Province and concurrently served as the director of the General Office of nanchang Xingying, chairman of the committee. Bought a rather luxurious and beautiful villa in Lushan. This villa has a built-up area of 856 square meters and was built in 1902. Its original owner was the missionary Vincent Wynn.
In 1932, Wen Huai'en's villa in Lushan fell into the hands of Xiong Shihui. Xiong Shihui bought the villa. After that, he built a 20 cm thick reinforced concrete air defense house on the northeast side of the villa.
After buying the villa, Xiong Shihui was very happy and specially invited Chiang Kai-shek, Song Meiling and his wife, Wang Jingwei, He Yingqin, Li Jishen, Zhang Jingjiang, Huang Shaohu and other important party-state dignitaries to come to the villa as guests.
Coming to the gate of the villa, everyone looked up at the majestic villa and could not help but nod their heads in praise: "Good, good, grand enough, worthy of the official residence of the provincial chairman." ”
After Song Meiling visited the villa, she was very envious. Although he said that his "Meilu" was very good, he always felt that he was still smaller, not grand enough, and did not conform to the identity of the "chairman's wife". Compared with this villa, Meilu seems eclipsed.
Not only did Song Meiling take a fancy to Xiong Shihui's villa and wanted to take it for herself, but even Chiang Kai-shek also looked up to it.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chiang Kai-shek, chairman of the Military Commission (the number one in charge of the Central Military Commission), held several high-level meetings in Xiong Shihui's villa to study the issue of anti-Japanese resistance. Moreover, Chiang Kai-shek often lived here, sometimes for a month, causing Xiong Shihui to have to find another place to live.
In October 1945, Xiong Shihui was appointed as the director of the Northeast Travel Camp. In August of the following year, he was dismissed by Chiang Kai-shek.
In 1946, Mr. and Mrs. Xiong lived in this villa for the last time.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, this villa of Xiong Shihui was listed as a key villa for receiving important guests. In 1959, Mr. Zhu stayed here when he went to Lushan for a meeting.
On June 29, 1959, after Mr. Zhu walked into the courtyard of this villa, his eyes lit up and he blurted out: "Such a beautiful villa!" ”
Mr. Zhu lived in the villa for a few days, Dong Biwu, Lin Boqu, Xie Jueya came to see him, and several old friends also praised the villa.
When Dong Biwu heard that this was once Xiong Shihui's official residence, he couldn't help but smile and said, "It seems that the commander-in-chief is related to the governor of Gan Province." ”
Mr. Zhu smiled and said, "You have misunderstood." The governor with whom I have a 'relationship' is Zhu Peide, not this Xiong Shihui. Xiong Shihui was the later local governor, and he wanted my brain shell. Zhu Peide is really good to me. After I participated in the Nanchang Uprising, he was very annoyed. Someone has produced a pair of upper links, and for so many years, no one has been out of the lower league. Mr. Zhu said, laughing loudly, and several old friends also laughed happily.
Later, xiong Shihui's villa was approved as a national key cultural relics protection unit.