On August 31, 1961, Chiang Kai-shek and his wife accompanied Xiao Wu (first from left) and Xiao Yong (first from right) to play chess at the official residence of Yangmingshan, while Song Boxiong (second from right) and Song Zhonghu (third from left) watched from the sidelines. Image source: Taiwan's Lianhe Pao
Chiang Kai-shek led his grandsons XiaoWu and Xiao Yong, as well as Song Boxiong and Song Zhonghu to walk dogs in Houshan Park in Yangmingshan. Image source: Taiwan's Lianhe Pao
The picture shows Secretary General Zhang Qun (second row left), General Peng Mengji (second row right), Military Attaché Huang Xiongsheng (fourth row, first from right), and others walking out of the "Presidential Palace" with Chiang Kai-shek and his attendants. Image source: Taiwan's Lianhe Pao
According to Taiwan's Lianhe Pao, Taiwan's Institute of Modern History of the Academia Sinica visited 31 attendants around Chiang Kai-shek and completed nearly 600,000 words of oral history. It not only records that when the Taiwan authorities "withdrew from the United Nations," Chiang Kai-shek angrily threw his duck-tongue hat and burst into tears, but also restored "Chiang Kai-shek's last day."
"Withdrawal from the United Nations" Chiang Kai-shek "expected"
Ying Shunren, who had served as Chiang Kai-shek's bodyguard officer and deputy director of the internal affairs group, recalled that on October 26, 1971, he accompanied Chiang Kai-shek to the Daxi Hotel, where the military attaché reported to Chiang Kai-shek the news of his "withdrawal from the United Nations." Chiang Kai-shek "threw off his duck-tongue hat and threw it on the ground." Ying Shunren said that after following Chiang Kai-shek for so long, he saw him shed tears for the first time.
Qian Fu, the "foreign minister" of the front-office authority, who was Chiang Kai-shek's English translator at the time, said in a book that after reporting to Chiang Kai-shek for about 40 minutes after returning to Taiwan from the United Nations, Chiang Kai-shek had a rather calm expression and only lightly said to him: "You have all worked hard, and before you went to the United States, I expected such an outcome." ”
Love plum blossoms love to watch "Tanuki Cat for Prince"
According to the close observation of many attendants, Chiang Kai-shek would think about things when he sat in the car, walked, and walked, so the guards did not dare to interject easily. Guo Binwei, who was Chiang Kai-shek's chief bodyguard, said that once walking in the garden, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly said loudly, "No, no!" Frightened by the guards, it took a long time to realize that it was he who was thinking about things.
Guo Binwei, who was Chiang Kai-shek's chief bodyguard, mentioned that Chiang Kai-shek liked plum blossoms, while Soong Mei-ling loved roses. Chiang Kai-shek once said to Soong Mei Ling: "I like the fragrance of plum blossoms the most, and smelling this fragrance can actually make my mind clear." ”
He said that hundreds of red cherry blossoms were originally planted in the Shilin Official Residence, but Chiang Kai-shek specifically instructed one day to move the cherry blossoms to Yangmingshan, and to plant some plum blossoms in the official residence, Fuxing Township Corner Banshan, and Yangmingshan Hotel. After that, whenever the plum blossoms were in full bloom, Chiang Kai-shek would definitely take the time to admire the plums on the upper corner of the mountain and pick a satisfactory plum blossom and send it to Soong Meiling's study.
Jiang Maofa, the imperial chef of the Shilin official residence, recalled that as long as Chiang Kai-shek wanted to watch a movie, he would show it to everyone, and his deepest impression was "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", which was broadcast more than a dozen times before and after the official residence, "We also watched it together." Dai Weiheng, who works as a guard at the official residence, said that if Chiang Kai-shek can't pick a movie he likes, he will say "put that", and everyone knows that he will let go of "Tanuki Cat for Prince", which he particularly likes to watch and starring Li Lihua and Yan Jun.
Chiang Kai-shek's last day
As for April 5, 1975, the morning of Chiang Kai-shek's death, Chiang Ching-kuo made a province as usual in the morning, talking about the Qingming Festival on that day, Chiang Ching-kuo wanted to visit the tomb of Chen Daqing, the former "director of the National Security Bureau" in Taiwan, and asked Chiang Kai-shek if he slept well. "I want Chiang Ching-kuo to go back early."
But when Chiang Ching-kuo turned around and prepared to leave, Chiang Kai-shek said, "You, you, you..." it was like "a cone of heart weeping blood." Chiang Ching-kuo immediately turned back, and Chiang Kai-shek said, "You... Pay special attention to your body in the future. Jiang Chingguo replied: "Daddy, I will!" This should be Chiang Kai-shek's last words to Chiang Ching-kuo.
Guo Binwei, a bodyguard, said that at that time, Chiang Kai-shek's health was already very bad, "there were needles inserted here, and things were hung over there", but he still cared so much about his son.
Jiang Weiguo arrived the next day after the body was sent to the hospital ice warehouse, hoping to see the last side of Chiang Kai-shek, so Guo Binwei carefully pulled Chiang Kai-shek's body out of the ice warehouse. As soon as Jiang Weiguo saw his father, he "snapped" his whole life on his knees and cried out, "Daddy, I'm here!" ”