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Preface
In 1996, an elderly man suffering from a deep illness in Taiwan sparked a media storm. The old man's name was Jiang Xiaoyong, and he was the grandson of Chiang Kai-shek, a famous man in Chinese history. Over the years, the wish of three generations of the Chiang family to return to the funeral has always been a point of contention between the family and the Taiwan government.
As Chiang's health deteriorated, he decided to openly confront the Taiwanese government in an effort to fulfill the last wishes of his ancestors. This press conference was not only the wish of the Chiang family, but also touched the sensitive nerves of cross-strait relations. But why did Jiang Xiaoyong choose to make this controversy public at this moment? Let's take a little history to learn about it.
On October 31, 1887, an ordinary family in Fenghua County, Zhejiang Province welcomed a baby boy, and this child will go down in history in the name of Chiang Kai-shek in the future.
Chiang Kai-shek's youth coincided with a nationwide anti-Qing wave. Influenced by the spirit of the times, he crossed the sea to Japan in 1906, hoping to learn advanced ideas and techniques in preparation for future revolutionary activities. While studying in the East, Chiang Kai-shek met Chen Qimei by chance, and this fate led his life to a new direction. Chen Qimei was greatly admired by Chiang Kai-shek's talent and enthusiasm, so he introduced him to the revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen.
Chiang Kai-shek quickly integrated into the torrent of revolution and gradually rose to prominence under the guidance of Sun Yat-sen. However, with the passage of time and the deepening of politics, Chiang Kai-shek's thinking and behavior began to undergo subtle changes. On April 12, 1927, he openly betrayed Sun Yat-sen's last wish - the cooperation of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
Chiang Kai-shek commanded troops to launch a bloody crackdown on the Communists and the Left forces within the Kuomintang. After that, Chiang Kai-shek received the support of a large number of landlord classes and gradually consolidated the basis of his rule, but this also meant that his regime ran counter to the interests of the broad masses of peasants and workers, and inevitably turned against the people.
Although Chiang Kai-shek rose to become the country's supreme leader, he showed short-sightedness and conservatism in dealing with domestic and foreign affairs. In particular, after the "18 September" incident, in the face of Japan's step-by-step pressing, he still adhered to the policy of "settling the interior before attacking the outside world," hoping to make temporary land concessions in exchange for the all-out extermination of the Communist Party, and this strategy only further intensified Japan's desire for aggression.
In 1937, as the Japanese army launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, Chiang Kai-shek was forced to end the struggle of internal contradictions and began to cooperate with the Communist Party to face foreign enemies together. He launched a nationwide call to emphasize that everyone has a responsibility to participate in the war of resistance at a time of crisis for the survival of the country.
After a long war of resistance, Japan was finally forced to surrender in 1945, during this period Chiang Kai-shek gained a certain amount of respect and praise at home and abroad, after the war the Nationalist government failed to effectively solve the problems of people's livelihood, prices soared, the economy collapsed, and the people's lives fell into difficulties, resulting in a rapid decline in Chiang Kai-shek's popularity.
Against this background, Chiang Kai-shek attempted to stabilize the regime through negotiations with the CCP, and he openly invited Chairman Mao to Chongqing for a meeting, hoping to show his sincerity for peace through negotiations. But this was only a tactic by Chiang Kai-shek, who at the same time secretly mobilized troops and prepared to destroy the Communist forces in one fell swoop.
On October 10, 1945, although the Kuomintang and the Communist Party signed the "Double Tenth Agreement" in the hope of achieving peace, Chiang Kai-shek soon reneged on the agreement and relaunched a military attack on the Communists. He confidently believed that the Communists could be easily crushed by virtue of the Kuomintang's vast military superiority, and only three years later, the situation was completely reversed, the Kuomintang's power declined sharply, and Chiang Kai-shek had to board a ship bound for Taiwan with a piece of dirt from his homeland with disappointment and grief.
After arriving in Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek did not give up and continued to dream of a counterattack on the mainland. However, with the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, his hopes were dashed again. In the face of Chairman Mao's successive victories at home and abroad, Chiang Kai-shek finally had to admit the gap between himself and his opponents.
In his later years in Taiwan, although Chiang Kai-shek was in a different place, he never gave up his longing for the motherland. He resolutely opposes any proposal to split China and knows very well that he cannot become a sinner in splitting the country. Under the pressure exerted by the United States, he and Chairman Mao skillfully staged the scene of the shelling of Kinmen, skillfully making the United States dare not act rashly and demonstrating his firm stand on national reunification.
In March 1975, Chiang Kai-shek's health deteriorated dramatically, and realizing that he had little to live against, gathered the descendants of the Chiang family at the Shilin Mansion in Yangmingshan, Taipei. In the heavy atmosphere of knowing that life was coming, Chiang Kai-shek told them his long-standing wish: "After I pass away, I will first temporarily rest my body in Cihu, where the scenery of Fenghua is like my hometown......"
Located on the outskirts of Taipei, Cihu was formerly known as the Dongkou Hotel, where Chiang Kai-shek used to stay. Because its topography is quite similar to Chiang Kai-shek's former residence in Fenghua, Zhejiang, Xikou, Chiang Kai-shek asked people to build a number of buildings here in the style of Xikou's old house. Whenever homesickness came to his heart, Chiang Kai-shek would stop at Cihu, as if he was in his hometown at Xikou.
In 1962, Chiang Kai-shek renamed the Dongkou Hotel Cihu in honor of his beloved mother, Wang Caiyu. His choice of the word "Ci" not only expresses his nostalgia for his mother, but also shows his deep affection for his family members. According to the tradition of his hometown, the deceased who cannot be buried in their homeland immediately can use the "floating house" method to temporarily store their remains. This practice requires the coffin to float three inches above the ground and be supported at four corners for later removal in order to protect the peace of the deceased from disturbance.
Faced with the helplessness of reality and the dilemma of the political situation, Chiang Kai-shek realized that the burial of the Zhengqi Pavilion in Zixia Cave, Nanjing, which he had originally dreamed of, was no longer possible. Despite this, he still cherished the hope that one day his body would be able to be moved back to his homeland in Fenghua.
Although Chiang Kai-shek's tone was calm at this moment, it was not difficult to see deep sadness and helplessness in his eyes. He knew it might just be an unresolved wish, but he conveyed it to his family in the hope that they would find an opportunity in the future to fulfill his unfulfilled wish.
In fact, after the defeat and retreat to Taiwan in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek insisted on reorganizing his armaments, implying the hope of returning to the mainland. At that time, he publicly expressed his funeral wishes and wanted to be buried in the Purple Mountain in Nanjing, which is not only the resting place of Sun Yat-sen, the father of the country, but also the mausoleum of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. Chiang Kai-shek envisioned that his cemetery would be slightly lower than that of Sun Yat-sen and higher than that of Zhu Yuanzhang, as an expression of respect for historical figures and a demonstration of his status.
As the years passed, the situation on the mainland tended to stabilize, the people's backs became more and more obvious, and Chiang Kai-shek's plan for counterattacking the mainland gradually became slim. Chiang Kai-shek, who had entered his old age, began to consider a more realistic burial place. He suggested that if Nanjing was no longer feasible, he would also be willing to rest in Xianglinggang in Fenghua, where the terrain was high and could overlook his beloved hometown.
Before his death, Chiang Kai-shek's mind turned to his mother's longing and filial piety, and he felt that he had not been filial enough during his lifetime, and according to Chiang Kai-shek's instructions, his body was specially embalmed and placed in accordance with the traditional "floating slaughter" method in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. This unique burial method involves suspending the coffin three inches in the air, ensuring that there is no need to break ground when relocating the coffin in the future, so as not to disturb the peace of the deceased. This practice reflects Chiang Kai-shek's respect for traditional culture and thoughtful consideration for future plans.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution in 1981, Chinese mainland leader Hu Yaobang mentioned the restoration of historical sites in an important speech, saying: "We have not only repaired the mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, but the Chiang family cemetery in Fenghua has also been renovated, and the beautiful house in Lushan has been properly maintained." On this basis, Hu Yaobang also issued a public invitation, hoping that Chiang Kai-shek's body could be moved back to the mainland and buried in his ancestral land, Fenghua.
In 1982, the Chinese central government sent another friendly signal, with Liao Chengzhi sending an open letter to Chiang Ching-kuo, promising to help Chiang Kai-shek's body be buried in Nanjing, Fenghua, or Lushan after the reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, in order to satisfy Chiang Ching-kuo's desire to fulfill his filial piety.
These diplomatic moves deeply touched Chiang Ching-kuo. Faced with the reality that it was obviously no longer feasible to "liberate the mainland," Chiang Ching-kuo gradually abandoned his previous "three noes" policy and began to send representatives to the mainland to seek the opening of cross-strait dialogue. At the critical moment when the peace talks were making initial progress, Chiang Ching-kuo unfortunately passed away and was unable to witness the further development of cross-strait relations. However, at the end of his life, he was convinced that one day his father's body would be able to return to his homeland for burial.
In keeping with this belief, Chiang Ching-kuo also made corresponding arrangements and left a will, hoping that his body would eventually be buried with his father in Fenghua Xikou Town, partly because he hoped to be by his mother's side for a long time and make up for the regret of not being able to fulfill his filial piety during his lifetime.
Therefore, Chiang Ching-kuo's body was not buried in Taiwan. On the contrary, according to his last wishes, his family temporarily placed his body in the Touliao area near Cihu, so that he could temporarily accompany his father Chiang Kai-shek before he returned to the mainland.
Chiang Hsiao-yong threw himself into the family's funeral plan, but the Taiwanese government tried to obstruct it, arguing that such an action was extremely politically risky and could promote reconciliation in cross-strait relations, thus adversely affecting the political agenda for Taiwan's independence. Despite repeated applications, Jiang Xiaoyong has always faced official indifference and rejection.
After a long period of hard work and consultation, the Taiwan authorities finally agreed to temporarily relocate the remains of the Chiang family to a military cemetery in Taiwan, but this plan ultimately failed to materialize. In 1996, Jiang Xiaoyong decided to return to the mainland in person to find a suitable burial place, which was his last effort to fulfill the last wishes of his father and grandfather. Chiang Hsiao-yong first visited the ancestral home of the Chiang family, then went to the ancestral tomb, bowed deeply three times to his great-grandmother and grandmother, and then went around the ancestral tomb to find a suitable burial place for Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo. The father and son of the Jiang family have a deep attachment to their hometown and long to return to the place where they were born and raised.
When the date of Taiwan's return was uncertain, Chiang Hsiao-yong once again proposed to the Taiwanese government that the bodies of his father Chiang Ching-kuo and grandfather Chiang Kai-shek be returned to the mainland in order to fulfill their last wishes. Although Chiang Weiguo strongly supported the proposal, the Chiang family had gradually lost ground in the political conference, and the attempt ended in failure again.
Chiang Hsiao-yong's health deteriorated day by day, and the pain he endured was unspeakable, but he still insisted on not entrusting the coffins of his ancestors to the Taiwan authorities. At a press conference in Taiwan, he weakly expressed his persistence and conviction.
At that touching press conference, Jiang Xiaoyong, although physically weak but resolute, said to the focused camera and the attentive audience: "Our Jiang family's roots are in the mainland, and as a member of the Jiang family, I know the importance of returning to the roots." This is not only our tradition, but also the unfulfilled wish of my grandfather and father.
He continued: "Today, the Kuomintang is no longer the party of the past, and some members are even inclined to Taiwan independence. We, the Chiang family, adhere to the one-China principle and will never agree with separatism. Although I am unable to do so, the younger generation of the Chiang family will continue our mission of striving for the peaceful reunification of the two sides of the strait.
Every word of Jiang Xiaoyong reveals his dissatisfaction with the current political attitude and his dedication to the family mission. At the end of his speech, he sighed deeply and looked even weaker. On December 22, 1996, Jiang Xiaoyong died in a hospital in Taipei at the age of 48. On his deathbed, he called his children to his bedside and instructed them to continue their efforts to fulfill the family's last wishes.
Jiang Weiguo also died soon after, and the relocation of the two Chiang's coffins to the mainland was once again suspended. At a family meeting in 2006, Chiang firmly proposed that the remains of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo be moved back to the mainland for burial. She believes that this is a crucial step in fulfilling the long-standing aspirations of Jiang Xiaoyong and his predecessors. She is well aware of the great efforts that her husband has put into this matter during his lifetime, and firmly believes that completing this mission is the best memorial to him.
This proposal was immediately opposed by Jiang Xiaoyan. Jiang Xiaoyan believes that in view of the current political atmosphere on both sides of the strait, it is not appropriate to relocate the body at this time, and it may trigger unnecessary political fluctuations. He insisted that a more opportune moment should be waited.
This disagreement led to a deep rift within the family. Jiang Fang Zhiyi and Jiang Xiaoyan took a firm position, and neither was willing to compromise and retreat, which eventually made the plan deadlocked. Although the Taiwan authorities said they would respect the wishes of the Chiang family, the plan to relocate the body had to be shelved indefinitely due to the disagreement among the family.
On December 23, 2007, Taiwan decided to remove the guards of Chiang Kai-shek's mausoleum and seal off the cemetery, a decision that attracted widespread attention in society. Jiang Fang Zhiyi went to the cemetery for a final worship on the day of the closure, she regretted the closure of the cemetery, and expressed her dissatisfaction and disappointment in front of the public.
Despite this, Jiang Fang Zhiyi did not give up her original intention. She said that she would continue to respect the wishes of the two seniors and continue to promote the work of relocating the remains to the mainland. She hopes to witness this historic moment in her lifetime and fulfill her husband's unfulfilled wish.
To this day, the remains of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo are still stored in the cemetery in Daxi Town, Taoyuan County, Taiwan, and the possibility of burial on the mainland has not yet been found. The controversy over the interment of the remains of the two Chiangs was not resolved in the end, and the differences within the Chiang family also reflected the complex historical and current relations between the two sides of the strait.