Revealing the secret of Chiang Kai-shek's ** mansion desk, what is on it?
Chiang Kai-shek, a man of the year in history, still arouses heated discussions about his life. Whether it is his "accompanying capital" years in Chongqing, or his daily life in Nanjing, the ** mansion, it is full of curiosity.
As a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a national key cultural relics protection unit, Nanjing ** Mansion now welcomes everyone to buy tickets to visit and get a glimpse of the environment where Chiang Kai-shek worked back then.
So, what is unique in the ** government and Chiang Kai-shek's office? What's on his desk?
Chiang Kai-shek, as an important figure in the history of our country, served as the commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, the chairman of the Kuomintang, the president of the Chinese Kuomintang, and other positions, with a very high status and influence, so his office location and desk reflect the state of our society at that time.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Chiang Kai-shek's office looked very simple, and the desk was quite simple, except for the necessary stationery, ** calendar and other office supplies, there were almost no superfluous items.
Of course, at that time, the conditions in the country were relatively backward, and it was quite good to be able to have such an office environment. Later, the people moved to Chongqing, the "accompanying capital", and Chiang Kai-shek's office environment also improved.
Judging from **, when he ratified the UN Charter by the people of Chongqing, the desk and chair appeared more high-end, and a lot of furniture was added to the room.
Of course, at that time, the hearts of the entire national ** were all about returning to Nanjing as soon as possible, and they thought that it was their "real capital". However, when the Anti-Japanese War ended and they returned to Nanjing, they found that it was already devastated, the buildings of the national ** were dilapidated, and even many houses were occupied by the Japanese army after the fall of Nanjing and used as warehouses.
After the Japanese army withdrew, it was discovered that the houses were so badly damaged that they needed to be repaired before they could be used. From the beginning of Japan's surrender, Chiang Kai-shek put forward the proposal of "returning the capital" to Nanjing.
It was not until May 1946 that the maintenance project of Nanjing National ** was basically completed.
After renovation, the national ** civil office building still stands, which is the Zichao building we are familiar with today. Although it is located on the north side of the ** mansion rather than on the central axis, this building is the office of the former chairman of the National **, Lin Sen and other civil officials.
Construction began in 1934 at a cost of 100,000 silver dollars and was officially opened in 1936, initially known as the "Chairman's Office Building". However, the building was occupied by the Japanese after the occupation of Nanjing, and subsequently became the office of the Puppet Restoration** and Wang's Puppet**.
In 1943, Lin Sen died in a car accident in Chongqing, and in order to commemorate him, this "chairman's office building" was officially renamed "Zichao Building".
The design of the sub-super building is unique, with 5 floors in the main structure and 6 floors in the local position, the south side is dotted with light brown refractory bricks, and the other three sides are made of water-brushed stone powder, which is both characteristic and solemn, and complements the surrounding buildings.
Especially from a distance, the base of the building is wide, the upper floor is narrow, and the two sides are symmetrical like the word "forest", which has a profound meaning, as if it is set off with the name of Lin Sen, the chairman of the national ** at that time.
In 1935, Lin Sen planted two Indian cedar trees with his own hands, and cleverly added the word "forest" in front of the building, making the word "forest" in the shape of "forest" in front of the building.
This building, called the "Chairman's Office Building", aptly echoes the name of the chairman at that time, "Lin Sen". Some people believe that Lin Sen is a low-key person, and it is unlikely that such an arrangement was deliberately made, but it is more likely that the architect carefully designed to sing the praises of Lin Sen "quietly".
The ground floor, the second floor and the third floor of the Zichao Building are respectively the offices of civil officials, ** and deputy **, and Chiang Kai-shek set up ** office on the third floor of the Zi Chao Building after "returning the capital" to Nanjing.
In the Zichao Building, you can see that the scenes from the first floor to the third floor have been restored, as if returning to the era of Chiang Kai-shek's tenure as a nationalist. Because there are many ** and other materials that have been preserved, we can get a glimpse of the style of the ** government at that time.
In this ** mansion, there are many offices of Chiang Kai-shek, the most important of which is located in the southeast corner of the third floor of the Zichao Building, which is three connected suites that are used as ** offices.
This office consists of three suites and was originally Linsen's office. Later, with Chiang Kai-shek's "return of the capital" to Nanjing, it naturally became the office of Chiang Kai-shek, the chairman of the People's Republic of China and China.
From the layout point of view, these three suites are lined up along the south side, with offices in the middle and reception rooms in the west, and Lin Sen's Bogu frame is also retained; The one on the east side was divided into a washroom and a rest room, which was a temporary resting place for Chiang Kai-shek.
The office area is about 30 square meters, there are several filing cabinets on the wall, and the chairs and coffee tables used for guests are opposite, the overall style is "simple" and not luxurious, the most conspicuous is in addition to Chiang Kai-shek's colorful military uniform**, which is the desk placed obliquely.
* Chiang Kai-shek's desk is positioned at a 45-degree angle to the wall in the corner of the office, and the chair is located at the angle between the window and the door of the suite. This is unique because most people's desks are laid flat, which makes the room more neat and visually comfortable.
Why, then, did Chiang Kai-shek tilt his desk? Over the years, there have been various speculations about this. It has been suggested that Chiang Kai-shek's office had two doors so that he could keep an eye on the door and prevent assassination or other danger.
Some believe that this stems from the consideration of Feng Shui layout. Chiang Kai-shek was a native of Xikou, Fenghua, Ningbo, and was very particular about feng shui, and only by placing his desk in this way could it be beneficial to his "great cause".
So, despite the strange layout seeming, he insisted on it that way. In addition, they believe that not only Chiang Kai-shek's desk, but also other furniture and furnishings in his office are feng shui and cannot be placed at will.
In order to further prove this, there is even a "legendary story" that says that in the War of Liberation, when Chiang Kai-shek was at a disadvantage, some people proposed among the people that this was due to the "excellent feng shui" of the ancestral tomb in ***'s hometown, and they should "besiege Shaoshan" to destroy the local feng shui to turn the tide of the war.
While this may sound like nonsense, it may reveal the fact that a significant number of people still believed in and cared about Feng Shui in those days. In addition, there is also a possibility related to "feudal superstition" that this way of setting up the desk may be to "suppress" Li Zongren.
Li Zongren was a warlord of the Gui family, the deputy of China at that time, and the only important force among the people who could compete with Chiang Kai-shek. Therefore, the relationship between Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren is not harmonious, and some people speculate that the upper right corner of the table against the door has the meaning of "suppressing the villain", and this "villain" is Li Zongren - after all, the office of the deputy ** is opposite the **office, which is very close.
But it is said that in order to avoid meeting Chiang Kai-shek, Li Zongren hardly went to Zichaolou's office to work, so this method of "suppressing the villain" may not have been successful.
Some people may also think that because the offices of ** and deputy ** are very close to each other, in order to avoid the embarrassment of frequently raising his head to "look at each other" during the office, Chiang Kai-shek's desk will be placed obliquely.
Of course, the theory of "gram villains" may be related to feudal superstition, and the more scientific view is that this arrangement is to ensure adequate light. Considering that in the past, Chiang Kai-shek's desk position was not fixed, but probably because it could be placed obliquely to let in better lighting, so he finally chose this position.
So, what's in the eye for this high-profile desk?
The size and furnishings of Chiang Kai-shek's desk, according to the data and the restoration scene, although slightly larger than the prescribed size, did not exceed the standard too much. On the whole, this desk is not huge, and only basic office supplies such as official documents, calendars, lamps and stationery are placed on the table"Boss's desk"In comparison, it doesn't seem special.
This calendar stayed forever on April 23, the eighth year of China, that is, April 23, 1949, which was the eve of the People's Liberation Army's capture of Nanjing's ** Mansion, and since then, Chiang Kai-shek has no time to pay attention to this calendar.
The two ** machines on his desk, one can be dialed out directly, but others can't dial in, and the other needs to be manually transferred to dial out and in. As **, Chiang Kai-shek's affairs are busy, and he often uses ** to communicate, and through his title in **, it can reflect his close relationship with others.
For example, he called Song Meiling "MRS", which is his most special name. Most of the time, he will call himself "chairman" and directly address the person on the other end.
And when communicating with Li Jishen, Kong Xiangxi and others, he will directly say "I am Kai-shek", which seems very close. He admired Zeng Guofan, and there were Zeng Guofan's bloodstone medals and the Complete Works of Zeng Wenzheng Gong on the table, and in his spare time, he would look through Zeng Guofan's anthologies and use the sentences in them to inspire his subordinates and the students of the Whampoa Military Academy.
Chiang Kai-shek advocated the "New Life Movement", he did not drink alcohol, did not drink tea, only boiled water, so he had a glass on his desk, and at a glance it was clear that he was not drinking other drinks, which was a characteristic of the time.
Chiang Kai-shek's office in Nanjing** Mansion is not just the one in Zichao Building. To the northwest of the South Building of the Executive Yuan, there is also the office of the President of the Executive Yuan, where Chiang Kai-shek is said to have served as the President of the Executive Yuan and worked there.
The restored office of the Executive Yuan was carried out in accordance with the arrangements made by Chiang Kai-shek when he was in office. If we go back a little earlier, before the Zichao Building was built, Chiang Kai-shek's office was in the southeast corner of the second floor of the Government Affairs Bureau Building.
At that time, the Government Affairs Bureau Building was the main office building, and most of the civil officials worked there, and Chiang Kai-shek was no exception. However, after returning the capital to Nanjing, this office was taken over by Chen Bui.
Although some of Chiang Kai-shek's precious items, such as the jade stone medallion and the Qing dynasty pearl, are kept in the Revolutionary History Museum, and visitors can only see replicas in the ** mansion, the history and atmosphere of his office can still be felt here.
Chiang Kai-shek's office in Nanjing was not limited to the ** Mansion, he also had a "temporary office" located to the east of the reception room for domestic guests, so that he could rest and work while meeting guests.
However, according to the information, Chiang Kai-shek did not go to the ** Mansion every day, and only went to the ** Mansion when he received foreign guests, held important meetings, or participated in weekly routine activities.
In fact, Chiang Kai-shek spent most of his time working and meeting visitors in the rest room of the Army Military Academy at No. 3 Huangpu Road, because the environment here is quiet, few people disturb it, and the environment is safer in the military academy.
Therefore, the rest of the house can be said to be Chiang Kai-shek's daily office and residence, and is also known as his official residence.
Soong Meiling, Chiang Kai-shek's wife, once received the ambassador's wife in the rest house"Mrs. Diplomacy"。In fact, it is an important workplace for the people of Nanjing.
However, no matter how many workplaces Chiang Kai-shek had, it could not change the outcome of history, and he could only die in Taiwan in the end, and he has not been able to realize his wish to be buried in the mainland.