This photo, taken on August 2, 1996, records the precious moment of Chiang Kai-shek's grandson, Jiang Xiaoyong's family, in front of the tomb of Chiang's mother in Xikou Town, Fenghua. This is the first time since Chiang Kai-shek's death that the Chiang family has returned to the mainland to worship their ancestors and sweep the tombs, which is of extraordinary historical significance.
Although Jiang Xiaoyong was seriously ill at the time, he was tall and had a charm similar to his father and grandfather. However, his life ended on April 5, 1975, at the age of 88.
According to his living will, his coffin was not buried, waiting for the day when he could return to the mainland for burial. As a result, Chiang Kai-shek's coffin is still preserved in its original place.
Chiang Ching-kuo passed away, and on his deathbed, he asked his children and grandchildren to take his coffin back to the mainland for burial, and the mainland expressed condolences for this. Since then, Chiang Kai-shek's descendants have been eager to return to the mainland to worship their ancestors, but due to various reasons, they have not been able to do so.
Sadly, at the beginning of 1996, Jiang Xiaoyong found out that he was suffering from advanced esophageal cancer, although it had passed, the cancer cells had spread to the whole body, and finally passed away that year.
Dr. Jiang Xiaoyong emphasized that life is too short to come true as soon as possible and not leave regrets. As Chiang Kai-shek's favorite grandson, he felt the need to return to his hometown on the mainland before his death.
So, after discussing with his wife Fang Zhiyi, he decided to go back to the mainland in the summer of 1996 to worship his ancestors and sweep the tombs. In order to avoid the leakage of the itinerary, the family took two planes and announced that they were going to Hong Kong for tourism.
Jiang Xiaoyong and his eldest son Jiang Youbai set off first, followed by his wife Fang Zhiyi, second son Jiang Youchang, and youngest son Jiang Youqing, and finally went to Beijing. The mainland has long been ready to greet him, provided a high-standard reception for Jiang Xiaoyong's family, and arranged the best Chinese medicine for him.
After his condition was temporarily stabilized, Jiang Xiaoyong immediately proposed to go to his hometown in Xikou Town, Fenghua. On August 2 of that year, the family of five returned to Xikou Town in a low-key manner and bought a ticket for 30 yuan as a tourist.
Jiang Xiaoyong's family returned to their hometown and saw that the ancestral house was well preserved, Jiang Xiaoyong was deeply moved and said with tears in his eyes: "We are Chinese. Subsequently, they decided to go and sweep the tomb of their great-grandmother Wang Caiyu.
Wang Caiyu's cemetery is 600 meters away from the stone steps at the foot of the mountain, and is known as the "Tomb Road of Jiang's Mother". While taking pictures, Jiang Xiaoyong's sons offered to help their father up the mountain, but Jiang Xiaoyong refused.
He said: "This is our way back to our hometown, the road to recognize our ancestors, and we have had the opportunity to walk for the first time after more than 40 years, and we must walk it step by step." Despite the difficulty of walking, it took Jiang Xiaoyong half an hour to finally reach his great-grandmother's grave.
Jiang Xiaoyong burst into tears and knelt down in front of his mother's grave, his heart full of dedication to the two Jiang's last wishes and longing for his hometown. After returning to Taiwan, he immediately applied to the authorities, hoping to follow the last wishes of the two Chiangs and move them back to Xikou Town, Fenghua, Zhejiang Province on the mainland for burial.
Although he knew that this request might be denied, he insisted on publicly expressing his position and determination, saying: "My father and grandfather have not been buried in the ground, and they both left a will to be buried back to the mainland.
This is the inheritance of our Jiang family, and it is also the traditional custom of the Chinese, and the leaves fall back to their roots, which cannot be changed. I hope that my descendants will see this day and be able to help my grandfather and father fulfill their last wishes. ”
Jiang Xiaoyong and his wife Fang Zhiyi deeply regretted that the Taiwan authorities did not accept Jiang Xiaoyong's request. On December 22, 1996, Jiang Xiaoyong died of illness in Taiwan at the age of 48.
In the last moments of his life, Jiang Xiaoyong said to his wife and children who accompanied him at the bedside: "You must always remember that although we are in Taiwan, the Jiang family will always be Chinese and will always be the descendants of Yan Huang's descendants." ”
However, in 2007, the Taiwanese authorities' plan to move the "two Chiangs" to the Wuzhishan Cemetery finally failed to materialize. Fang Zhiyi then responded immediately, saying: "We follow the wishes of the elderly, they want to be able to return to their hometown safely, but that doesn't mean they don't love this land."
On the contrary, I think that the two old men have given their lives to this land. Now if the authorities are unwilling to continue ......And tell us it's a family matter, then let our family take over. ”
Jiang Xiaoyong and his wife Fang Zhiyi: Yes"Two Chiang"Whether or not they will be able to return to the mainland in the end, only time will tell.