In 2003, at the Finncliffe cemetery in the United States, a gray-haired old man was praying his last prayers at a tombstone.
Staring at the name engraved on the tombstone, the old man couldn't help but shed tears, and she muttered and asked"Brother, please tell me, why are our Song family buried here? ”
The wind stirred the leaves and made a rustling sound, as if answering her questions and sighing at her unbelievable life.
This old man in his last years is Song Meiling, who was once known as the "first lady", and what she is paying tribute to is none other than his brother Song Ziwen.
As one of the four major families, the Song family can be said to be famous, but with the changes of the times, the fate of the Song family has also changed.
For Song Meiling, she was unable to return to her hometown in her twilight years, what kind of unknown story is behind this outright regret?
On March 5, 1897, Song Meiling was born in Shanghai, as the daughter of the Song family, she has lived a life of fine clothes and food since she was a child, and she is carefree like a noble princess.
When Song Meiling was very young, her father Song Jiashu sent her to the United States to receive a more advanced education, and she lived up to expectations, obtaining a bachelor of arts degree in the United States in one fell swoop, becoming a veritable talented woman.
In August 1917, Song Meiling returned to the motherland and appeared in Shanghai with the most shining attitude, and soon became a celebrity in the upper class society with her outstanding charm and temperament and super social skills.
Under the introduction of the second sister Song Qingling, the young Song Meiling had her first job - as an English teacher in the Shanghai ** Teaching Young Women's Association.
Because the people who came to listen to the lecture were all celebrities, word of mouth, Song Meiling gained more attention, and her connections were more extensive, and later she simply entered the political circles.
In 1922, in Guangzhou, Song Meiling was invited to attend a party, and when she appeared at the party in full costume, her extraordinary demeanor immediately attracted everyone's attention, including Chiang Kai-shek, a rookie in the military circles.
Chiang Kai-shek, who was strong-blooded, fell in love with Song Meiling at first sight, and immediately launched a fierce pursuit of her, but the arrogant Song Meiling was not interested in the unfamous hairy boy in front of her, coupled with the opposition of her second sister Song Qingling, she rejected Chiang Kai-shek's pursuit without thinking about it.
Although the first courtship was frustrated, Chiang Kai-shek did not give up, looking at Song Meiling's proud back, he secretly swore that he would not marry her in this life!
After the Northern Expedition began, Chiang Kai-shek was appointed commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, and he personally went to the front to command the battle.
In 1927, Chiang Kai-shek personally led the Northern Expeditionary Army into Shanghai, and after five years, he reunited with Soong MeilingCompared with the ordinariness at that time, he was like being reborn at this time, exuding the light of power and status from head to toe.
Although his status has changed, Chiang Kai-shek's friendship with Song Meiling has not changed at all, and as soon as he arrived in Shanghai, he launched a new round of strong pursuit of her.
Maybe she was moved by Chiang Kai-shek's infatuation, or maybe her inner vanity was satisfied, this time Song Meiling faced Chiang Kai-shek, her attitude was far less resolute than last time, and under the lobbying of the eldest sister Song Ailing to weigh the pros and cons, she finally made up her mind to accept the arrangement of fate.
On December 1 of that yearChiang Kai-shek and Soong Meiling held a sensational wedding at the Majestic Hotel in Shanghai, and major newspapers reported on this grand wedding in huge space.
On the surface, this was a romantic union of talented and beautiful women, but in fact it was also a political marriage, and from then on, the interests of the Song family and the Kuomintang were even more inseparable.
After becoming a veritable first lady, Song Meiling's life has officially entered a new stage, and in her subsequent career, she has become a well-known figure at home and abroad with her peerless temperament.
is the so-called noble husband and wife, with the change of identity and status, the development space around Song Meiling is more extensive, and with the support of her husband, she has her own unique political stage.
At the beginning of 1936, Soong Meiling began to serve as the secretary general of the China Aviation Commission, responsible for the formation of the Chinese Air Force at that time, and let a woman who knew nothing about the Air Force take on such a heavy responsibility, which was very rare in China at that time, and it was enough to see that Chiang Kai-shek trusted his wife very much.
WhileSong Meiling has indeed lived up to expectations, she has worked very hard since she took officeNot only was she personally involved in the purchase of aircraft and the training of pilots, but she also made full use of her political influence to capitalize articles to promote the importance of aviation, and with her unremitting efforts, the Chinese Air Force was reorganized and laid the foundation for the later establishment of the Flying Tigers.
However, these were not Soong Meiling's main political achievements, what really made her famous abroad was her excellent diplomatic skills, and it was precisely because of this that she gave Chiang Kai-shek great help in two major events.
The first time was at the time of the Xi'an IncidentOn December 12, 1936, in order to force Chiang Kai-shek to resist Japan, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng carried out military admonition in Xi'an and put Chiang Kai-shek under house arrestThe two sides did not give in to each other, and at this time of tension, Song Meiling personally flew to Xi'an to negotiate with Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng, and **, and finally reached an agreement to leave Chiang Kai-shek safely.
The second time was during the all-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in 1943, in order to win the military support of the United States, the Kuomintang sent Soong Meiling to visit the United States as the first lady, she stayed in the White House for 11 days in the United States, and spoke fluent English in the United States Congress, which caused a huge sensation, not only won the support of the United States for the Kuomintang, but also successfully selected the cover character of Time Magazine that year.
As a major contributor to winning the support of the United States during the Anti-Japanese War, Soong Meiling's political status in China has risen all the way, and at the same time, their entire Song family has also entered the pinnacle of power, which can be called prominent.
As the first Minister of Finance of the Kuomintang, Soong Meiling's brother Soong Ziwen's position in the Kuomintang can be described as deep-rooted, he is not only Sun Yat-sen's right-hand man, but also one of the main decision-makers of the Kuomintang, and since the marriage of Chiang and Song, his relationship with Chiang Kai-shek has become closer.
After the start of the all-out War of Resistance Against Japan, Song Ziwen openly expressed his determination to resist Japan to the end, and with the development of the situation of the War of Resistance, in order to win the support of Europe and the United States, he frequently carried out overseas activities to strive for the support of the United States.
In February 1944, Song Ziwen, who was lacking in skills, resigned from the post of chairman of the Bank of China, and under his strong recommendation, Kong Xiangxi took over this position, and this Kong Xiangxi was not an outsider, his wife was Song Ziwen and Song Meiling's eldest sister - Song Ailing.
Since then, Kong Xiangxi has been in charge of the national finances, while Song Ziwen has continued to carry out diplomatic activities as the president of the Executive Yuan and the minister.
It can be seen that at this time, the Song family has already infiltrated the core area of the Kuomintang group, and they are closely connected with the Kuomintang.
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, and China, which had been traumatized, was in dire need of recuperation.
However, at this time, the Kuomintang ** focused on the struggle for power and profit, as the head of China's administration, Song Ziwen, did not think about the national economy and the people's livelihood, but devoted his main energy to looting property, in the name of receiving Japanese fake property, wantonly looting the assets that should belong to the country and the people.
At a time when the country was in ruins, the Kuomintang authorities represented by the Soong family committed a series of perverse evil deeds for their own selfish interests, which made the Chinese people who hoped for peace and stability feel disappointed.
As the so-called righteous and unrighteous have little help, the Kuomintang **, which deviated from the people's will, inevitably suffered a fiasco in the Liberation War, and the Song family, which was dependent on it, also faced the inevitable end of the collapse.
In order to ask for assistance,In November 1948, after a lapse of six years, Soong Meiling went to the United States again with the hope of turning the tables against the wind, but the result was that she returned empty-handed, and the Kuomintang, which had lost its usefulness, had long since become an outcast in the eyes of US imperialism.
On April 23, 1949, the heroic and invincible Chinese People's Liberation Army liberated Nanjing in one fell swoop and continued to advance south of the Yangtze River with an unstoppable momentum.
A few days later, he received another secret telegram from Chiang Kai-shek, and then left France in a hurry and flew directly to New York.
Although the United Nations General Assembly provided a certain amount of help to the Kuomintang under Soong Tzu-wen's strenuous efforts, national reunification had long been the trend of the times.
On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, and at the same time, the United States completely stopped all support for the Kuomintang, and Soong Ziwen's plan to save the country was completely shattered.
When he learned that the remnants of the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek had all retreated to Taiwan, Soong Tzu-wen chose to stay in the United States, even if Chiang Kai-shek personally invited him to Taiwan many times after that, he was unmoved.
In the face of Soong Ziwen's defection, Chiang Kai-shek was indignant, and despite Soong Meiling's opposition, he resolutely expelled him from the Kuomintang.
In 1958, Song Ziwen, who had lived overseas for many years, also tried to return to Taiwan, but was rejected by Chiang Kai-shek, and five years later, when Chiang Kai-shek finally let go of his obsession and wanted to invite Song Ziwen to return to Taiwan, Song Ziwen had no intention of politics and rejected him, and the two broke up unhappily again.
On February 25, 1969, Song Ziwen came to Hong Kong to attend the funeral of his younger brother Song Zi'an, which was also the last time he set foot on the land of the motherland.
Standing in the port of Hong Kong, Song Ziwen, who was already frosted on his temples, stared at the direction of the mainland, with mixed feelings in his heart, the so-called falling leaves return to the roots, but for him, it has become a luxury, after attending the funeral, he returned to the United States and finished his life in loneliness and regret.
In 1975, after the death of Chiang Kai-shek, Soong Meiling finally left Taiwan, and she chose to spend the rest of her life in the United States, four years after Soong Ziwen's death.
In 2003, 106-year-old Song Meiling knew that time was running out, and she once again came to the tombstone of her brother Song Ziwen"Brother, why is our Song family buried here? When will we be able to return home? ”
The leaves chirped softly, the birds chirped, but no one could answer her question, and a few months later, Song Meiling died suddenly at her home in New York.
As the so-called organ is too smart, it calculates Qingqing's life, Seeing him rise from a tall building, seeing his high-rise collapse, all the prosperity and wealth are fleeting, The ancients were like this, and so was the Song family.