Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[chi-kei]

Madame Chiang Kai-shek, the glamorous, U.S.-educated "eternal first lady" of Taiwan, has died at her New York City home. She was 105.

She was born into one of modern China's most remarkable families, married one of China's most powerful men and _ at his side _ helped rule China and later Taiwan during decades of war, upheaval and Cold War tension.
_________________
Now, the "nameless monster"
has turned into an actually existing man.

[sunking814]

She WAS a remarkable lady and had more of an impact on history than she is given credit for. I wonder, did she have children and heirs to the family's fortune?


Good Day!

[ecc]

She left a small legace ,about a little more than one hundred thoudand dollars to her niece in NewYork.By the way ,she is a Chinese,not a Taiwanese.

[sunking814]

Right,, I knew she was Chinese. But I am surprised at such a small legacy. Her family was one of the richest, at least back in the 1940's.
Anyway, thanks for responding.

[U-jin]

Ahh~ Well she was his second wife by the way. She agreed to marry that loser Chien Kai Shek when she was in Japan circa 1941. If Chein Kai Shek was at least 1/10th of how great she was, Kumingtan would be ruling China as we speak. But since he is an idiot, I am happy it is the wifes genes that got passed on to his elder son. He is credited with Taiwanese economical success by the way.

The family is RIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCH, well we all would be if we looted all the Chinese national treasures and be a dictators wife.

R.I.P.

[sunking814]

If I am not mistaken, her family (Ling?) was vastly rich long before she was married and had nothing to do with the stealing of Chinese national treasures.

[U-jin]

Good point, and it is true that the elder sister was married to a rich guy, doesn?t explain how the whole family is disgustingly rich.

Lets take a look first at her perents. Her father was a priest. I dont know, but I dont think priests made a lot of money, so his contribution to the family is limited at best.

Older " directed the family's affairs and many moneymaking ventures with the help of her husband, H.H. Kung, a scion of one of China's wealthiest banking families."

Okay that is good money, but how good would be those money making ventures if she didnt have the second sister who has a hasband who was a "Despot" and "dictator" with taiwan being under martial law till 1987!!! Do you really think that had was the real reason to success? Which dictators wife's sister is going to be refused in anything she asked in Taiwan? Let go on to the next point.

"Madame Chiang's second sister, Soong Qing-ling, was the wife of Sun Yat-sen, China's first president after its last emperor was toppled in 1911. After Sun Yat-sen's death, Soong Qing-ling carried his banner to the Communist camp, irreparably rupturing the family."

no money there. ;)



You see when people die, we want to think about the good deeds they have done and glorify them by putting them on the pedestal. The main point we keep on forgeting is very eloqontly summarize how I also feel about her, and her husband.

"Although Madame Chiang developed a stellar image with the American public, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other leaders became disillusioned with her and her husband's despotic and corrupt practices. Eleanor Roosevelt was shocked at Madame Chiang's answer when asked at a dinner at the White House how the Chinese government would handle a strike by coal miners. Madame Chiang silently drew a sharp fingernail across her neck." (aka china = under CKS rule that is)

"She can talk beautifully about democracy," Roosevelt said later. "But she does not know how to live democracy."

"By the end of the war, the loyalty of Nationalist officials melted away as the government grew corrupt and fiscally traitorous, printing money so aggressively that the Chinese currency fell to an exchange rate of several million yuan to the dollar. Many Nationalist soldiers were reduced to begging for food because they went unpaid, yet American diplomats discovered that military supplies sent from the United States to China sometimes appeared on the black market soon after arrival."

Im sorry but that is the REAL source of their wealth. Money/EQ from US and the most obvious one please go Taiwan for the answer and just look at their money. It has Chen Kai Sheck face on it. HE IS MONEY.


"the Chiangs set up what would become one of the most sophisticated lobbying efforts ever in Washington, learning how to distribute millions of dollars indirectly through law firms and public relations companies. The operation continues today."


I was in National Museum in Taipei, those treasures are priceless, but it is just a small portion of the forbidden cities treasures. How many more, untold treasures of china which are in private collection of the person who looted it? (That is in CKS place)

I would like to agree with you that the fist daughter married well into the rich family, but intial wealth is insignificant compare to corrupted and stolen wealth of China, and dictatorial status over Taiwan which is the real wealth which was amassed by CKS. How much of the wealth that was amassed by older sister through her proxy to cKS I don?t know, but have to tell you how corrupt Taiwan was (I think it is getting better in early 90;s). Though CKS real wealth of there is hard to gauge, I would assume it to be in billions of dollars (using Suharto as an example who parallels CKS in scope of his power and corruption). Of course I can only speculate, but tell me a dictator who doesn?t use all the natural resources and control one has over the country to profit from it?

Lets face it, CKS govt wasn?t democratic, and it wasn?t free. He is the money in Taiwan, and poor foreign US policy over the years, kept on pumping more money into his coffers.




?? source quoted Times Magazine.

p.s. I made a mistake, I was told then CKS married her in 1941...bad bad guide!:)

[sunking814]

Well, that's a load of information! Thanks!

By the way, I wasn't saying that she was any force for good, per se. I was just saying that she had a lot of influence in the past, more than most Americans know about, and that she and CKS had met with the Big 5 in Malta during WWII...planning the future of Southeast Asia and China. And what you say about manipulation of money and influence and US foreign policy rings true.

And all the other info you gave I had never heard before, so thank you for being so informative. That's kinda why I got into the discussion!

Fortune passes everywhere...maybe it will touch both of us!

[Diana]

Hi Sunking,

Oh yes, your mention of manipulation of money and influence and US foreign policy rings true. Why don't you tell U-Jin about America's evil conspiracy of Pan Americana and how the world has a right to hate us. Tell him your views about Bush, Cheney, and Wolfwofitz. I'm sure U-Jin would love to hear about it.

Best regards,
Diana

[sunking814]

diana,
you devil you. you mock me. you also condem u-jin to a conspiratorial fate that perhaps is undeserved and may be nigh unto incomprehensible.
There IS a sadistic little streak in you....hahahaha. Besides....where would I begin?

I wonder, do you read some of those more local news related topics in the other forum? It's almost hard to believe that such racism and bigotry exists...maybe it's the wish that it DIDN'T. A real ball of confusion. Ole David seems to be a touch too "strong"...he never apologized for the things he said to you earlier this week, even after my mild rebuke. I would have liked to see him do the gentlemanly thing. Ah well...

Nice to see you here.....have a nice day. Do you have Halloween in Guam?

[Diana]

Hi Sunking,
I have only read a few of your local news but not much. I will read the weblinks you provided me soon. Right now, I have class at the University in the morning so I have to sleep early. Working and going to school at the same time is really tough!

Of course, we have Halloween here. Yeah, I guess I can be a bit sadistic. Hehehehe! Must be the Halloween holiday.