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In 1937, Song Meiling went to Wudang Mountain, far away from the world. When she came to a quaint Taoist temple, an old Taoist priest with a white beard and white eyebrows greeted her.
After an in-depth conversation, the old Taoist priest slowly spread out the sleeves of his yellow Taoist robe and began a mysterious divination ceremony. The old man's lips moved slightly, and he spit out the "eight words" that were destined to change Song Meiling's fate.
Hearing this prophecy, Song Meiling's tears flowed involuntarily, what is the eight characters that made the always strong Song Meiling lose her temper to this point?
Chiang Kai-shek's complicated relationship with the Song family
In the modern Chinese political arena, the Song family is undoubtedly a very influential family, and its power and influence far exceed that of ordinary political families.
The influence of the Song family comes not only from its huge wealth, but also because of the outstanding performance of the three sisters in the family, Song Ailing, Song Qingling, and Song Meiling, in the political and social fields.
In the process of pursuing Soong Meiling, Chiang Kai-shek was fully aware of the political advantages of marrying with the Song family.
Soong Meiling is not only known for her outstanding beauty and intelligence, but more importantly, she is particularly prominent in terms of political sensitivity and influence. This made Soong Meiling an integral part of Chiang Kai-shek's political ambitions.
Through his marriage to Soong Meiling, Chiang Kai-shek could not only use the political resources and social influence of the Soong family to enhance his power, but also consolidate his position in the Kuomintang and even the entire Chinese political arena through this alliance.
Chiang Kai-shek employed a variety of tactics in his pursuit of Soong Meiling, including frequent social events, well-organized public events, and approaching Soong Meiling through a common circle of friends.
In various public and private meetings, he lost no time in presenting his political ideas and vision for the future of the country, hoping that through these exchanges, the Song family could see his political aspirations and sense of national responsibility.
However, despite Chiang Kai-shek's great efforts in politics and personal charisma, most members of the Song family remained reserved about his pursuits and political methods. Soong Ching-ling, in particular, had deep doubts about Chiang Kai-shek's political ambitions and personal qualities.
At this critical juncture, when Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, Chiang Kai-shek appeared unusually active, frequently appearing at various political and military events, consolidating his leadership position within the party through a series of well-planned actions.
While gradually gaining power within the party, he began to reinterpret Sun Yat-sen's principles of the Three People's Principles, especially in the areas of democracy and human rights.
During his lifetime, Sun Yat-sen advocated a political system based on broad democracy, emphasizing the importance of human rights and popular participation in politics.
However, after Chiang Kai-shek came to power, he gradually showed indifference and even a departure from these principles.
Chiang Kai-shek, for example, took a more drastic and direct approach to dealing with dissenting and opposing voices within the party.
He exerted pressure on those party members who did not support him, even resorting to exclusion and repression to maintain his authority.
To a certain extent, this practice deviated from the democratic principles advocated by Sun Yat-sen, and was more akin to a dictatorial practice of centralizing power.
A political marriage of expediency
In the face of opposition from the Soong family and his own political ambitions, Chiang Kai-shek took a series of strategic actions to win the support of the Soong family, which were of great political significance and reflected his flexible use of personal and political relationships.
First, Chiang Kai-shek proposed that Soong's husband, Kong Xiangxi, be appointed "premier," a position of great importance in the Kuomintang government, responsible for the overall coordination of state administration.
Kong Xiangxi previously had a strong background in the field of finance and economics, and his appointment as executive premier was an effective use of his expertise, as well as a political recognition and courtesy to the Song family.
In addition, Chiang Kai-shek appointed Soong Ziwen as Minister of Finance, and Soong Ziwen's outstanding talents in fiscal management and international finance not only strengthened the fiscal policy of the Nationalist government, but also demonstrated to the Song family that he was willing to hand over important economic responsibilities to members of the Song family.
Although these political concessions were Chiang Kai-shek's overtures to the Song family, they were also his ingenious political tactics.
In this way, Chiang Kai-shek not only co-opted the Song family, but also further consolidated his own political foundation through the political influence and social network of the members of the Song family.
This move not only produced a positive response within the Song family, but also strengthened the image of Chiang Kai-shek within the Kuomintang and on the political stage as a whole.
In terms of personal relationships, Chiang Kai-shek, in order to win Soong Meiling's heart, promised to convert his faith and become a Christian.
This decision was significant in the social and political environment of the time, as the Song family was a well-known Christian family, and Soong Meiling herself was a devout Christian.
Chiang Kai-shek's change was not only a personal accommodation to Soong Meiling, but also a demonstration of openness and inclusiveness to the Soong family and the wider Christian community.
More extremely, Chiang Kai-shek decided to divorce his long-time wife Mao Fumei in order to marry Soong Meiling.
This decision caused great controversy in the society at that time, and Mao Fumei and Chiang Kai-shek experienced many political and personal ups and downs, and she also made a non-negligible contribution to Chiang Kai-shek's political career.
Chiang Kai-shek's act was seen as a manifestation of a great sacrifice of personal relationships in order to achieve political goals.
These initiatives eventually gained some support from the Song family, especially among the more influential members of the Song family.
While these actions did help Chiang Kai-shek gain further political stability and promotion, they also exposed the ruthlessness and ruthlessness he displayed in his pursuit of power.
Song Meiling's heart disease and fertility pains
Chiang Kai-shek's marriage to Soong Meiling, although based on political alliance considerations, also involved complex personal emotions and life challenges.
The life of this politically powerful couple is fraught with public attention and private trials, especially on the sensitive issue of childbearing.
Soon after getting married, Song Meiling faced great pressure to give birth.
This is not only because of personal expectations, but also because the social and political environment places many expectations of the "first lady", including taking on the role of mother.
However, contrary to her wishes, Song Meiling never succeeded in getting pregnant in the years after her marriage. This question gradually became a stumbling block in her personal life.
The pregnancy in 1929 was supposed to be good news, and the entire family and supporter groups had high hopes for it.
However, unfortunately, this long-awaited joy did not last long, and Song Meiling unfortunately miscarried.
The incident took a heavy toll on her physically, and it also dealt her a heavy mental blow.
Miscarriage is not only the termination of a physiological process, for Song Meiling, it also breaks her expectations and dreams for the future of her family.
For Soong, fertility is not only a part of her personal life, but also deeply related to her family and political status. She knew very well that if she was unable to have children, her position in the Chiang family and even within the Kuomintang might be affected in the future, especially in the face of Chiang Kai-shek's eldest son, Chiang Ching-kuo.
Chiang Ching-kuo was born to Chiang Kai-shek and his ex-wife Mao Fumei, and Soong Meiling's relationship with him has always been maintained in a delicate balance.
She often thinks about what position her stepmother, who is not related by blood, once Chiang Ching-kuo takes power.
This uncertainty about the future made Ms. Soong feel compelled to take some unconventional steps.
Although she is a devout Christian, after facing a series of birth failures, Soong Meiling began to explore more diverse ways to find answers and help.
She began to visit some famous Taoist shrines and had in-depth exchanges with Taoist priests, discussing issues of fate, fertility and personal future.
Spiritual Seeking and Relief from Fertility Pressure
In 1937, when China was deeply mired in the predicament of Japan's war of aggression, Soong Meiling, as the first lady of the Nationalist Government, chose to stay away from the hustle and bustle and go to Wudang Mountain, which has beautiful scenery and quiet environment.
Known for its profound Taoist culture and tranquil natural surroundings, Wudang Mountain is an ideal place for many people seeking peace of mind.
Song Meiling's arrival did not cause much commotion, and her itinerary was arranged very low-key, accompanied only by a few cronies and necessary entourage.
Here, Song Meiling met a Taoist priest who was known for his profound Taoist knowledge and divination skills.
Song Meiling hopes to find a way to overcome her personal difficulties through the wisdom of Taoism.
She had a long conversation with the Taoist priest and asked in detail about how Taoism viewed the fate of the individual.
After listening to Song Meiling's inquiry, the Taoist priest was silent for a while, and then began to perform a series of rituals, including placing copper coins and burning incense burners, in order to obtain more accurate divination results.
After completing the ceremony, the Taoist priest slowly gave his prophecy: "This life is destined to have no children".
This sentence was like a thunderbolt from the sky, hitting Song Meiling's heartstrings.
The entourage present knew that this was the most sensitive and difficult topic in Song Meiling's heart.
Song Meiling, who always behaved calmly and elegantly in the past, couldn't help but hide her face and cry bitterly after hearing this prophecy, this was the first time that the entourage present had seen her so uncontrollable emotions.
This scene made everyone feel extremely shocked and distressed.
The entourage tried to comfort her, but at this time, Song Meiling seemed to be completely crushed by this prophecy, and no matter how persuaded by the people around her, she couldn't calm down.
Her crying voice echoed in the silence of the mountain forest, looking particularly desolate and helpless.
The incident spread among Soong Meiling's entourage, and everyone showed great sympathy and support for the first lady, who had always shown herself to be strong and resolute.
Although they all knew that such a prophecy could not change Soong Meiling's status in the national government and her influence on national affairs, at this moment, they saw more of the vulnerability of a woman, as a wife, and as a person who longed for motherhood.
Resources:
[1] Wang Yaming, Mao Lei. Qinghai Social Sciences,2004(2):118-121
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