Chapter 24 5. Sorrow in old age

Of the three Song sisters, the younger sister was the last to leave.Song Meiling, in the turmoil of history, not only has a radiant side representing the interests of the nation, but also has an anti-communist and anti-people side from the standpoint of the Jiang family dynasty.She has innate intelligence, beauty and political skills, coupled with the Kong Song family and American background, making her the most controversial and influential woman in the century-old history of modern China. She not only experienced the end of the Qing Dynasty, the founding of the Republic of China, the melee of warlords and the Japanese invasion of China, but also two world wars, and witnessed the advent and disappearance of the Cold War era... In the long river of history, Soong Meiling has witnessed the turn of the century. Transmutation and the changes of dynasties have also read "how many things have risen and fallen through the ages".

Her legendary life began in a wealthy and westernized family. She chose her own marriage, not only enjoying the magnificence of the Jiang family, but also bearing the blame of history. She has been close to the center of power all her life and has been involved in political turmoil. In her later years, she cherished the relationship between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, hoping for national reunification and national prosperity. After 1949, the three sisters of the Song family lived under different political systems after the founding of New China, because of the rapid transfer of Chinese power and the differences in their political stances.Soong Ching Ling stayed in the mainland, Soong Meiling lived in seclusion in Taiwan, and Soong Ai Ling immigrated to the United States, and the three sisters lived apart from each other.They all had to be content with their own destiny, or as Meiling said: This is "the destiny arranged by God for them".With the collapse of the Kuomintang regime, Song Meiling was stranded in the United States at that time.After weighing several times, she still went to Taiwan to stay with Chiang Kai-shek. Soon after Chiang Kai-shek's death in 1975, Song Meiling left the political arena that had been in her hands for nearly half a century and went to the United States.From then on, "returning the dream of thousands of miles at home, worrying about the fifth watch as a guest".

The three Song sisters in their later years have only sorrow of parting, but no reunion; only lovesickness, but no meeting. The death of Song Ziwen provided an opportunity for the three Song sisters to get together. At that time, the governments of China and the United States were secretly engaged in an effort to improve relations.US President Nixon once wanted to promote the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States through the opportunity of the funeral of the three Song sisters.To this end, he invited Vice President Soong Ching Ling from the Mainland, Soong Meiling, wife of Chiang Kai-shek in Taiwan, and Soong Ailing, wife of Kong Xiangxi, who was in the United States, to attend Soong Ziwen's funeral.

It is said that Nixon received a reply from the Chinese side on the same day: "Vice President Soong Ching Ling went to the United States to attend Soong Ziwen's funeral. Since China and the United States have not yet established diplomatic relations, there is no direct flight. Now I will contact a special plane through American Airlines and fly to the United States via London." At the same time, Nixon also received a reply letter from Soong Ailing and Soong Meiling who would come to attend the funeral. Unexpectedly, Song Meiling, who had already left Taiwan and flew to New York via Hawaii, was notified by Chiang Kai-shek halfway, asking her to stop flying to the United States to attend the funeral on the grounds that she should not fall into the Chinese trap.

Then, Song Ziwen's family received another call from the Kong family, and Song Ailing temporarily decided not to attend her brother's funeral. After hearing the news of the accident, Nixon immediately notified the relevant departments to telegraph Chiang Kai-shek, explaining that Song Ziwen's funeral was purely a private matter of the Song family and had nothing to do with the Chinese side in the interior. But Song Meiling still stayed in Hawaii to wait and see. On April 28, Song Ziwen's coffin arrived in New York from San Francisco.The day before the funeral, the Chinese telegraphed that Soong Ching Ling could not go to the United States to attend her brother's funeral because she could not charter a special plane.Nixon felt deeply sorry, and he notified the Jiang and Kong families of the news.

As a result, Song Meiling flew back to Taiwan, while Song Ailing in the United States hesitated. Due to political reasons, the three sisters finally failed to get together again. On May 1, 1971, a memorial service for Song Ziwen was held in a church in the center of New York.Participants included Song Ziwen's widow Zhang Leyi and her three daughters, Song Ziwen's younger brother Song Ziliang, Gu Weijun, Taiwan's "ambassador" Liu Kai, and hundreds of people.None of the three Song sisters attended the event, which was a painful event for both the living and the dead. It cannot but be said that this is the most typical case of family tragedy at all times and in all over the world.

After overthrowing the "Gang of Four", Soong Ching Ling asked Soong Meiling's friend, Ms. Chen Xiangmei, the wife of General Chennault, the former captain of the "Flying Tigers" of the U.S. Air Force to aid China, to deliver a letter to Soong Meiling, hoping to see each other in her lifetime, and only talk about the sisterhood. Affection.But Song Meiling did not express her position.The three Song sisters could not be reunited in the end, which cannot but be said to be a regret in their lives. The truth of history is that in those last days, Soong Ching Ling did have a wish that could be fulfilled, that is, she missed Meiling very much and wanted to see her younger sister very much.

When Soong Ching Ling was seriously ill in 1981, she asked Comrade Tong Xiaopeng to ask friends to send her relatives and friends overseas.The Chinese embassy in the United States also promptly conveyed to Soong Meiling the news that her second sister was critically ill.However, due to various reasons, Soong Meiling still failed to take this historic step.Didn't she feel sad or sad after so many years of parting? On May 29, 1981, Soong Ching Ling died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Beijing.In the middle of the mourning hall is a wreath presented by the wife of Sun Yat-sen's only son, Sun Ke, from Taiwan, with a letter: "Deep condolences to my dear mother—daughter-in-law Chen Shuying". On June 4, the ashes were buried in the east side of his parents' tomb in the "Song's Cemetery" of Shanghai Wanguo Cemetery.At that time, Song Jiashu saw that his six sons and daughters were shouldering missions and living scattered at home and abroad, so he purchased an 8-cave cemetery in Shanghai Wanguo Cemetery in advance, as the family's final destination, and the whole family "agreed" to be buried together after death.Soong Ching Ling never forgets the "promise", keeps in mind the kindness of her parents' upbringing, and hopes that she will always be with her parents after her death.

Soong Ching Ling was like a mythical figure during her lifetime, and enjoyed the highest glory after her death. Soong Ching Ling's reputation comes from her fighting experience of always standing with the Chinese people in the stormy seas. Soong Ching Ling maintained Sun Yat-sen's glorious image all her life, criticized Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship, and vividly interpreted her love and hatred. Soong Ching Ling, her unyielding, brave loyalty and her spiritual beauty, is the most outstanding and brilliant symbol of China. Soong Ching Ling's revolutionary life is worthy of being the "mother of a generation" of China. Her glorious life is exactly what He Xiangning wrote in "A Picture of Chrysanthemums and Stones": only chrysanthemums and stones are of high quality; only stones and chrysanthemums are born with strong bones.

The long clear spring, the bright moon, but the chrysanthemum and stone are of high quality. In 1948, Song Meiling went to the United States to ask for help for the Kuomintang. Since then, she never set foot on the land of Shanghai, and never met Soong Ching Ling again.It is said that when Soong Ching Ling passed away in 1981, Soong Meiling, who was far away in the United States, did not say a word publicly or send any telegrams of condolence, but she cried bitterly at that time, and shed tears many times in private, devoutly praying for her second sister . The Song family is a big family united in accordance with Christian ideals and traditional Chinese ethics.Song Jiashu and his wife have very deep feelings for their family.I hope that everyone will love each other in this life and never be separated.There are 8 members of their family, and 8 caves were also built in Song's cemetery, where they belonged in their lives; before Song Jiashu's wife died, she asked her daughters never to cut their hair. set off.What a powerful inner cohesion this is!Perhaps it was precisely because of this cohesive force that the Song sisters maintained deep ties with different camps in the political struggle in the political turmoil before the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The lingering sisterhood was interrupted by their differences.

Soong Meiling, who lived alone in the United States for a long time, saw her second sister sleeping peacefully beside her dear parents, and looked at the Song family cemetery with green grass and warm sunshine. This inextricably linked sisterhood disturbed her peaceful state of mind. It should be said that Chiang Kai-shek's death declared the end of Soong Meiling's political life. At noon on September 16, 1975, Song Meiling left Taiwan for the United States on the "China-US" special plane. 1995 coincided with the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Soong Meiling was invited to return to the Capitol Hill to accept the tribute and give a short speech.This trip to Washington made the aging Soong Meiling relive a distant old dream. More than 50 years ago, Song Meiling, with her outstanding demeanor and fluent English, went to the U.S. Congress and major cities to speak in person, asking for assistance in China's war of resistance, which caused a sensation.Therefore, members of the U.S. Congress intend to take the opportunity of commemorating World War II and the founding of the United Nations to re-invite Soong Meiling to give a speech in Congress. Undoubtedly, it is quite "reminiscent of Gongjin's time" and makes people relive the taste of Soong Meiling's speeches in Congress.Lee Teng-hui, who was under the banner of "pragmatic diplomacy", was also scheduled to revisit his alma mater, the University of Connecticut in the United States. The performance of Taiwan independence scandals not only embarrassed the United States' intermediary handling, but also overshadowed Soong Meiling's historic speech. "The birds love the old forest, and the fish think about their hometown".The older she gets, the more Soong Meiling misses the hometown where she was born and raised, because there are engraved with her in the Mood for Love.How many things, from unforgettable. Song Meiling's later life was very lonely.Usually spend time growing flowers, painting, reading, and practicing calligraphy. In addition to arranging her daily life, clothing, and vehicles, the 30 attendants also sorted out documents and handled letters for her. But it is difficult to have in-depth communication with each other.Since 1991, Soong Meiling has lived in seclusion and lived in seclusion to take care of herself.Rarely appears in public. She likes to quietly appreciate the traditional Chinese paintings she painted and reminisce about the past by herself. Song Meiling's mood in her later years was also bleak.Not only did most of the old friends wither and pass away, but even younger members of the family, such as niece Kong Lingwei and grandson Jiang Xiaoyong, also died early.It is the most painful thing in Song Meiling's heart for a white-haired person to send a black-haired person.Especially after Zhang Xueliang's death, Song Meiling was even more lonely.It is unavoidable to have the feeling of loneliness of "the setting sun in the sound of rhododendrons". She occasionally receives visitors, visits parks, and visits galleries.She is devout and religious, and she is accompanied by the "Bible" on weekdays. She has already been able to control the storms and twists and turns in her long life journey. On March 20, 1997, when celebrating its 100th birthday, the Song Apartment in New York was extremely lively and there were a lot of congratulatory gifts.Every birthday seems to be her happiest moment. Kong Lingyi and his wife had hoped that Song Meiling would write or dictate the past events that she personally participated in or played a key role in, and integrated them into an autobiography, but unfortunately, she always refused to make oral histories and write memoirs, which is irreparable for history. Loss. On October 24, 2003, 106-year-old Song Meiling bid farewell to this world peacefully. Her death seems to mean that a chapter of Chinese history has come to an end. The sisters withered one after another, and none of them saw the reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. This is their greatest regret. Like her older sister, her ashes are kept in the United States. The Wan Guo Cemetery in Shanghai will always welcome their souls. It's a pity that the crane is gone to the west, and the sound of Luan is no longer there. The 106-year-old Song Meiling left without leaving a written biography, private diary, or special audio-visual materials.What remains are many mysteries that outsiders may never know.Some people say that this is Song Meiling's style.