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Chiang Wei-kuo

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Chiang (蔣).
Chiang Wei-kuo
蔣緯國
Chiang Wei-kuo as a general of the Republic of China Army, 1980s
4th Secretary-General of the National Security Council of the Republic of China
In office
18 June 1986 – 28 February 1993
PresidentChiang Ching-kuo
Lee Tung-hui
Preceded byWang Tao-yuan
Succeeded byShih Chi-yang
12th Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Services Force of the Republic of China
In office
7 April 1980 – 30 June 1984
PresidentChiang Ching-kuo
Preceded byWang To-nien
Succeeded byWen Ha-hsiung
2nd President of the Tri-service University
In office
16 August 1975 – 6 June 1980
PresidentYen Chia-kan
Chiang Ching-kuo
Preceded byYu Po-chuan
Succeeded byWang To-nien
3rd President of the Republic of China Army Command and Staff University
In office
1 September 1963 – 31 August 1968
PresidentChiang Kai-shek
Preceded byWu Wen-chi
Succeeded byLu Fu-ning
Personal details
Born(1916-10-06)6 October 1916
Tokyo, Empire of Japan
Died22 September 1997(1997-09-22) (aged 80)
Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Resting placeWuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery
Political partyKuomintang
Spouses
Shih Chin-i
​
​
(m. 1944; died 1953)​
Ellen Chiu
​
(m. 1957⁠–⁠1997)​
RelationsChiang Kai-shek (adoptive father)
Yao Yecheng (adoptive mother)
ChildrenChiang Hsiao-kang (son)
Parents
Alma materSoochow University
Central Military Academy
Munich Kriegsschule
Command and Staff College
AwardsOrder of Blue Sky and White Sun
Military service
Allegiance Nazi Germany (1936–1939)
 Republic of China (1936, 1939–1997)
Branch/service German Army (Wehrmacht)
 National Revolutionary Army
 Republic of China Army
Years of service1936–1997
RankLeutnant (Germany)
General (Republic of China)
Unit98. Mountain Infantry Regiment
8. Infantry Division
First Infantry Division (China)
First Armoured Regiment
CommandsCommander-in-Chief of Armoured Forces
Battles/warsAnschluss
Annexation of the Sudetenland
Second Sino-Japanese War
Chinese Civil War
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese蔣緯國
Simplified Chinese蒋纬国
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinJiǎng Wěiguó
Wade–GilesChiang3 Wei3-kuo2

Chiang Wei-kuo (Chinese: 蔣緯國; 6 October 1916 – 22 September 1997), also known as Wego Chiang, was the adopted son of Republic of China President Chiang Kai-shek, the adoptive brother of President Chiang Ching-kuo, a retired Army general, and an important figure in the Kuomintang. His courtesy names were Jian'gao (建鎬) and Niantang (念堂). Chiang served in the Wehrmacht before fighting in the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War.

Early life

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Chiang Wei-kuo (right), age 8, with father Chiang Kai-shek (left)

As one of two sons of Chiang Kai-shek, Chiang Wei-kuo's name has a particular meaning as intended by his father. Wei literally means "parallel (of latitude)" while kuo means "nation"; in his brother's name, Ching literally means "longitude". The names are inspired by the references in Chinese classics such as the Guoyu, in which "to draw the longitudes and latitudes of the world" is used as a metaphor for a person with great abilities, especially in managing a country.

Born in Tokyo when Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT were exiled to Japan by the Beiyang Government, Chiang Wei-kuo was the biological son of Tai Chi-tao and a Japanese woman, Shigematsu Kaneko (重松金子).[1][2][3][4] Chiang Wei-kuo previously discredited any such claims and insisted he was a biological son of Chiang Kai-shek until his later years (1988), when he admitted that he was adopted.[5]

According to reliable rumors, Tai believed knowledge of his Japanese tryst would destroy his marriage and his career, so he entrusted Wei-kuo to Chiang Kai-shek, after Yamada Juntarō (山田純太郎) brought the infant to Shanghai.[1] Yao Yecheng, a concubine of Chiang Kai-shek at the time, raised Wei-kuo as his foster mother.[6] The boy called Tai his "Dear Uncle" (親伯).

Chiang moved to the Chiang ancestral home in Xikou Town of Fenghua in 1920.[7] Wei-kuo later studied physics at Soochow University.

In the Wehrmacht

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Chiang as a Wehrmacht officer candidate (Fahnenjunker), c.1938

His sibling, Chiang Ching-kuo, a student-turned-political-prisoner in Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union, served as the impetus behind Chiang's sending Wei-kuo to Nazi Germany for a military education at the Kriegsschule in Munich.

At the Kriegsschule, he studied the German army's advanced methods, structure, and weaponry. He was specifically drawn by the then-theoretical machine gun company, which would use the Maschinengewehr (i.e., a medium machine gun) as the main weapon. The Maschinengewehr was the MG 34 then: a fast and reliable gun. The machine gun company would cooperate with air and armored units to assist the infantry's attack. This would be called the Bewegungskrieg ("War of Movement"), and it would be very effective in the future World War II. After completing this training, Wei-kuo completed specialized training in Alpine warfare, thus earning him the coveted Gebirgsjäger Edelweiss sleeve insignia. Wei-kuo was promoted to Fahnenjunker ("Officer Candidate"), and received a Schützenschnur lanyard.

Chiang Wei-kuo with other Wehrmacht officers

Wei-kuo commanded a Panzer unit during the 1938 Austrian Anschluss as a Fähnrich, or "sergeant officer-candidate",[8] leading a tank into that country. Subsequently, he was promoted to Lieutenant of a Panzer unit and awaited the Invasion of Poland. Before he was given the mobilization order, he was recalled to China to assist the war effort against the invading Japanese forces.[9]

Service during the Second Sino-Japanese War

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Upon being recalled from Germany, Chiang Wei-kuo visited the United States as a distinguished guest of the US Army on behalf of his father and the Kuomintang. While in the United States, he gave lectures detailing on German army organizations and tactics. During the war, Chiang Wei-kuo became acquainted with generals in Northwestern China and organized an armour mechanized battalion to formally take part in the National Revolutionary Army. Chiang Wei-kuo was stationed at a garrison in Xi'an in 1941. In addition, he spent some time in Indiana studying tanks at the U.S. Armored School in 1943.[citation needed] Wei-kuo would become a Major at 28, a Lieutenant Colonel at 29, a Colonel at 32 whilst in charge of a tank battalion, and later in Taiwan, a Major General.

Service during the Chinese Civil War

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During the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Wei-kuo employed tactics he had learned whilst studying in the German Wehrmacht. He was in charge of a tank battalion of the 1st Tank Regiment (equipped with Soviet T-26 light tanks and Italian CV-33/35 tankettes)[10] during the Huaihai Campaign against Mao Zedong's troops, scoring some early victories.[11] While it was not enough to win the campaign, he was able to pull back without significant problems. Like many troops and refugees of the Kuomintang, he retreated from Shanghai to Taiwan and moved his tank regiment to Taiwan, becoming a divisional strength regiment commander of the armoured corps stationed outside of Taipei.

Taiwan

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Chiang Wei-kuo in Taiwan, 1950

Chiang Wei-kuo continued to hold senior positions in the Republic of China Armed Forces following the ROC retreat to Taiwan. In 1964, following the Hukou Incident and his subordinate Chao Chih-hwa's attempted coup d'état, Chiang Wei-kuo was in the penalty box and never held any authority in the military.[12][13][14]

Chiang Wei-kuo is buried in Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery in New Taipei City

From 1964 onwards, Chiang Wei-kuo made preparations in establishing a school dedicated to teaching warfare strategy; such a school was established in 1969. In 1975, Chiang Wei-kuo was further promoted to the position of general, and served as president of the Armed Forces University. In 1980, Chiang served as joint logistics commander in chief; then in 1986, he retired from the army and became National Security Council Secretary-General.

After Chiang Ching-kuo's death, Chiang Wei-kuo was a political rival of native Taiwanese Lee Teng-hui, and he strongly opposed Lee's Taiwan localization movement. Chiang ran as vice-president with Taiwan Governor Lin Yang-kang in the 1990 ROC indirect presidential election. Lee ran as the KMT presidential candidate and defeated the Lin-Chiang ticket.[15][16][17][18]

Personal life

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In 1944, he married Shih Chin-i (石靜宜), the daughter of Shih Feng-hsiang (石鳳翔), a textile tycoon from North West China. Shih died in 1953 during childbirth. Wei-kuo later established the Chingshin Elementary School (靜心小學) in Taipei to commemorate his late wife.

In 1957, Chiang remarried, to Ellen Chiu Ju-hsüeh (丘如雪), also known as Chiu Ai-lun (邱愛倫), a daughter of Chinese and German parents. Chiu gave birth to Chiang's only son, Chiang Hsiao-kang, (蔣孝剛) in 1962. Chiang Hsiao-kang is the youngest of the Hsiao generation of the Chiang family.

Chiang Wei-kuo was also quite active in civil society, where he was the founder of the Chinese Institute of Strategy and Sino-German Cultural and Economic Association, as well as the Chairman of the Republic of China Football Association. He was the first chairman of Chingshin Primary School (靜心小學) and served as the president of the United States Students Association of China.

Chiang was a Freemason, and was the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of China from 1968 to 1969.[19]

Final years

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In the early 1990s, Chiang Wei-kuo established an unofficial Spirit Relocation Committee (奉安移靈小組) to petition the Communist government to allow his adopted father Chiang Kai-shek and brother Chiang Ching-kuo to be interred in mainland China.[20] His request was largely ignored by both the Nationalist and Communist governments, and he was persuaded to abandon the petition by his father's widow Soong Mei-ling in November 1996.

In 1991, Chiang's housemaid, Li Hung-mei (李洪美, or 李嫂) was found dead in Chiang's estate in Taipei City. The following police investigation discovered a stockpile of sixty guns on Chiang's estate. Chiang himself admitted the possibility of a link between the guns and his maid's death, which was later ruled a suicide by the police.[20] The incident permanently tarnished Chiang Wei-kuo's name, at a time when the Chiang family was increasingly unpopular on Taiwan and even within the Nationalist Party.

In 1993, Chiang Wei-kuo was employed as a senior advisor to President Lee Teng-hui despite their previous political rivalry.

In 1994, a hospital was supposed to be named after him (蔣緯國醫療中心) in Sanchih, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), after an unnamed politician donated to Ruentex Financial Group (潤泰企業集團), whose founder was from Sanchih. Politicians questioned the motivation.[20]

In 1996, the Chiang home on military land was finally demolished by the order of the Taipei municipal government under Chen Shui-bian. The estate had been constructed in 1971. After Chiang moved elsewhere in 1981, he deeded it to his son. The justification was that his son was not in military service and thus was not entitled to live there.[21]

Chiang Wei-kuo died at the age of 80, on 22 September 1997, from kidney failure. He had been experiencing falling blood pressure complicated by diabetes after a 10-month stay at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei. He had wished to be buried in Suzhou on the mainland but was instead buried at Wuchih Mountain Military Cemetery.


Chiang family tree 
Soong May‑ling
宋美齡		Mao Fumei
毛福梅		Chiang Kai‑shek
蔣介石		Yao Yecheng
姚冶誠
Chen Jieru
陳潔如
Faina Chiang Fang‑liang
蔣方良		Chiang Ching-kuo
蔣經國		Chang Ya‑juo
章亞若
(mistress)		Shih Chin‑i
石靜宜		Chiang Wei‑kuo
蔣緯國
(adopted)		Chiu Ju‑hsüeh
丘如雪		Chen Yao‑kuang
陳瑶光
(adopted)
Alan Chiang Hsiao‑wen
蔣孝文		Amy Chiang Hsiao‑chang
蔣孝章		Alex Chiang Hsiao‑wu
蔣孝武		Eddie Chiang Hsiao‑yung
蔣孝勇		Winston Chang Hsiao‑tzu
章孝慈		John Chiang Hsiao‑yen
蔣孝嚴		Chiang Hsiao‑kang
蔣孝剛
Nancy Xu Nai‑jin
徐乃錦		Yu Yang‑ho
俞揚和		Wang Zhang‑shi
汪長詩		Michelle Tsai Hui‑mei
蔡惠媚		Elizabeth Fang Chi‑yi
方智怡		Chao Chung‑te
趙申德		Helen Huang Mei‑lun
黃美倫		Wang Yi‑hui
王倚惠
Theodore Yu Tsu‑sheng
俞祖聲		Chang Ching‑sung
章勁松		Chang Yo‑chu
章友菊		Vivian Chiang Hui‑lan
蔣惠蘭		Chiang Hui‑yün
蔣惠筠		Chiang Wan‑an
蔣萬安
Chiang Yo‑mei
蔣友梅		Alexandra Chiang Yo‑lan
蔣友蘭		Johnathan Chiang Yo‑sung
蔣友松		Demos Chiang Yo‑bo
蔣友柏		Edward Chiang Yo‑chang
蔣友常		Andrew Chiang Yo‑ching
蔣友青		Chiang Yo‑chüan
蔣友娟		Chiang Yo‑chieh
蔣友捷
Notes
  • Dashed lines represent marriages
  • Dotted lines represent extra-marital relationships and adoptions
  • Solid lines represent descendants


Political and military career

[edit]

His positions in the Republic of China government included:

Full list of military, and civil government positions held:

Military, civil and government positions held
  • National Revolutionary Army officer Lieutenant attendant (1936)
  • German Seventh Army trainee (In November 1936 -1937)
  • German Army Mountain Division soldiers, 98th Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 5th Company (November 1937 – 1938)
  • German Army Mountain Division soldiers eighth lieutenant (1938–1939)
  • NRA First Division Army 3rd Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 5th Company platoon leader (1941)
  • NRA First Division Army 3rd Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 5th Company Commander (1941)
  • NRA First Division Army 3rd Regiment, 2nd Battalion deputy battalion commander (1942–1944)
  • NRA First Division Army 3rd Regiment, 2nd Battalion battalion commander (1944–1945)
  • Youth Expedition 206 Division, 616 Battalion, 2nd Regiment (1945)
  • Third Department of the Army armored corps training Director (1945)
  • Army Corps armored fighting vehicles training, fourth regiment group leader (1945–1946)
  • Army Corps armored fighting vehicles training, first regiment group leader (1946–1947)
  • Army Corps armored fighting vehicles training, first regiment commander (1947-?)
  • Nanjing Private Secondary School in Yining founder (1948)
  • Armored Force Command Chief of Staff (1948–1949)
  • Armored Force Command deputy commander (1949 – 1 March 1950)
  • Armored brigade (1st term) Brigadier (1 March 1950 – 1 June 1953)
  • Yi Ning, chairman of private secondary school, Taichung City (November 1951 – June 1953)
  • Jingxin Primary School chairman (1956–1968)
  • Fifth Department of Defense Director of the Office (1958–unknown)
  • Armored Force Command (4th term) Commander (1 August 1958 – 1 August 1963)
  • Department of Defense senior staff
  • Defense Planning Committee, deputy director of joint operations
  • Dean of the Army Command and Staff College (1 September 1963 – 1 September 1968)
  • Sino-German Cultural and Economic Association (1963–1986)
  • Armed Forces University Vice-Chancellor (1968 – 16 August 1975)
  • Armed Forces War College University of Institutionalized Persons (1 December 1969)
  • Armed Forces University, Dean of war (1 December 1969 – 7 April 1980)
  • Armed Forces University President (16 August 1975 – 7 April 1980)
  • Central Consultative Committee of the Kuomintang (1976–unknown)
  • Founder of the Chinese Institute of Strategy (1979)
  • Taipei Football Association (29 April 1980 – 25 March 1982)
  • Chief of the General Command of the Joint Duty (7 April 1980 – July 1984)
  • Meihua Sports Promotion Campaign Committee vice chairman (1980 – 22 September 1997)
  • Joint Operations Training Officer (1 July 1984 – 18 June 1986)
  • National Security Council Secretary-General (18 June 1986 – 28 February 1993)
  • Bureau of the Kuomintang Chairman of the Central Consultative Committee (1988–unknown)
  • Chairman of the Chinese Institute of Strategy (1990–unknown)
  • National Unity Committee
  • Presidential advisor (28 February 1993 – 22 September 1997)
  • Rotary Club of Taipei

Education history

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Written works

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  • Grand Strategy Summary 《大戰略概說》
  • A Summary of National Strategy 《國家戰略概說》
  • The strategic value of Taiwan in the world 《臺灣在世局中的戰略價值》(1977)
  • The Middle Way and Life 《中道與人生》 (1979)
  • Soft military offensive 《柔性攻勢》
  • The basic principles of the military system 《軍制基本原理》(1974)
  • The Z that creates this age 《創造這個時代的Z》
[edit]
  • Former residence of Chiang Wei-kuo in Nanjing
    Former residence of Chiang Wei-kuo in Nanjing
  • Chiang Wei-Kuo as an officer candidate in the German Army, 1938
    Chiang Wei-Kuo as an officer candidate in the German Army, 1938
  • Chiang Wei-kuo as a Fanhnenjunker (cadet) in the Wehrmacht prior to 1939
    Chiang Wei-kuo as a Fanhnenjunker (cadet) in the Wehrmacht prior to 1939
  • Chiang Wei-kuo in Germany with other Wehrmacht officer candidates, prior to 1939
    Chiang Wei-kuo in Germany with other Wehrmacht officer candidates, prior to 1939
  • Chiang Wei-kuo in German Army mountain troop (Gebirgsjager) field attire with the characteristic 'Bergmutze' field cap
    Chiang Wei-kuo in German Army mountain troop (Gebirgsjager) field attire with the characteristic 'Bergmutze' field cap
  • Chiang Wei-kuo in the National Revolutionary Army in 1941, as a second lieutenant stationed in Xi'an
    Chiang Wei-kuo in the National Revolutionary Army in 1941, as a second lieutenant stationed in Xi'an
  • Chiang Wei-kuo (right), with father Chiang Kai-shek (left), 1941
    Chiang Wei-kuo (right), with father Chiang Kai-shek (left), 1941
  • Chiang Kai-shek (front) with his sons Chiang Ching-kuo (rear, left) and Chiang Wei-kuo (rear, right)
    Chiang Kai-shek (front) with his sons Chiang Ching-kuo (rear, left) and Chiang Wei-kuo (rear, right)

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b 2009-08-02, 人民網, 蔣介石、宋美齡的感情危機與蔣緯國的身世之謎 Archived 2012-04-04 at the Wayback Machine, 新華網(港澳臺)
  2. ^ 蔣緯國的親媽——重松金子 Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, 鳳凰網
  3. ^ 寇維勇 (1989-01-12). "戴季陶之子？蔣緯國是坦然談身世" (in Chinese). 聯合 報.
  4. ^ 李玉玲 (1995-01-02). "李敖：據蔣介石日記考證 蔣緯國不是蔣公之子" (in Chinese). 聯合報.
  5. ^ Sep 23, 1997, Last son of Chiang Kai-shek dies, China Informed
  6. ^ 楊湘鈞 (2012-05-29). "蔣緯國生父是誰？ 戴傳賢銅像勾起大公案" (in Chinese). 聯合報.
  7. ^ Taylor, Jay (2009). The generalissimo : Chiang Kai-shek and the struggle for modern China. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-03338-2. OCLC 252922333.
  8. ^ Laura Tyson Li (2007). Madame Chiang Kai-Shek: China's Eternal First Lady (reprint, illustrated ed.). Grove Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-8021-4322-8. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
  9. ^ 刘, 凤翰 (2008). 蒋纬国口述自传. Beijing: 中国大百科全书出版社. p. 64. ISBN 9787500077886.
  10. ^ Weaponry in the Chinese Civil War https://thehistoryfiles.com/weaponry-in-the-chinese-civil-war/
  11. ^ Dr. Gary J. Bjorge, (2004). Moving the Enemy: Operational Art in the Chinese PLA’s Huai Hai Campaign Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Leavenworth Paper, No.22. Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
  12. ^ 薛化元. 湖口兵變 (PDF) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taiwan: 國家文化資料庫. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  13. ^ NOWnews政治中心／綜合報導 (2007-11-10). 將軍悲翻案／湖口兵變 蔣緯國受牽連被打入冷宮 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). NOWnews. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  14. ^ 湖口兵變 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 台灣大百科全書. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  15. ^ 張昆山, 1990/03/10, 林洋港：婉辭國代連署提名 Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, 台北報導
  16. ^ 2010-08-25, 李登輝如何搞垮了國民黨, 新華網(港澳臺)
  17. ^ 07/22/2003, 四、利用“三月政爭”打破聯合掌權 Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, 華夏經緯網
  18. ^ "總統"的弟弟 Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, 鳳凰網
  19. ^ 台灣美生會 蔣緯國曾任會長－民視新聞 [Freemasonry in Taiwan: Chiang Wei-kuo was the Grand Master – FTV News] (FTV News) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). New Taipei City. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  20. ^ a b c 王利南 (2000). 蔣緯國的回歸夢(連載七) (in Chinese). 人民日報. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2011-05-14. 第二場風波是蔣緯國藏槍事件，1991年7月6日蔣緯國第二次競選失敗時，台中市警署公布了所謂蔣緯國家中藏有60只靶槍的事情，同時發生了蔣緯國家中一個叫李洪美的女佣神秘死去的案件。蔣緯國公開發表講話認為女佣人神秘死去可能和槍支告發者有關，可能受到威脅后自殺。其實這批靶槍放在家里已經20多年了，也早已成了廢鐵，他早就忘了。所謂李嫂告發事件，因為李嫂神秘死去無法對証，所以很可能是個設計好的陰謀。
  21. ^ 2005-04-20, 蔣緯國批評“台獨”的親筆信在重慶露面(組圖), 重慶晨報

Sources

[edit]
  • Wang Shichun (汪士淳), (1996). Travelling alone for a thousand mountains: The Life of Chiang Wei-kuo (千山獨行 蔣緯國的人生之旅), Tianxia Publishing, Taiwan. ISBN 957-621-338-X
  • Zhou Shao (周劭). The trifles of Chiang Wei-kuo's youth (青年蔣緯國瑣事), within the volume "Huanghun Xiaopin" (黃昏小品), Shanghai Guji Publishing House (上海古籍出版社), Shanghai, 1995. ISBN 7-5325-1235-5
  • Kwan Kwok Huen (關國煊). Biography of Chiang Wei-kuo (蔣緯國小傳). Biography Literature (傳記文學), 78, 4.
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