Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887–April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925. He commanded the Northern Expedition to unify China against the warlords and emerged victorious in 1928 as the overall leader of the Republic of China (ROC). Chiang led China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, during which Chiang's stature within China weakened but his international prominence grew. During the Chinese Civil War (1926–1949), Chiang attempted to eradicate the Chinese Communists but ultimately failed, forcing his government to retreat to Taiwan, where he continued serving as the President of the Republic of China and Director-General of the KMT for the remainder of his life.

Early life

Chiang Kai-shek was born in the town of Xikou, in Fenghua County, Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. Xikou is approximately 33 km (20.5 miles) southwest of downtown Ningbo.

Related Topics:
Xikou - Fenghua - County - Ningbo - Prefecture - Zhejiang - Province

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However, the ancestral home (??) of Chiang Kai-shek, a concept important in Chinese society, was the town of Heqiao (???), in Yixing County, Wuxi Prefecture, Jiangsu Province (approximately 38 km. (24 miles) southwest of downtown Wuxi, and 10 km. (6 miles) from the shores of famous Lake Taihu).

Related Topics:
Yixing - Wuxi - Jiangsu - Lake Taihu

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His parents were Chiang Zhaocong (???) and Wang Caiyu (???), part of a upper-middle class family of salt merchants. In an arranged marriage, Chiang was married to fellow villager Mao Fumei1 (???, 1882–1939). Chiang and Mao had a son, Ching-Kuo, and a daughter, Chien-hua (??).

Related Topics:
Arranged marriage - 1 - 1882 - 1939 - Ching-Kuo

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Chiang grew up in an era where military defeats had left China destabilized and in debt, and he decided to join the military. He began his military education at the Paoting Military Academy in 1906. He left for the Military State Academy in Japan in 1907. There, he was influenced by his compatriots to support the revolutionary movement to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and set up a Chinese republic. He befriended fellow Zhejiang native Chen Qimei and in 1908, Chen brought Chiang to the Revolutionary Alliance. He served in the Imperial Japanese Army from 1909 to 1911.

Related Topics:
China - Paoting Military Academy - Japan - 1907 - Qing Dynasty - Chen Qimei - 1908 - Revolutionary Alliance - Imperial Japanese Army - 1909 - 1911

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