Chiang Kai-shek

1887 – 1975 · died at about 88^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Chiang Kai-shek

• Chiang Kai-shek served as a young officer in an Imperial Japanese Army artillery regiment, whose Japanese officers remembered him for his discipline and loyalty.^[1]
• Chiang's familiar name comes from the Cantonese pronunciation of Chieh-shih ("firm as a rock"), a pen name he took in 1912; Sun Yat-sen knew him by the Cantonese form.^[1][3][4]
• Before sailing to Japan in 1906, Chiang cut off his queue, the hairstyle Qing rule required of men, a criminal act that shocked his hometown.^[1]
• Chiang's 1927 marriage to Soong Mei-ling tied him to Sun Yat-sen's family: her older sister Soong Ching-ling was Sun's wife.^[1][3][4]
• In the 1936 Xi'an Incident, Nationalist generals kidnapped Chiang for two weeks, forcing him into a united front with the Communists against Japan.^[1]
• In 1923 Chiang led a Kuomintang mission to Moscow, where Leon Trotsky told him the Soviets would send weapons and advisers but not troops.^[1][5][6]
• Chiang Kai-shek was alive at the same time as Eminem — their lives overlapped for 3 years (1972–1975).^[1][2][7][8]
• Chiang Kai-shek shares a birthday with Hokusai: both were born on October 31.^{[1][2][9][10]}

Chiang Kai-shek was a Chinese military commander, revolutionary, and statesman who was President of the Republic of China from 1948 to 1975 and the head of the Nationalist government from 1925 to 1948. As the de facto leader of the Republic of China (ROC), he ruled the country through World War II and oversaw the relocation of its government to Taiwan following defeat in the Chinese Civil War.^[1]

Contemporaries

Georgia O'Keeffe

88 yr overlap

Pablo Picasso

86 yr overlap

Charlie Chaplin

86 yr overlap

Agatha Christie

85 yr overlap

Harry S. Truman

85 yr overlap

Igor Stravinsky

84 yr overlap

Coco Chanel

84 yr overlap

Haile Selassie

83 yr overlap

Bertrand Russell

83 yr overlap

Mao Zedong

82 yr overlap

J.R.R. Tolkien

81 yr overlap

Lise Meitner

81 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Chiang Kai-shek

When was Chiang Kai-shek born?

Chiang Kai-shek was born on October 31, 1887, and died on April 5, 1975.

How old was Chiang Kai-shek at death?

Chiang Kai-shek was born on October 31, 1887, and died on April 5, 1975, at age 87.

What was Chiang Kai-shek known for?

Chiang Kai-shek was known for: Nationalist leader of the Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek was a Chinese military commander, revolutionary, and statesman who was President of the Republic of China from 1948 to 1975 and the head of the Nationalist government from 1925 to 1948. As the de facto leader of the Republic of China (ROC), he ruled the country through World War II and oversaw the relocation of its government to Taiwan following defeat in the Chinese Civil War.

Who was alive at the same time as Chiang Kai-shek?

Chiang Kai-shek's closest contemporary was Georgia O'Keeffe. Their lives overlapped for 88 years.