Chang Ya-juo
| Chang Ya-jo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | 章亞若 |
| Born | 1913 |
| Died | 16 August 1942 (aged 29) |
| Known for | being the mother of Chiang Ching-kuo's illegitimate twin sons |
| Spouse(s) |
Tang Yinggang (唐英刚) (1926–?) |
| Children |
|
| Relatives |
Zhang Gongtao Zhou Jinhua |
Chang Ya-jo (traditional Chinese: 章亞若; simplified Chinese: 章亚若; pinyin: Zhāng Yāruò; 1913–1942; sometimes romanized as Chang Ya-juo or Chang Yaruo) was the mistress of Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國; Jiǎng Jīngguó) and bore twin sons for him, John Chiang (蔣孝嚴; Jiǎng Xiàoyán) and Winston Chang (章孝慈; Zhāng Xiàocí) in 1942. She met Chiang when she was working at a training camp for enlistees in the fight against Japan while he was serving as the head of Gannan Prefecture.[1][2]
The twins were born out of wedlock in Guilin, China, and took their mother's surname. Chang Ya-jo died in August 1942 when they were approximately six months old, under mysterious circumstances; after dining at a friend's house, she came home complaining of stomach cramps. She was admitted to the hospital and died the next day.[1]
After their mother's death, the twins were raised by Chang's brother and sister-in-law, Chang Hau-juo (章浩若; Zhāng Hàoruò) and Chi Chen (季琛; Jì Chēn), respectively, who were officially listed as their parents.[3] They escaped to Taiwan with their uncle and aunt in 1949 and settled near Hsinchu.
After a legal process[4] that included obtaining written declarations from Chi's sons, documents attesting to the father-sons relationship between Chiang Ching-kuo and the twins from retired general Wang Sheng (王昇; Wáng Shēng), the birth certificate listing Chang Ya-juo as his mother and DNA testing to prove that Chi was not his birth mother, John Chiang was able to obtain a new ID card listing Chiang Ching-kuo and Chang Ya-juo as his biological parents in December 2002.[3] John Chiang officially changed his surname to Chiang in March 2005.[5]
In 2006, Chiang stated he knew the identity of his mother's murderer, to be revealed as one of Chiang Ching-kuo's aides in his forthcoming memoirs, but that Chiang Ching-kuo had not ordered the murder and was not aware it was to take place.[6][7]
References
Notes
- 1 2 Demick, Barbara (20 June 2003). "A Scion's Story Full of Twists". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ↑ Bradsher, Keith (11 January 2003). "Taiwan Lawmaker's Skill May Be Hereditary". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- 1 2 Hsu, Crystal (14 December 2002). "John Chang gets new identity". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ↑ Tsai, Ting-I (13 July 2002). "Legislator will have to clear hurdles in bid to alter ID card". Taipei Times. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ↑ "Chang has become Chiang". Taipei Times. CNA. 8 March 2005. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ↑ "John Chiang says he has solved mother's murder". Taipei Times. AFP. 27 Jan 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ↑ 蔣孝嚴; Chiang, John (2006). 蔣家門外的孩子 : 蔣孝嚴逆流而上 [The Chiang family's outside children : John Chiang's upstream journey] (in Chinese). Taipei: 天下遠見出版股份有限公司. ISBN 9789864176816. OCLC 70663153.
External links
- 蒋孝严谈母亲章亚若离奇死亡真相 [John Chiang reveals the truth behind the mysterious death of his mother Chang Ya-juo]. News163 (in Chinese). 7 August 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
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