Chiang Kai-shek: The Failed Victor

Victorious In Defeat: The Life and Times of Chiang Kai-Shek, China, 1887-1975

He won the war but lost the country; he won politics but lost history.
Was his life a failure or a victory?

★【The world's only Chinese version, released unedited and first to be released!】★
Pan Zhofu, an expert on modern Chinese history, presents the most authoritative biography of Chiang Kai-shek, revealing his mysterious, complex, and contradictory true face.

Chiang Kai-shek—a defeated victor and a victorious loser,
He is defeated even in victory, and seeks victory in defeat.
Winning World War II, but losing the Chinese Civil War;
He held power in Taiwan for a long time, but was severely criticized after his death.
He was once revered as the savior of the nation, but is now denigrated as a historical sinner.

In the past, we learned about Chiang Kai-shek in textbooks and learned about his inspiring story of watching fish swimming upstream;
Nowadays, when we mention the late President Chiang Kai-shek, we no longer need to move a few steps in awe or salute his portrait.
But we can still see his presence everywhere, in street names, coins, names of institutions and schools, memorial halls, etc.
Regardless of his evaluation, his influence on Taiwan has always been so great that it is difficult to erase and cannot be ignored.

Features of this book

【History should not be forgotten, but should be restored truthfully】
Now, through Panzhov's in-depth research, through the perspectives of many people who had encounters with Chiang Kai-shek in their lives,
We are able to rediscover a multifaceted Chiang Kai-shek whom most people may have never heard of.

Chiang Kai-shek, nicknamed Ruiyuan, was a mischievous child, often getting into trouble and nearly dying several times. His neighbors called him "Ruiyuan the Scoundrel," but modern doctors would likely diagnose him with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

●Because his father died early and his elder brother separated from the family, he has been dependent on his mother since childhood. He developed a sensitive and proud self-esteem and leadership instincts. He is used to asserting his authority through force to compensate for his low social status.

● He is mentally ill and extremely psychologically unbalanced. He is prone to impulsiveness, depression, and hysteria. He is a difficult person to get along with and others must have great patience in dealing with him.

● He was addicted to women and had a rich love history. He first married a woman he did not love at the behest of his mother. Later, he often frequented brothels, took prostitutes as concubines, and took young girls as concubines. Finally, he entered into a political marriage for personal future considerations.

● He was extremely loyal to his mentor Sun Yat-sen and valued friendship with his friends. He adopted the illegitimate child of his sworn brother and treated him as his own.

●I have very strict self-discipline, follow a schedule, go to bed early and get up early, eat a light diet, and never drink anything other than boiled water.

●They often start their diaries with “avengers” as their theme. They have a strong sense of patriotism and always feel humiliated when their country is oppressed.

●In the eyes of some foreign officials, he was dignified and calm, with a scholarly demeanor, like a clergyman; but he was also nicknamed "Peanut" by an American official in his diary, who described him as ignorant, domineering and stubborn.

Chiang Kai-shek spent his entire life at war, first with the Manchus, then with the warlords, the Communists, and the Japanese.
Even after retreating to Taiwan, he was always preparing for war, always dreaming of counterattacking the mainland.
He committed many terrible and bloody crimes and mistakes, but he also made great contributions to the country;
We can judge him from all aspects, taking into account his era and social context.

This book, the result of extensive and in-depth research, is a comprehensive biography of Chiang Kai-shek, one of the most powerful and controversial figures of the 20th century—the leader of the Chinese National Revolution. Beginning in 1926, Chiang Kai-shek (1887–1975) led the Republic of China for nearly fifty years. A patriot, the founder of the Republic of China, a hero of World War II, a Confucianist and a Christian, he dreamed of universal equality but became a treacherous and cunning dictator responsible for the deaths of over one and a half million innocent people. Regardless of whether Chiang Kai-shek is considered positive or negative, his profound and immense influence on the modern history of both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the history of the Far East is undeniable.

This critical biography draws on Chiang Kai-shek's unpublished diaries, extensive personal files in Russian archives, and Russian documents on his relatives, friends, and enemies. Panzhov reveals the role played by Russians in Chiang Kai-shek's rise to power in the 1920s and throughout the Chinese revolutionary movement, as well as Chiang's complex relationships with high-ranking American officials. He also reveals hidden secrets of the Chiang family and their life after their migration to Taiwan, hoping to help readers find Chiang Kai-shek's proper and objective place in history.

Media praise

Using Russian archival materials and his in-depth knowledge of Chinese Communism, Panzhov offers us a fresh and unique assessment of Chiang Kai-shek's complex character. — Chen Yongfa, Academician of the Academia Sinica

Panzhov applies his well-honed narrative and research skills to Chiang Kai-shek's life story. Anyone interested in where China came from should read this book. —Hans van de Ven, author of China at War 1937–1952

History has been unkind to Chiang Kai-shek, and historians remain extremely harsh on him to this day. However, recently released archives and Chiang Kai-shek's personal papers are shedding new light on his life. This gripping book offers a fascinating account of the life and times of a man who, despite his past, was a hero. It's full of surprises! — John Fitzgerald, Swinburne University, Melbourne

2023-02-02

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