Faina Vakhreva (also known by the Mandarin name Chiang Fang-liang), the widow of Chiang Ching-kuo, died on Wednesday at Taipei Veterans General Hospital after a long illness. She was 88.
She and Chiang Ching-kuo met in her native Russia.
Yes, my wife told me about this yesterday. It is quite sad.
It seems she had sad life. As the original foreign bride, with poor Mandarin skills she must have felt isolated and lonely. Then she had to deal with an alcoholic philandering husband, and disfunctional sons (2 of them at any rate) who enjoyed gambling and whoring with gangsters (not to mention arranging assassinations for daddy’s enemies). Her husband and al three sons died well before she did, which must have added to the loneliness.
I imagine most Taiwanese feel quite saddened by her death.
Brian
Interesting site.
Love to Fang-liang–the Chiang Family Album
sinorama.com.tw/en/1998/199801/701038e1.html
What did she saw in that twit CCK :raspberry: anyway.
I’ve met one of the grandsons. He also is a philanderer from what I understand.
i heard she is a relative of that Margarita girl now on local TV variety show with Chang Fei. A distant aunt. True?
Was she Orthodox, or did she convert to hubby’s Protestantism? (Presbyterian?) Anybody know?
What kind of funeral will she have?
She will have a Chinese funeral of course.
One of the best First Lady ROC, Taiwan has ever seen.
No insider trading scandal, very well spoken and never judgmental.
The newspapers gave the name of their “family minister,” apparently a Protestant of some sort. Fits with the Chiang family’s stated affiliation.
What’s so great about her? The fact that she was so quiet and submissive?
More like she understood the greater good of not seeking the limelight. Could you imagine during the entire Red Scare era what a political blight she could have become.
Sometime a heroic act is having the wisdom not to act rashly and for the greater good.