The Central News Agency has reported that, according to Lu Chi-yu (盧其宇), chairman of the Association of Overseas Chinese from Northeast China (旅美東北同鄉會), Chang rejected offers from Chinese authorities to live in China. Lu said this was because of Chao's life-long stance against communism.
Chang had purchased two burial plots, one for himself and one for Chao, in a cemetery in Honolulu. He was buried there last year.
During his quiet life in Peitou, historians had hoped that he would write a record of the Xian Incident and fill in many of the gaps in their knowledge of the event, particularly with regards to his relationship with Chiang during the two-week kidnapping. With Chang's passing, however, those details will never be known. But Chen Yung-fa feels no pity about that.
"I don't think he had much to say about that. He was right to have remained silent ever since," said Chen.
But Lee Yung-chih thinks his silence was some sort of protest and also a kind of expression. "In fact, his arrest in the first place was ironic. It was best that he remained silent. As far as the historical facts of the incident are concerned, just let the historians guess -- if they are interested," Lee said.
RSS