HISTORY OF TAIWAN
Taiwan’s Turbulent Beginnings — Chiang Kai-Shek Escaping With 774 Crates of Gold And 300,000 Men
China is asserting its claims to Taiwan more aggressively than ever, although these are historically rather questionable.
It was late afternoon when Chiang Kai-shek arrived at the military airport in Chengdu, western China, on December 10, 1949, when the Chinese politician boarded the plane for Taiwan.
One of the most unusual relocations was already largely complete by then. In the months before, China’s former president arranged for 774 crates of gold from the Chinese central bank to be shipped to Taiwan, and 50 to 60 planes were in operation to bring fuel and ammunition to the island. Ships delivered radios, cars, lumber, and machinery. Under the strictest secrecy, thousands of crates of material from Qing Dynasty archives were shipped to Taiwan, including up to 230,000 works of art and artifacts from the imperial collections. As sinologist Jonathan Spence writes, a 300,000-man army loyal to Chiang was stationed on the island since early 1949.
Although Taiwan at that time belonged again to the Republic of China after its return by Japan, tensions arose between the local population and the…
