Revealed！No. 1 Chiang Kai-shek ID Card — Occupation Listed as "President" Not Civil Servant

Reported and photographed by You [Name Redacted] / Yilan

Inside Chiang Kai-shek’s Guesthouse at Qilan Villa in Yilan, in addition to preserving the furniture and layout from Chiang’s lifetime, there is also an exhibit known as a “major revelation” — a replica of Chiang Kai-shek’s No. 1 official ID card. A closer look at the “occupation” field on this ID reveals something astonishing. It’s said that even former Premier Yu Shyi-kun was shocked when he saw it, exclaiming, “In the past, things could be stated so bluntly.” So, what incredible detail does this document actually hide?


▲ The No. 1 Chiang Kai-shek ID card, with the serial number Y10000001.

What should be filled in the occupation field on a president’s ID card? This is probably a question that lingers in many people’s minds. However, this answer, which has puzzled the general public, has also faded from memory since the ID card was redesigned and the “occupation field” was removed.

A reporter visited the “Chiang Kai-shek Guesthouse” located within the Qilan Villa complex in Yilan and unexpectedly discovered the No. 1 Chiang Kai-shek ID card. Not only does it meticulously list detailed information such as Chiang’s parents and residential address, but the occupation field is filled in as “President.” According to local guides, even Yu Shyi-kun couldn’t help but express surprise upon seeing it, remarking, “Back then, the occupation field could be so straightforward!”


▲ The ID number starts with Y, indicating he was the second son in his family.


▲ Nowadays, if there were an occupation field, it would be filled as “civil servant,” but back then it was written as “President.”

“Before the ID card was redesigned, the occupation field for the president was listed as ‘civil servant,’” the guide explained. Yu Shyi-kun, upon visiting this Chiang Kai-shek Guesthouse, couldn’t help but lean in close to inspect the ID card behind the display glass. What surprised him the most was Chiang’s “occupation.” At that time, Yu remarked in astonishment, “Nowadays, it has to be written as civil servant!” In addition, Chiang’s ID card also shows that he was the second son in his family, and his place of birth is registered under a region starting with “Y” — namely Yangmingshan, the only area in Taiwan not a county or city but still listed under an alphabetical designation.

 
▲ Chiang Kai-shek and his wife had different daily schedules, so they had separate rooms.


▲ The guesthouse still retains utensils once used by Chiang Kai-shek.


▲ Chiang Kai-shek led a very frugal daily life, as can be seen from his dinner menu.


▲ The distilled water that Chiang Kai-shek used to drink is also preserved to this day, with the bottle still labeled as “蒸溜水” (distilled water).

Former President Chiang Kai-shek lived in and visited over 30 guesthouses during his lifetime. Most of these sites preserve the living conditions of Chiang and his wife, Soong Mei-ling, for future generations to remember. The preserved items vary from place to place. The Chiang Kai-shek Guesthouse at Qilan Villa not only fully retains the layout of the bedrooms, dining room, and living room where Chiang and Soong Mei-ling once lived, but also preserves recordings of their speeches, as well as decades-old “distilled water” specially used by Chiang, all serving as mementos for visitors.

It is said that even to this day, many elderly people specifically visit the Chiang Kai-shek Guesthouse at Qilan Villa just to listen to a recording of “Madam’s speech,” carefully walk the same grounds that Chiang once tread, observe the play of light and shadow inside the house, and reminisce about the past that has now become a cherished memory.


▲ % Many elderly visitors come here especially to stand in the rooms where Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling once stayed, gently stepping on the same ground that Chiang walked, watching the shifting light inside the house, and recalling the times that have now become memories.