A Study of Public Finance within Wang Jingwei's Puppet Regime,by Pan Jian

Studying the original diaries of Chiang Kai-shek juxtaposed with its various compiled editions is much more important than simply distinguishing which edition is more or less authentic. The differences between the original and its copies resulted from deliberate efforts on the part of Chiang as well as his aid to edit and revise the original for public view. Hence, a comparison between the original and revised editions of the diary goes beyond the mere study of the authenticity of the editions and is of important historical value. This study examines original text from Chiang Kai-shek's diary and compares it with compiled editions produced by Mao Sicheng, who worked as Chiang's secretary in the early 1920s. Using entries primarily from the period of July 1926 as a case study, I carefully examine the similarities as well as the differences between the original diary of Chiang Kai-shek and Mao's copies, both the indexed version and the quoted entries in A Chronicle of Chiang Kai-Shek's Life which Mao compiled and which was published after Chiang passed away in Taiwan. I aim to show what changes were made to the original text in the published versions of Chiang's diary, and to deduce possible explanations of the changes and the ramifications of the modifications.