Ep. 287 | China’s Himmler, Dai Li (Part 1)
In this Part 1 episode covering the life and times of Dai Li, we look at his early beginnings, living the thug life in Shanghai and falling in with all the right people. We look at his quick rise up the ranks of Chiang Kai-shek's formidable spy agencies. He was often called "China's Himmler" due to his slavish devotion to his boss, Chiang Kai-shek, and for his role in setting up Chiang's secret police and spy agencies.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dài Lì | 戴笠 | 1897-1946, KMT spymaster, a.k.a. Chiang Kai-shek's Sabre, headed the Nationalist government's secret police and spy organizations |
| Sūnzǐ | 孙子 | Also known as Sun wu 孙武, 544-496BC, military general and tactician who wrote The Art of War |
| Dài Chūnfēng | 戴春风 | Dai Li's birth name |
| Wáng Yàqiáo | 王亚樵 | 1887-1936, Shanghai gangster, leader of the Anhui Gang and famed assassin |
| Lú Yǒngxiáng | 卢永祥 | 1867-1933, Anhui Clique warlordwho served as the military governor of Zhejiang, Zhili (Hebei) and Jiangsu |
| Ànshā Dàwáng | 暗杀大王 | The King of Assassins, Wang Yaqiao's nickname |
| Huáng Jīnróng | 黄金荣 | 1868-1953, also known as Pockmarked Huang, both a Shanghai detective and head of the Green Gang |
| Dù Yuèshēng | 杜月笙 | 1888-1951, also known as Big Eared Du, Chinese mob boss and hardcore Chiang Kai-shek supporter |
| Dài Jìtáo | 戴季陶 | 1891-1949, Journalist, KMT charter member and Chiang supporter |
| Chén Guǒfū | 陈果夫 | 1892-1951, KMT politician, brother of Chen Lifu, also served in the Nationalist government. CC Clique member |
| Chén Lìfū | 陈立夫 | 1900-2001, brother of Chen Guofu, KMT politician, later headed up the Investigation Section of the Organization Department of the KMT |
| Chén Qíměi | 陈其美 | 1878-1916, Green Gang leader, mentor to Chiang Kai-shek, early KMT founder, assassinated in 1916 |
| Yuán Shìkǎi | 袁世凯 | 1859-1916, Qing dynasty military strongman, also called, "The First Warlord". Threw it all away when he tried to become emperor in 1915 |
| Xiǎo Biēsān | 小瘪三 | "Little Brat” or “Little Tramp.” |
| Hángzhōu | 杭州 | Capital of Zhejiang Province |
| Hú Zōngnán | 胡宗南 | 1896-1962, Nationalist general, one of Chjiang Kai-shek's most trusted generals |
| Jiāngshān | 江山 | Southern Zhejiang city where Dai Li was born |
| Zhèjiāng | 浙江 | Province in Eastern China |
| Máo Rénfèng | 毛人凤 | 1898-1956, Nationalist general and spymaster who (as we'll see in Part 3) succeeded Dai Li as head of the KMT spy agency |
| jiāxiāng rén | 家乡人 | Someone from the same hometown as you |
| Hú Jìng’ān | 胡静安 | Secretary of Chiang Kai-shek |
| Zhōngshān Warship Incident | 中山舰事件 | The Canton Coup of 20 March 1926, also known as the Zhongshan Incident or the March 20th Incident, was a purge of Communist elements of the Nationalist army in Guangzhou |
| Táng Shēngzhì | 唐生智 | 1889-1970, Chinese warlord during the Warlord Era and general during the Second Sino-Japanese War |
| Kāng Shēng | 康生 | 1898-1975, Communist official best known for having overseen the work of the CPC's internal security and intelligence apparatus during the early 1940s and again at the height of the Cultural Revolution |
| Lìxíng Shè | 力行社 | The Society for Vigorous Practice |
| Gù Shùnzhāng | 顾顺章 | 1903-1934, major CCP figure in the 1920's |
| Wǔhàn | 武汉 | Metropolitan area in Hubei consisting of the cities of Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang |
| Jiāngxī | 江西 | Province in eastern China |
| Zhū Dé | 朱德 | 1886-1976, PRC general, military strategist, politician and Red Army founder |
| Yán’ān | 延安 | City in northern Shaanxi where Mao setup his revolutionary base during the 1930's and 40's |
| Shǎnxī | 陕西 | Province in northern China |
| Lǎo Hǔ Dèng | 老虎凳 | Tiger Bench, a torture device favored by Dai Li's goons |
| Dǎo Gàngzi | 蹈杠子 | Treading on a Stick, another torture device used by the KMT's secret police organizations |
| Chén Chéng | 陈诚 | 1897-1965, One of the main NRA generals and later a KMT politician and official |
| Tāng Ēnbó | 汤恩伯 | 1898-1954, another major NRA general |
| H.H. Kǒng | 孔祥熙 | 1881-1967, Chinese financier married to Song Ailing. Also a major KMT politician and official and close comrade of Chiang Kai-shek |
| T.V. Sòng | 宋子文 | Known as Soong Tse-vung, 1894-1971, a major figure in Nationalist China politics |
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