Report: Madame Chiang's memorial service to be held next week

TAIPEI, TAIWAN - A New York memorial service for Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan&#39;s most famous first lady who died there last week, will be held on Nov. 5 three days after the island&#39;s president ends a visit to the city, news reports said Tuesday.<br> <br> Madame Chiang Kai-shek attended the eighth grade at Piedmont Academy in Demorest in 1908.<br> <br> Meanwhile, China has said its ambassador in the United States, Yang Jiechi, is ready to attend.<br> <br> But it is unclear whether a representative of the communist government that once fought a civil war against her husband would be welcome.<br> <br> Beijing expressed ``deep condolences&#39;&#39; after Madame Chiang&#39;s death, saying she was a patriot and noting her role in opposing Japanese forces that invaded China during World War II.<br> <br> Separately, a family spokeswoman has said she didn&#39;t want to invite Taiwan&#39;s President Chen Shui-bian to the memorial because of their deep political differences.<br> <br> The island&#39;s semiofficial Central News Agency said the Chiang family has decided to hold the service at St. Bartholomew&#39;s Church in Manhattan.<br> <br> The report didn&#39;t say why the event was scheduled after Chen&#39;s weekend New York visit. But state radio said that the family had to send out about 1,000 invitations and needed more time to prepare for the event.<br> <br> There were earlier media reports that relatives were planning to hold the memorial service during the weekend so Chen could attend and lay a national flag on Madame Chiang&#39;s coffin.<br> <br> But some relatives opposed the arrangement because of ideological differences between Chen and the Chiang family. Unlike the Chiangs, Chen leans toward keeping Taiwan independent from China.<br> <br> Madame Chiang, also known as Soong May-ling, died at her New York home Oct. 23, aged 105.<br> <br> She was the widow of the late Chiang Kai-shek, the president of the Nationalist government that ruled China until losing a civil war with the Communists and retreating to Taiwan in 1949.<br> <br> Madame Chiang moved to New York after her husband died in 1975.<br> <br> The Chiang family has yet to announce funeral arrangements.