About Meiling Palace, besides the beauty of its villa architecture, what is more important is its historical value. Chiang Kai-shek and Song Meiling got married in 1927, and Song Meiling left his big villa in Shanghai to support Jiang Gong's work and chose to live with him in the "humble room" in Nanjing. It was not until the end of the Central Plains War that this villa was established as their residence.
The most talked about in Nanjing is the buttonwood tree outside Meiling Palace. As autumn approaches, the buttonwood tree will form a necklace, which is very beautiful. The locals also said that this is the most precious gift from Jiang Gong. The phrase "If you love someone, give her all the buttonwood trees in the city" was very popular for a period of time. So was the buttonwood planted by Jiang Gong?
There are actually two theories about who planted the buttonwood trees around Meiling Palace. The first one is that this is a birthday gift from Duke Jiang to Song Meiling, and a buttonwood tree that Song Meiling likes is planted around it, which is also the favorite tree of Nanjing citizens. There is no evidence that Meiling Palace was a birthday gift from Jiang Gong to Song Meiling, so it is impossible to be sure. However, according to historical records, Soong Ching Ling once proposed to do more greening around Meiling Palace, and Jiang Gong paid the environmental cost out of his own pocket.