The Complete Biography of Soong Mei-ling - (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Tong Jing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-02-01
Features: Emotion and power join forces to dominate the turbulent times, beauty and sorrow intertwined in the performance of a century of elegance. Over 420 precious historical photographs recreate the figures of history. Soong Mei-ling, the wife and diplomatic aide of Chiang Kai-shek, was born in Wenchang, Guangdong (now part of Hainan), on March 23, 1899, in Shanghai. She learned English at home in her childhood. In 1910, she went to the United States and later studied at Wellesley College. After returning to China in 1920, she participated in activities of the Christian Women's Young Association. She served on the Film Censorship Committee and the Child Labor Committee. On December 12, 1927, she married Chiang Kai-shek in Shanghai and later engaged in extensive social and political activities, holding leadership positions in various women's and children's welfare organizations. In December 1936, after the Xi'an Incident, she traveled to Xi'an to support the peaceful resolution. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, she served as the Secretary-General of the Aviation Committee. In 1943, she accompanied Chiang Kai-shek to the Cairo Conference as an interpreter. In 1948, she represented Chiang Kai-shek in seeking aid in the United States. In 1950, she moved from the United States to Taiwan. In 1974, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 10th National Congress of the Kuomintang awarded her the "Zhongshan Medal." Shortly after Chiang Kai-shek's death in 1975, she went to the United States for medical treatment and settled there. In 1976, she briefly returned to Taiwan. She held positions such as President of the "Chinese Women's Anti-Communist Federation," Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Kuomintang Evaluation Council, and Director of the Women's Work Committee of the Kuomintang. In October 1986, she returned to Taiwan to participate in the centennial memorial of Chiang Kai-shek's death. From the perspective of the great era, Soong Mei-ling was undoubtedly a tragic figure. Due to her family background and marriage, coupled with her personality and talents, she once became the most prominent woman in China. She participated in politics, intervened in Chiang Kai-shek's affairs, and moved between the international and domestic political stages. For a time, legends about her spread around the world like myths. Yet, she was ultimately a woman with women's needs, sentiments, traits, and weaknesses. As the Chiang family dynasty collapsed, her personal tragedy became inevitable. Now she is alone, living as a stranger in a foreign land, enduring the loneliness and desolation of her later years. Soong Mei-ling, the once-famous "First Lady," a global-era woman, had how many undisclosed secrets in her life? How many twists of fate did she experience? How many honors and disgraces did she bear? How much light and darkness did she endure? How much beauty and sorrow did she reveal? A life of 104 years: the first half of her life in the bustling capital, the years of solitude on the island as the "First Lady," and the life of an expatriate in the United States. Those memories, whether of her perilous journey to the front lines to comfort anti-Japanese soldiers or of her protection of her relatives who embezzled national property, have gradually faded into the depths of history books. Yet she—Soong Mei-ling, the ever-unfading figure in Chinese history—has walked through the long three centuries with a weary step. As the old friends have passed away, she alone laments. This elderly woman, who recorded the most fascinating part of modern Chinese history, has now reached the twilight of her life. It is time to lift the layers of history and see a true Soong Mei-ling. This book strives to record her life truthfully and evaluate it as objectively as possible: she firmly advocated resistance against Japan, making her a patriot, yet she also protected her relatives and profited from the national crisis, leaving a heavy mark on modern Chinese history; she upheld virtue, was brave and resolute, pursuing her ideals with unwavering dedication throughout her life, and was once hailed as "Saint Joan of Arc," yet she also had selfish sides, skilled in political maneuvering and power plays. Numerous sharp contradictions were concentrated in her. We see her shadows, but we also see her light. Reviewing the development of modern Chinese history, we cannot deny her role in history, including her negative impact.