Sons of Song: Three Foreign-Degree Holders and the Economy of the Republic of China

Author: Chen Yanyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The three Song brothers received a good family education in their early years and later traveled overseas to pursue their studies. Under the collision of Chinese and Western cultures and civilizations, they had grand ambitions to save the nation and its people, as well as deliberate pursuits to rise above themselves. Like their parents, they followed the revolutionary pioneer Sun Yat-sen to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and achieve a different world. Especially the eldest, Song Ziweng, as a witness, signed both of Sun Yat-sen's wills, attracting widespread attention. Later, during the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China and the split between Song and Han, he successively served as the Minister of Finance and President of the Central Bank (also known as Chairman) of the Guangzhou, Wuhan, and later Nanjing Nationalist Governments, as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice Minister of the Executive Yuan, Acting Minister, and Minister. He participated in the organization and planning of major political, economic, and diplomatic issues of the Nanjing Nationalist Government. Song Ziliang and Song Zian, as capable assistants to their older brother Song Ziweng, were involved in these matters. It can be said that the three Song brothers are the core figures of the Song family. In the competition for wealth with the Kong family, they were no less than in setting up financial schemes and dividend distributions.