A photograph of the three Soong sisters together.

The Soong Sisters (宋家姐妹 pinyin: Sòngjiā Jiěmèi, or 宋氏三姐妹) were three women whose husbands were amongst China's most significant political figures of the early 20th century. They each played a major role in influencing their husbands, which ultimately changed the course of Chinese history. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... China is the worlds oldest continuous major civilization, with written records dating back about 3,500 years and with 5,000 years being commonly used by Chinese as the age of their civilization. ...

Quote

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ...

History

Through out their life time, each one of the sisters followed their own belief in terms of supporting the Nationalist or the Communist Party of China. In the 1930s, Soong Ai-ling and her sister Mei-ling were the two richest women in China at the time^[1]. Both of them supported the Nationalists, while Soong Ching-ling later sided with the CPC. The Kuomintang of China (abbreviation KMT) (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Tongyong Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung1-kuo2 Kuo2-min2-tang3) [1], also often translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party in the Republic of China, now on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... Soong Ai-ling (宋藹齡 Pinyin: Sòng Àilíng), or Eling Soong (June 14, 1890 - October 18, 1973), eldest of the Soong sisters, was the wife of H. H. Kung, who was the richest man in the early 20th Century Republic of China. ... Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek with General Stilwell in Burma (1942). ... Soong Ching-ling, or Madame Sun Yat-sen, the one who loved China Soong Ching-ling (Simplified Chinese: 宋庆龄; Traditional Chinese: 宋慶齡; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Sung Ching-ling) (January 27, 1893 - May 29, 1981) was one of the Soong sisters—three sisters whose husbands were amongst Chinas most...

In 1937 when the Second Sino-Japanese war broke out, all three of them got together after a 10 year separation in an effort to unite the KMT and CPC against the Imperial Japanese army. Soong Ai-ling devoted herself to social work such as helping wounded soldiers, refugees and orphans. She donated five ambulances and 37 trucks to the army in Shanghai and the air force, along with 500 leather uniforms^[1]. Combatants China United States1 Soviet Union2 Japan Manchukuo3 Mengjiang3 Wang Jingwei Government 3 Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Xue Yue, Bai Chongxi, Peng Dehuai, Joseph Stilwell, Albert Wedemeyer, Claire Chennault, Aleksandr Vasilevsky Hirohito, Fumimaro Konoe, Hideki Tojo, Kotohito Kanin, Matsui Iwane, Hajime... The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) (Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國陸軍, Shinjitai: , Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun), or more officially Army of the Greater Japanese Empire was the official ground based armed force of Imperial Japan from 1867 to 1945. ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ...

When the Japanese occupied Nanjing and Wuhan, the three sisters moved to Hong Kong. In the 1940, they returned to Chongqing and established the Chinese Industrial Association, which opened job opportunities for people through weaving, sewing and other crafts. The sisters frequently visited schools, hospitals, orphanages, raid shelters and aided war torn communities along the way^[1]. While both parties failed to unite at the most critical time in the 1940s, the sisters made a valiant effort in financing and assisting in all national activities. “Nanking” redirects here. ... For the brand of cymbal, see Wuhan cymbals. ... Chongqing (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Postal map spelling: Chungching, also Chungking) is the largest and most populous of the Peoples Republic of Chinas four provincial-level municipalities, and the only one in the less densely populated western half of China. ...

The three sisters

Soong Ai-ling (宋藹齡 Pinyin: Sòng Àilíng), or Eling Soong (June 14, 1890 - October 18, 1973), eldest of the Soong sisters, was the wife of H. H. Kung, who was the richest man in the early 20th Century Republic of China. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... H.H. Kung Kung Hsiang-hsi (孔祥熙, pinyin: Kǒng Xiángxī) (1881 - 1967), often known as H. H. Kung, was a wealthy Chinese banker and politician in the early 20th Century. ... Soong Ching-ling, or Madame Sun Yat-sen, the one who loved China Soong Ching-ling (Simplified Chinese: 宋庆龄; Traditional Chinese: 宋慶齡; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Sung Ching-ling) (January 27, 1893 - May 29, 1981) was one of the Soong sisters—three sisters whose husbands were amongst Chinas most... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Presidential Building is located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City. ... Sun Yat-sen (November 12, 1866 – March 12, 1925) was a Chinese revolutionary and political leader often referred to as the father of modern China. Sun played an instrumental role in the eventual overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. ... The President of the Peoples Republic of China (Simplified Chinese: 中华人民共和国主席; Pinyin: Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó ZhÇ”xí, or abbreviated Guójiā ZhÇ”xí 国家主席) is the head of state of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Dong Biwu (Chinese: 董必武, Wade-Giles: Tung Pi-wu) (1886 - April 2, 1975) was a Chinese communist political leader during the regime of Mao Zedong. ... The President of the Peoples Republic of China (Simplified Chinese: 中华人民共和国主席; Pinyin: Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó ZhÇ”xí, or abbreviated Guójiā ZhÇ”xí 国家主席) is the head of state of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Soong May-ling or Soong Mei-ling, also known as the Madame Chiang Kai-shek (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; ca 1897 [1] – October 23, 2003) was one of the three Soong sisters and described as the one who loved power. As the wife of President Chiang Kai-shek, she played a prominent... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... The Kuomintang of China (abbreviation KMT) (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Tongyong Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung1-kuo2 Kuo2-min2-tang3) [1], also often translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party in the Republic of China, now on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in... The Presidential Building is located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City. ... Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was the Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925. ...

Parents

• Their father was American-educated Methodist minister Charlie Soong, who made a fortune in banking and printing. Their mother was Ni Kwei-tseng.
• Their three brothers were all high ranking officials in the Republic of China government, one of whom was the famous T. V. Soong.

The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... Charlie Soong at Vanderbilt University Charles Jones Soong (宋嘉樹 Pinyin: Sòng Jiāshù) (February 1863, 1864 or 1866 - May 3, 1918), courtesy name Yaoru (耀如, hence his alternate name: Soong Yao-ju), was a Hakka Chinese who achieved prominence as a missionary and businessman. ... For the Chinese civilization, see China. ... Tse-ven Soong, or Soong Tzu-wen (Chinese: 宋子文, pinyin: Sòng Zǐwén; 1894 - 1971), a prominent millionaire businessman and politician in the early 20th century Republic of China, had Charlie Soong as a father and the Soong sisters as siblings. ...

Cultural materials

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

• The Soong Sisters, the award winning 1997 Hong Kong film depicting the lives of the sisters.
• The Soong Sisters, a 1941 book by Emily Hahn.

Image File history File links Zhongwen. ... Japanese name Kanji: Hiragana: Korean name Hangul: Hanja: Vietnamese name Quoc Ngu: Han Tu: A Chinese character or Han character (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a logogram used in writing Chinese, Japanese, sometimes Korean, and formerly Vietnamese. ... The Soong Sisters (宋家皇朝) is a 1997 Hong Kong movie dramatization of the lives of the Soong sisters from 1911 to 1949, the period the Republic of China administered the mainland. ... Emily Hahn (January 14, 1905 - February 18, 1997) was an American journalist and author. ...

References

External links

• General Introduction by Wesleyan College