- Soong sisters
The Soong Sisters (宋家姐妹
pinyin : Sòngjiā Jiěmèi, or 宋氏三姐妹) were three women who were, along with their husbands, amongstChina 's most significant political figures of the early 20th century. They each played a major role in influencing their husbands, which, along with their own positions of power, ultimately changed the course ofChinese history . Of them, it was commonly said that "one loved money, one loved power and one loved China".History
Throughout their lifetimes, 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 timePeterson, Barbara, Bennett. [2000] (2000). Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early 20th century. ME Sharp publishing. ISBN 076560504X.] . Both of them supported the Nationalists, whileSoong Ching-ling later sided with the CPC.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 theImperial 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 inShanghai and the air force, along with 500 leather uniforms.When the Japanese occupied
Nanjing andWuhan , the three sisters moved toHong Kong . In the 1940, they returned toChongqing 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, air raid shelters and aided war torn communities along the way. 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.The three sisters
In this characterization, Soong Ai-ling, who married a business tycoon, was described as a person who "loves the money", while Soong May-ling, who married the military leader, was described as who "loves the power", and Soong Ching-ling, who married the father of nation, was described as "loves the country", or, in other words, a patriotic person.
References
External links
* [http://www.wesleyancollege.edu/About/HistoryoftheCollege/TheSoongSisters/tabid/135/Default.aspx General Introduction] by
Wesleyan College
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
