- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Soong.
| Rosamond Soong Ching-ling 宋慶齡 |
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| In office 31 October 1968 - 24 February 1972 |
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| Premier | Zhou Enlai |
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| Preceded by | Liu Shaoqi |
| Succeeded by | Dong Biwu |
| In office 16 May 1981 - 29 May 1981 (honorary) |
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| In office 6 July 1976 - 5 March 1978 |
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| Preceded by | Zhu De |
| Succeeded by | Ye Jianying |
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| In office 1 October 1949 - 27 September 1954 |
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| President | Mao Zedong |
| Succeeded by | Zhu De |
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| Born | 27 January 1893 Huangpu, Shanghai, Qing Dynasty |
| Died | 29 May 1981 (aged 88) Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Political party | Kuomintang (1919-1947) Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang (1948-1981) Communist Party of China (1981) |
| Spouse(s) | Sun Yat-sen |
| Relations | Charlie Soong (father) Ni Kwei-Tseng (mother) Soong Ai-ling (elder sister) Soong May-ling (younger sister) Soong Tse-ven (younger brother) Soong Tse-liang (young brother) Soong Tse-an (younger brother) |
| Alma mater | McTyeire School Wesleyan College Victoria University |
| Soong Ching-ling | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 宋慶齡 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 宋庆龄 | ||||||||
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Soong Ch'ing-ling (simplified Chinese: 宋庆龄; traditional Chinese: 宋慶齡; pinyin: Sòng Qìnglíng; Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ing-ling) (27 January 1893 – 29 May 1981), also known as Madame Sun Yat-sen, was one of the three Soong sisters—who, along with their husbands, were amongst China's most significant political figures of the early 20th century. She was the Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China. She was the first non-royal woman to officially become head of state of China, acting as Co-Chairman of the Republic from 1968 until 1972. She again became head of state in 1981, briefly before her death, as President of China. Soong is sometimes regarded as Asia's first female non-monarchial head of state, although her title of Honorary President of the People's Republic of China was purely ceremonial.
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Biography
She was born to the wealthy businessman and missionary Charlie Soong in Nanshi (a part of present-day Huangpu District), Shanghai, attended McTyeire School for Girls in Shanghai, and graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, United States. Her Christian name was Rosamond (in her early years, she signed her letters as Rosamonde Soong[1]).
She married Sun Yat Sen in Japan on 25 October 1915; he had previously been married to Lu Muzhen. Ching-ling's parents greatly opposed the match, as Dr. Sun was 26 years her senior. After Sun's death in 1925, she was elected to the Kuomintang (KMT) Central Executive Committee in 1926. However, she exiled herself to Moscow after the expulsion of the Communists from the KMT in 1927. She became the first female Chairman and President of the People's Republic of China.
Although Soong reconciled with the KMT during the Second Sino-Japanese War, she sided with the Communists in the Chinese Civil War. She did not join the party but rather was part of the united front heading up the Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang.
In 1939, she founded the China Defense League, which later became the China Welfare Institute. The committee now focuses on maternal and pediatric healthcare, preschool education, and other children's issues.
In the early 1950s, she founded the magazine, China Reconstructs, now known as China Today, with the help of Israel Epstein. This magazine is published monthly in six languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Arabic and Spanish).
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, she became the Vice Chair of the People's Republic of China (now translated as "Vice President"), Head of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association and Honorary President of the All-China Women's Federation. In 1951 she was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize (Lenin Peace Prize after destalinization), and in 1953 a collection of her writings, Struggle for New China, was published. From 1968 to 1972 she acted jointly with Dong Biwu as head of state.
On 16 May 1981, two weeks before her death, she was admitted to the Communist Party and was named Honorary President of the People's Republic of China. She is the only person ever to hold this title.
Museums
Soong Ching-ling obtained a mansion in Beijing in 1963 where she lived and worked for the rest of her life and received many dignitaries. After her death the site was converted into the Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling as a museum and memorial; rooms and furniture are kept as she had used them and memorabilia are displayed. Her former residence in Shanghai has also been converted into a memorial museum.
Media portrayal
In the 1997 Hong Kong movie The Soong Sisters (宋家皇朝), she is portrayed by Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung.
Gallery
 Soong Ching-ling accompanied Sun Yat-sen in 1924 on his final trip to Beijing. |
 Her house in Beijing is now a museum. |
See also
Notes
References
- Epstein, Israel. Woman in World History: The Life and Times of Soong Ching-ling: 1993, China Intercontinental press, ISBN 7-80005-161-7.
- Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, Madame Sun Yat-Sen: Soong Ching-Ling (London, 1986); Penguin, ISBN 0-14-008455-X
- Seagrave, Sterling. The Soong Dynasty: 1996, Corgi Books, ISBN 0-552-14108-9
External links
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This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Soong Ching-ling |
- Soong Ching Ling Foundation Website
- Soong Ching Ling Foundation Introduction
- Former Residence of Song Qingling, Beijing
- Memorial Residence, Shanghai
- China Welfare Institute
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Liu Shaoqi |
Acting Chairman of the People's Republic of China 1968–1972 with Dong Biwu |
Succeeded by Dong Biwu (alone) |
| Preceded by Ye Jianying (as Chairman of the National People's Congress) |
Head of State of the People's Republic of China (as Honorary President) 1981 |
Succeeded by Ye Jianying (as Chairman of the National People's Congress |
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