Soong May-ling or Soong Mei-ling (Pinyin: Sòng Měilíng ; will tra: 宋美齡; if: 宋美龄), born the March 5th 1897 and deceased the October 23rd 2003, girl of Charles Soong, sister of Song Qingling, sister-in-law of Sun Yat-SEN and woman of Tchang Kaï-chek, was an important personality of the République of China and an international celebrity of the Années 1930 with the Années 1970. Exit of a family of contractors and bankers and having lived a long time in the United States, it effectively assisted her husband in his political career. It was its secretary and his adviser, as her interpreter and his ambassadress near the Americans. She is also known like Mrs Tchang Kaï-chek, in Chinese Jiang furen (蔣夫人).

In the film The Soong Sisters , its character is interpreted by Vivian Wu.

Youth

It is born with Shanghai, fourth child of a rich person couples Méthodiste, Charles Soong and Nor Guizhen (倪桂珍). It has two older sisters, Ailing and Qingling, an older brother Ziwen and two younger brothers Ziliang and Zi' year. Like her sisters, it begins her education at the anglophone school for girls Motyeire (or McTyeire) from Shanghai. In 1908, it accompanies in the Qingling United States which prepares to enter in Wesleyan College of Mason, Georgia. They study first of all during the summer in a family of missionaries with Summit, New Jersey, then in Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. While Qingling starts its schooling, Meiling, too young still, is placed at W. NR. Ainsworth, the president of the college, where it receives private lessons of two advanced pupils. Later, it enters in Wesleyan College like its two elder. It there remains only one year and is registered in 1913 with the Wellesley College, Massachusetts, to be more close to her Ziwei brother who studies with Harvard. It prepares there a diploma of English literature with minor of philosophy. According to her comrades, it is merry and alive and does not scorn to let itself court by Chinese students of Boston. She will acknowledge later to have been very sentimental in her youth and will be the only one of her family to openly support the marriage of Qingling with Sun Yat-SEN. Good pupil, it receives the distinction Lasting (founder of the college) reserved for the best elements. Graduate the June 18th 1917, it takes again the way of China. It spent ten years to America and will say later that on its return to the native land, the only Asian part in it was its face. It must devote time to give on level its knowledge in Chinese language and literature and will always keep in English the accent géorgien.

Marriage

After its return to Shanghai, she takes up the duties of framework of the YWCA and Member of the Commission on the child work, while carrying out a brilliant social life. His/her father dies in 1918. In 1920 it meets Tchang Kaï-chek, soldier ambitious and in favor of Sun Yat-SEN. Its elder of eleven years, not Christian, it is married and related to two concubines. They will marry in Shanghai on December 1st 1927, after a long court and the proof of the divorce of with its preceding wives. It will not be left any more but will not have children. According to Song Meiling, it is purely about a history of love, but the majority of the historians and biographers who are not personally there dependant for him rather see an attempt at bringing together between a promising leader and a family related to the financial world. If the mother and Qingling oppose the marriage - the first inter alia because of the confession of the applicant - Song Ailing, elder married with the banker Kong Xiangxi says “the richest man of China”, would have been the principal instigator of the bringing together. The desire of Tchang to become relative of Sun Yat-SEN also could play. Chen Jieru, woman or concubine given up in favor of Song Meiling, will claim that this union was imposed by the Song family against the financing of the Expédition of North. After being itself a little made draw the ear, Tchang Kaï-chek converts with Protestantism in 1929.

Chinese years

Once married, Song Meiling launches out actively in the policy. It is member of legislative Yuan of 1930 with 1932. In 1932, it becomes general secretary of the Chinese aeronautical Commission and in 1934, it launches with her husband the Mouvement of the new life (新生活運動) anticapitalist, based on the Confucianisme and aiming at reforming the evils of the company (corruption, Opium…). Not taking into account the needs for most modest - majority of the population - it will have only one limited success.

In December 1936, at the time of the capture of Tchang Kaï-chek (incidental of Xi' year), it passes in addition to the opinion of the commission consisted the KMT to regulate the business, from which it had been excluded, which recommends an military intervention. It goes to Xi' year with her brother Song Ziwen and an Australian adviser who knows Zhang Xueliang, one of the geoliers of his husband, in order to negotiate a release, finally granted (after consultation of Stalin, he seems).

In 1937, her husband leaves him the control of the air forces, of which she entrusts the organization to the general Chennault, chief of the flying Tigers. The role of Meiling near aviation is justified by the fact that Tchang Kaï-chek counts much on the United States for the development of this army, and that his wife is her essential intermediary for the sino-American relations.

In 1938, within the framework of the new Life , it creates the Commission of assistance to female work. In January of this same year, the Tchang couple makes the cover of Time as personalities of the year 1937. During the Second world war, it demene to persuade the Americans to grant a more important support for China, and to give to his/her husband a stature equivalent to those of Roosevelt and Churchill. In February 1943, it is during ten days the host of the Roosevelt couple and pleads its cause the 18 front the Congrès. It makes then a lecture tour in the United States, which attracts on the whole between 25.000 and 30.000 people. It becomes a celebrity and does the one of many magazines, of which once again the Time under the title of “Mrs Dragon”. She is used regularly as interpreter with her husband. F. Roosevelt will say later that it kept only one to remember very vague Tchang Kaï-chek, because it communicated with him only through Song Meiling.

In 1945, it becomes member of the executive Central committee of Kuomintang. In 1948, in front of the irrepressible rise of the Communists, Tchang Kaï-chek is forced to take sanctions against the most corrupted elements of the KMT and the government, which are in fact of the family members Song and Kong. The brother of Meiling, inter alia, is aimed; but it interposes and puts an end to repression, which will precipitate the fall of Kuomintang. This year, it leaves again on mission to the United States to solicit of the assistance, but the corrupted nature of the nationalist government from now on is known and Harry Truman is shown very cold According to Eleanor Roosevelt, Mrs Tchang Kaï-chek “could speak about the democracy but could not live it”. It reports that whereas it had asked him how the Kuomintang government intended to face a strike of minors, it would have put the hand at the throat and MIME a sticking.

Taiwanese years and the American retirement

In 1949, Song Meiling follows her husband in his fold to Taiwan. His/her brothers, Song Ailing and her husband Kong Xiangxi take the way of the United States, while Song Qingling remains in China. It continues during twenty-five years to support her husband on the national plan and to represent it on the international plan, its function becoming heavier as he ages. In addition to its position within Kuomintang, it ensures a certain number of functions. In 1950, it is named president of the council of the catholic Université Fujen (輔仁大學) reconstituted close to Taipei. It is patron of the International committee of the Red Cross, honorary president of the Funds plain British of assistance in China and first honorary member of the Company of commemoration of the Constitution.

After the death of Tchang Kaï-chek in 1975, Chiang Ching-kuo, wire of his first wife, succeeds to him the position of president. Song Meiling and it were often opposed in the past and it decides to be withdrawn in the United States in the property which the Kong-Song family has in Lattingtown, Long Island. In 1979, following the recognition of the popular China by the United States, it writes to the president Carter to require of him to keep its support for the Republic of China.

With died of Song Qingling in 1981, the embassy of China forwards to him an invitation to go to Beijing for its funerals, but she refuses for political reasons. She briefly returns to Taiwan in 1986 for the ceremonies of the centenary of her husband, then again in 1988 with died of Chiang Ching-kuo, with the intention to reestablish in the political world. She wants to be the guardian of the orthodoxe line of Kuomintang and is opposed, inter alia, with the renewal and the taiwanisation of the executives. It is a rearguard action and Lee Teng-hui, incarnation of the new tendency, is elected president against his opinion. She makes this year her last official discourse, the old guard and the changing (老幹與新枝).

She withdraws herself definitively in the United States in 1991, carrying with her a hundred luggage. She leaves in 1994 the too large one and cold property Island Length which she will sell in 2000, and settles in Gracie Public garden in the district Upper East Side of Manhattan. She goes back for the last time to Taiwan in 1994, with the bedside of her niece Kong Lingwei (孔令偉) who is dying.

In 1995, a reception is given in its honor to the Capitole within the framework of the celebrations surrounding the 50e birthday of the end of the second world war.

At the time of the Taiwanese presidential elections of 2000, two candidates principal being opposed to DDP, Bond Chan and James Soong (without family ties). It forwards a letter of support for the first, which makes run much ink in the local press because much doubt its authenticity, because of uncertainty concerning the state of its author, already more than centenary.

She dies in 2003 in her apartment of Manhattan. She is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, where other members of its family rest. The question of the transfer of its remainders to Tzuhu (慈湖), Tahsi (大溪), county of Taoyuan, at the sides of those of Tchang Kaï-chek, is envisaged but always deferred. The couple had in any event expressed the desire to be buried in China as soon as the political situation would allow it.

References and notes

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