Difference between revisions of "Soong May-ling"
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| − | '''Soong May-ling''' (1897-2003), usually called '''Madame Chiang Kai-shek''' in the U.S., was the wife of Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek]], (1887-1975).<ref> Soong was her family name; Chiang was his family name. Her first name was May-ling and his was Kai-shek. In Chinese, the family name is given first.</ref> They married in 1920 and he came to power in China as the leader of the Nationalist or | + | '''Soong May-ling''' (1897-2003), usually called '''Madame Chiang Kai-shek''' in the U.S., was the wife of Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek]], (1887-1975).<ref> Soong was her family name; Chiang was his family name. Her first name was May-ling and his was Kai-shek. In Chinese, the family name is given first.</ref> They married in 1920 and he came to power in China as the leader of the Nationalist Party, or KMT, in the late 1920s. |
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|t=宋美齡 | |t=宋美齡 | ||
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With her poise, her perfect English and her exotic charm, she campaigned endlessly to familiarize Americans with China. Christians who supported missionary work in China were especially attracted to her. She was often named by Americans as one of their ten "most admired" women in the world. | With her poise, her perfect English and her exotic charm, she campaigned endlessly to familiarize Americans with China. Christians who supported missionary work in China were especially attracted to her. She was often named by Americans as one of their ten "most admired" women in the world. | ||
| − | After the | + | After the KMT was defeated by the Communists in 1949, she and her husband, along with the government, army, and many businessmen fled to Taiwan. When Chiang died in 1975, her stepson Chiang Ching-kuo became president. |
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
Revision as of 02:32, August 24, 2014
Soong May-ling (1897-2003), usually called Madame Chiang Kai-shek in the U.S., was the wife of Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek, (1887-1975).[1] They married in 1920 and he came to power in China as the leader of the Nationalist Party, or KMT, in the late 1920s.
| Soong May-ling | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 宋美齡 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 宋美龄 | ||||||||
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Madame Chiang Kai-shek came from the very prominent Soong family that played a major role in 20th century China. She was educated in the U.S., graduating from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and was an active Methodist. When she married Chiang in 1920, he converted to Christianity, an act that significantly helped the Christian movement in China. They had no children.
With her poise, her perfect English and her exotic charm, she campaigned endlessly to familiarize Americans with China. Christians who supported missionary work in China were especially attracted to her. She was often named by Americans as one of their ten "most admired" women in the world.
After the KMT was defeated by the Communists in 1949, she and her husband, along with the government, army, and many businessmen fled to Taiwan. When Chiang died in 1975, her stepson Chiang Ching-kuo became president.
Bibliography
- Li, Laura Tyson. Madame Chiang Kai-shek: China's Eternal First Lady (2007) excerpt and text search
External links
notes
- ↑ Soong was her family name; Chiang was his family name. Her first name was May-ling and his was Kai-shek. In Chinese, the family name is given first.