Song sisters
The Song sisters ( Chinese 宋家 姐妹 , Pinyin Sòngjiā Jiěmèi - literally the sister of the Song family) were three influential sisters who were married to the most important figures in Chinese politics in the 1930s.
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It was said of the three sisters:
「一個 愛 錢 , 一個 愛國 , 一個 愛 權.」
「Yíge ài qián, yíge ài guó, yíge ài quán.」
"One loves money, one loves the country, one loves power."
photo | Surname | Remarks |
---|---|---|
Song Ailing ( 宋 藹 齡 / 宋 蔼 龄 , Sòng Àilíng ) Soong Ai-ling |
1890–1973: wife of the banker HH Kung 爱 钱 / 愛 錢 , ài qián - "loves money" |
|
Song Qingling ( 宋慶齡 / 宋庆龄 , sòng Qìnglíng ) Soong Ching-ling |
1893-1981: Wife Sun Yat-sen 爱国 / 愛國 , ài guó - "loves the country" |
|
Song Meiling ( 宋美齡 / 宋美龄 , Sòng Měilíng ) Soong May-ling |
1898–2003: wife Chiang Kai-sheks 爱 权 / 愛 權 , ài quán - "loves power" |
family
There were also three brothers who held important positions in the Republic of China .
- TV Soong ( 宋子文 , Song Zǐwén ) (1894–1971), finance minister and head of the Chinese central bank
- TL Soong ( 宋子良 , Song Zǐliáng ), businessman in New York
- TA Soong ( 宋子安 , Song Zǐ'ān ; - 1969), President of the Bank of Canton, Hong Kong
Her father was the Methodist preacher Charlie Jones Soong ( 宋嘉樹 , Sòng Jiāshù ; 1863-1918), who came through his work in banking and publishing to a considerable fortune.
filming
The story of the Song sisters was made into a film by Mabel Cheung in 1997 as The Soong Sisters ( 宋家皇 朝 , Sòngjiā Huángcháo - "literally the imperial dynasty of the Song family ").
literature
- Emily Hahn : China's three big sisters. The Song Sisters: Ms. Chiang Kai-shek, Ms. Sun Yat-sen, Ms. Kung. Scherz, Bern 1941.
- Sterling Seagrave : The Soong Dynasty. Reprinted Edition. Sidgwick & Jackson, London 1986, ISBN 0-283-99238-7 .
- Sterling Seagrave: The Soong Dynasty. One family rules China (= Fischer. 4930). Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1988, ISBN 3-596-24390-4 .
Web links
- The Soong Sisters . Wesleyan College, Macon GA (English)