2021 Reading: Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister

A couple of months ago I finished reading my first book of 2021, Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China by Jung Chang

Any of  you who read about my book reading in 2020 saw that I read three books pertaining to the Soong family in China that produced three sisters, in the order in which they are seated above in 1942, from left to right May-ling (Little Sister, the youngest), Ai-ling (Big Sister, the eldest) and Ching-ling (Red Sister, the middle sister who sided with the Communists). Other books, in particular The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave, which May-ling tried to stop from being published, have painted a rather lurid picture of the family and especially Ai-ling and May-ling. Jung Chang does her best to humanize the three. She definitely did her research and this is a very readable account of the lives of these women, from the time they were girls growing up in Shanghai thru when, starting with Ai-ling, their father (who raised them to be devout Christians) sent them to the United States to be educated and they each returned to China in turn. Ai-ling married H.H. Kung, a descendant of Confucius who became extremely wealthy and a significant figure in the Chinese government prior to the Communist takeover, Ching-ling married Sun Yat-sen, who came to be called the "Father of China", and May-ling married Chiang Kai-shek, a military commander who became the leader of the Republic of China. (Ching-ling is shown with Sun Yat-sen below)

Chiang Kai-shek (shown above with May-ling at the time of their wedding) appreciated his link to the Soong family and Ai-ling's guidance. He referred to her as "Big Sister" despite his being a bit older, recognizing her esteemed position in the family. Ai-ling also viewed it as her duty to take care of the other family members, most significantly her sisters. Ching-ling  (pictured below) went into exile at the point when her political activities put her in opposition to the government. 

She did return and made the most of her prestige as Madame Sun Yat-sen. Once war broke out with Japan, she worked for a common front between the Communist forces and those of her despised brother-in-law. The sisters maintained their affection for one another despite the political differences. May-ling became an invaluable asset to her husband through her intelligence, outreach to war victims (especially orphans) and ability to communicate fluently in English (which he did not). Her trip to the United States in 1943 made her a popular figure there, with her excellent public speaking skills and to lobby on China's behalf (May-ling is shown below at around that time). 

As a guest of the Roosevelts at the White House, she managed to antagonize the staff and Secret Service with her high-handed ways.  Unable to have children, May-ling grew close to Ai-ling's eldest son and daughter, who accompanied her to the US. Prone to outbreaks of hives and other physical maladies, May-ling went on to regularly seek medical treatment in the US. After the end of World War II Chiang Kai-shek's government lasted only until 1949, when the Communists took control and the Nationalists fled to Taiwan (still under Chiang Kai-shek's control).     

May-ling split time between Taiwan and New York, where she retired to after her husband's death. Keeping a low profile, she lived to the age of 105 when she died in 2003. 

Ai-ling (pictured below) died at 85 in 1973.

Ching-ling, who became an official in the Communist government died in 1981 at age 88. No members of the family were with her at her passing, nor did they attend her funeral, despite the invitation of the government to do so. May-ling bridled at the thought of potentially handing the Communists a propaganda coup, which trumped being able to say good-bye to Ching-ling.

The sisters were fascinating people, living during a tumultuous period in their nation's history. Each could have been a leader in their own right, but being women in that time and place, they had to be more behind-the-scenes actors in partnership with their husbands. That hardly kept them from exerting significant influence, although their spouses and younger brothers got to hold the positions of authority. 

My reading about the Soong sisters has been interesting and enlightening. Also, reading works by Jung Chang has introduced me to a fine author who is a very able biographer. There will be more to come in future posts involving her works, including the one I finished reading last week.