Song Qingling (宋慶齡)
- chanfebe04
- Jul 10
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 14
Song Qingling — widow of Sun Yat-sen — used her political status to advocate for anti-imperialism, women’s rights, and cross-border solidarity in wartime China. Her resistance was ideological: she published essays, organized relief efforts, and challenged authoritarianism from within national institutions. By bridging revolutionary ideals with humanitarian work, she represents a form of elite defiance grounded in moral conviction.
🕊️ LIFE BEFORE THE WAR
Birth and Background: Song Qingling (Soong Ching-ling) was born on 27 January 1893 in Shanghai into the prominent Soong family. [1]
Education: Song was educated at McTyeire School for Girls in Shanghai and graduated with a degree in literature from Wesleyan College in Georgia in 1913. [2] Her exposure to American ideas of liberalism, feminism, and revolution shaped her internationalist convictions. [3]
Marriage to Sun Yat-sen: In 1915, Song married Sun Yat-sen, despite her family’s opposition. [4]
Widowhood and Defense of the Republic: After Sun’s death in 1925, Song advocated publicly for his Three People’s Principles—nationalism, democracy, and the people’s livelihood. [5]
Political Exile: She denounced Chiang Kai-shek after his 1927 Shanghai Massacre, where communists and laborers were purged from the Kuomintang (KMT), and she left China for Moscow and Europe. [6] [7]
Global Advocacy: While abroad, she participated in the Anti-Imperialist League, collaborated with international anti-fascist movements, and called for solidarity with colonized peoples. [8]
🕊️ CONTRIBUTIONS TO WWII RESISTANCE IN ASIA
China Defense League (1938): During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Song founded this organization in Hong Kong to provide funds and medical aid to civilians and wounded soldiers—particularly in communist-held areas ignored by the central KMT. [9]
Transformation into the China Welfare Institute (1949): After the war, the League became the China Welfare Institute, focused on literacy, child protection, and maternal healthcare. [10]
Humanitarian Leadership: She oversaw clinics, orphanages, children’s theaters, and educational initiatives for displaced youth. [10] [11]
Women’s Movement Leadership: Song was instrumental in the All-China Women’s Federation, serving as its Honorary President and promoting women’s political and economic participation. [12]
Cultural Diplomacy and Foreign Press: Journalists like Edgar Snow and Israel Epstein documented Song’s political ideas and public appearances—helping elevate China’s wartime narrative globally. [7] [13] [5]
Symbol of National Unity: Despite estrangement from her sister Soong Mei-ling (Madame Chiang Kai-shek) and brother T.V. Soong, Song joined them in shared wartime efforts to present a united front against Japanese aggression. [1] [2] [4] [5] [6] [12]
🕊️ LIFE AFTER THE WAR
In 1948, Song became Honorary Chair of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), opposing Chiang’s authoritarianism and aligning with pro-unity forces. [4]
When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, she remained on the mainland and was appointed Vice Chair of the Central People’s Government, becoming one of the state’s top-ranking figures. [11]
For the next three decades, she served as:
Although a lifelong ally of the Communist-led state, Song never formally joined the Chinese Communist Party until two weeks before her death in 1981. [1]
On 29 May 1981, she died in Beijing and was posthumously titled Honorary President of the People’s Republic of China—the only person in Chinese history to receive this distinction. [1]
References
[1] People’s Daily – 宋庆龄：把一生献给祖国和人民. https://paper.people.com.cn/rmzk/html/2024-01/16/content_26039195.htm
[2] Wesleyan College – The Soong Sisters: History & Legacy. https://www.wesleyancollege.edu/about/history/soongsisters.cfm
[3] Yao, Yuqing – Soong Ching Ling: Everlasting Love to Her Homeland. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1479591423000049
[4] Chan, Israel – Madame Sun Yat-sen: Soong Ching Ling. https://archive.org/details/mmesunyatsensoon0000chan
[5] Epstein, Israel – Woman in World History: Soong Ching Ling. https://archive.org/details/womaninworldhist0000epst
[6] Li, Laura Tyson – Madame Chiang Kai-shek: China’s Eternal First Lady. https://archive.org/details/madamechiangkais0000lila/mode/2up
[7] Wang, Zheng – Finding Women in the State. https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520292284.001.0001
[8] International Culture Institute of Macau – 宋庆龄与中国抗战外交. https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40037/3279
[9] China Welfare Institute – 历史沿革. https://sswgw.org.cn/wwdc/sqlww/5871.htm
[10] All-China Women’s Federation – 伟大的爱国主义者宋庆龄. https://sswgw.org.cn/wwdc/sqlww/7906.htm
[11] National People’s Congress Archive – 宋庆龄同志生平资料. https://sswgw.org.cn/wcm.files/upload/CMSsszxw/201909/201909260147034.pdf
[12] TIME Magazine – Foreign News: Wise Wives. https://time.com/archive/6897137/foreign-news-wise-wives/
[13] Snow, Edgar – Red Star Over China. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.52426/mode/2up
