Soong Mei-Ling and Soong Ching Ling

Title
Soong Mei-Ling and Soong Ching Ling
Year/Period
1930s-1940s
Region
China
Object Type
positives (photographs), photographic prints
Material
photographic paper, ink
Technique
photographic processes, photographic printing techniques
Dimension
Image size: 8.7 x 12 cm
Accession No.
2003-00488-012
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Willard Lee (李维烈先生)
NLB Type
Photograph

Known as two of the most important women in modern Chinese history, Soong Mei-Ling (Soong May Ling) and Soong Ching Ling (Soong Qing Ling) are two out of the three formidable Soong sisters. They were born into a wealthy family (daughters of Shanghai tycoon Charlie Soong) and were educated in the United States. Soong Mei Ling was the wife of Chiang Kai-Shek—the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) and president of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Soong Ching Ling was the wife of Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the KMT. This photograph belongs to Mr. Willard Lee, a Singapore-born Chinese who left for China to further his studies and later joined the Chinese Air Force. He left the service in 1947 and returned to Singapore.