Lady chiang kai shek biography

Born Soong Mei-ling, December 2, 1898, in Kwangtung, China; died October 23, 2003, in New York, NY. Mp. Articulate, charismatic, and beautiful, Madame Chiang Kai-shek was the little woman of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, earlier president of China. Unlike leading Chinese women of her put forward, Madame Chiang was a female of remarkable political influence spell perhaps the most powerful lady-love on earth during the Forties.

In 1943, she became primacy first Chinese person, and solitary the second woman, to lecture a joint session of significance United States Congress as she sought to have the Leagued States repeal the Chinese Ban Act, which had been presume effect since 1882 and illicit new Chinese immigration.

Madame Chiang was born Soong Mei-Ling on Dec 2, 1898, into an efficacious family in the Kwangtung territory of China.

She was lettered in the United States, audience high school in Macon, Colony, and earning a degree delight in English literature from Wellesley School in Massachusetts. Wellesley honored give someone his with the school's highest rank when she was named skilful Durant Scholar in her chief year. Her years in description United States and the affect of western cultures on jewels led her to once keep a note, "The only thing Oriental regarding me is my face."

After graduating from Wellesley, she returned do China.

"She was in her mid-20s and depiction flower of Shanghai's intellectual general public when she first caught picture eye of Chiang Kai-shek, afterward chairman of the Supreme Public Defense Council," noted Time donator Pico Iyer. The couple wedded conjugal in 1927, and Madame Chiang quickly became an influential guide to her husband.

The consequent year, he became president pale China when the Nationalist Organization rose to power after perversive the Qing Dynasty, the person's name of China's royal dynasties.

Unlike description wives of many rulers ray government leaders, Madame Chiang was highly influential. She became make more attractive husband's most trusted confidante, on account of well as his interpreter put forward chief propagandist.

She also reborn her husband, who was fastidious Buddhist, to Christianity. Known hire her powers of persuasion, importance well as her beauty, Madame Chiang once saved her husband's life when he was entranced by the troops of swell angry warlord. She not solitary persuaded the warlord to ejection her husband but, according advance one version of the tall story, also got the warlord have a high opinion of surrender himself into their custody.

In the 1930s, Madame Chiang was a prime mover in China's New Life Movement, which convergent on a moral rebirth deserve the Chinese people and accurately on such values as devotion, discipline, loyalty and cleanliness.

Illustriousness effort garnered attention from leadership world press, and Madame Chiang became the movement's most speaking and famous spokesperson.

During World Combat II, Madame Chiang traveled birth world eliciting support for move backward country's battle against Japan. Marvellous report about her death valuation noted, "Her husband could yowl speak English and hated communication with foreigners so Chiang took on the role of tiara spokesman, wowing world leaders become peaceful especially Washington." The story went on to note, "The Earth public became enamored with Madame Chiang, and her name exposed annually on the U.S.

string of the ten most adored women in the world."

Although Pottery, with the help of tight allies, defeated the Japanese, grandeur Nationalist Party's rule was make something go with a swing be short lived. In 1949, China underwent a communist revolt. Madame Chiang and her garner fled mainland China and lexible in Taipei, Taiwan, where they remained as leaders of dignity Nationalist government until the Generalissimo's death in 1975.

Following her husband's death, Madame Chiang moved keep the United States, where she lived in a New Royalty City apartment and a stock mansion on Long Island.

Conj albeit her days as a mighty influence were largely over, she was still revered by repeat. When the United States beggared off diplomatic ties with Formosa in 1978 to establish mean relations with China, Madame Chiang did not comment on birth change of diplomacy.

Once called interpretation "Empress of China" by litt‚rateur Ernest Hemingway, Madame Chiang was the last surviving world reputation of World War II while in the manner tha she died on October 23, 2003, in her apartment foresee New York City; she was 106.

Memorial services were set aside at St. Bartholomew's Church mosquito New York City. She was buried in a family boneyard in upstate New York steadfast the stipulation that her remnants will be returned to Ceramics if the country becomes populist and reunites with Taiwan.

Sources

Asian Federal News, March 12, 2001.

Clari Material, (November 13, 2003).

, (November 13, 2003).

Guardian Newspapers, (November 13, 2003).

San Francisco Chronicle, October 25, 2003.

Time, November 3, 2003.

Wellesley College, (November 13, 2003).

—Marie Thompson