The Soong sisters (Chinese: 宋氏姐妹; pinyin: Sòngshì Jiěmèi), Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling, and Soong Mei-ling, were three prominent women in modern Chinese history. Of Hakka descent, with ancestral roots in Wenchang, Hainan, they were raised as Christians in Shanghai and educated in America. All three sisters married powerful men, respectively, from eldest to youngest, H. H. Kung, Sun Yat Sen, and Chiang Kai-shek. Along with their husbands, they became among China's most significant political figures of the early 20th century.
Their father was American-educated Methodist minister Charlie Soong, who made a fortune in banking and printing. Their mother was Ni Kwei-tseng (倪桂珍 Ní Guìzhēn), also a Methodist who came from an Episcopalian family.[1][2] All three sisters attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, United States.[3] Mei-ling, however, left Wesleyan and eventually graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Their three brothers were all high-ranking officials in the Republic of China government, one of whom was T. V. Soong.
- ^ Carl Crow – A Tough Old China Hand: The Life, Times, and Adventures of an American in Shanghai. Hong Kong University Press. October 2006. ISBN 9789622098022.
- ^ "The Soong sisters".
- ^ "The Soong Sisters". History of the College. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.