Soong Ai-ling

Soong Ai-ling , or Eling Soong , eldest of the Soong sisters, was the wife of H. H. Kung, who was the richest man in the early 20th Century Republic of China. The first character of her given name is written as 靄 in some texts. Her Christian name was Nancy.

Born in Shanghai, Soong arrived in the United States on May 28, 1904 at the age of 14 to begin her education at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. She returned to China in 1909 after her graduation. In late 1911, she worked as a secretary for Sun Yat-sen, a job later succeeded by her sister, Soong Ching-ling. She met her future husband, Kung, in 1913, and married the following year in Yokohama. After marrying, Soong taught for a while and engaged in child welfare work.

She went to the United States in the 1940s, and died later at the age of 83 on October 18, 1973 in the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York.

Her children were:
* Kung Ling-i , female
* Kung Ling-kai , male
* Kung Ling-chun , also known as Kung Ling-wei , female
* Kung Ling-chie , male

Media portrayal

In the 1997 Hong Kong movie "" , she was portrayed by actress Michelle Yeoh.

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