T. V. Soong

Tse-ven Soong, or Soong Tzu-wen , was a prominent businessman and politician in the early 20th century Republic of China. His father was Charlie Soong and his siblings were the Soong sisters. His Christian name was Paul. Soong's brothers-in-law were Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, and financier H.H. Kung.

Biography

Born in Shanghai, T. V. Soong received his education at Harvard University, received his Ph. D. degree from Columbia University and returned to China to engage in private business. In the Kuomintang-controlled government he served as governor of the Central Bank of China and ; minister of foreign affairs ; and president of the Executive Yuan . Soong left his legacy as head of the Chinese delegation to the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, April 1945 which later became the United Nations.

During the war years, he financed the "Flying Tigers" -- the American Voluntary Group that later was incorporated into the United States Air Force. Gen. was listed as an employee of Bank of China. On this project he worked very closely with his sister, Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. He once remarked to John P. Davies, one of the China Hands, that there were no memos sent from China that he did not have access to within a few days.

With the defeat of the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War, he moved to New York and lived there until his death at the age of 77. He remained an influential member of the China Lobby. Soong had a stroke and died in San Francisco while on business in April, 1971.

Soong was married to Lo-Yi Chang .

Supachai Panitchpakdi

Supachai Panitchpakdi is the Secretary-General of the . Prior to this, he was the Director-General of the World Trade Organization from September 1 2002 to September 1 2005. He was succeeded by Pascal Lamy. Born in Thailand, he is of Hakka descent.

In 1986 Supachai Panitchpakdi was appointed as Thailand's Deputy Minister of Finance, but when the parliament was dissolved in 1988 he left politics and became president of the Thai Military Bank. In 1992 he returned to politics and became Deputy Prime Minister until 1995, responsible for trade and economics. During the Asian financial crisis in November 1997 he returned to be Deputy Prime Minister and also became Minister of Commerce.

In September 1999 he was elected to become Director-General of the World Trade Organization , sharing the post with competitor Mike Moore when a decision could not be reached. Taking the second half of the six year term, he entered office on September 1, 2002.

In March 2005 he was appointed to become the Secretary-General of the following his term at the WTO, a post he took up in late 2005. Keen to reform and revitalise the organisation, he has established a Panel of Eminent Persons to oversee the start of reform of UNCTAD.

Dr. Supachai received his Master's degree in Economics, Development Planning and his Ph.D. in Economic Planning and Development at the Netherlands School of Economics (now known as Erasmus University in Rotterdam. In 1973, he completed his doctoral dissertation under supervision of Professor Jan Tinbergen, the first Nobel laureate in economics. In the same year, he went to Cambridge University as a visiting fellow to conduct research on development models.

He published numerous books, including Educational Growth in Developing Countries , Globalization and Trade in the New Millennium and China and the WTO: Changing China, Changing World Trade .

Soong sisters

The Soong Sisters were three women who were, along with their husbands, amongst China's most significant political figures of the early 20th century. They each played a major role in influencing their husbands, which, along with their own positions of power, ultimately changed the course of Chinese history. Of them, it was commonly said that "one loved money, one loved power and one loved China".

History

Throughout their lifetimes, each one of the sisters followed their own belief in terms of supporting the or the Communist Party of China. In the 1930s, Soong Ai-ling and her sister were the two richest women in China at the time. Both of them supported the Nationalists, while Soong Ching-ling later sided with the CPC.

In 1937 when the Second Sino-Japanese war broke out, all three of them got together after a 10 year separation in an effort to unite the KMT and CPC against the Imperial Japanese army. Soong Ai-ling devoted herself to social work such as helping wounded soldiers, refugees and orphans. She donated five ambulances and 37 trucks to the army in Shanghai and the air force, along with 500 leather uniforms.

When the Japanese occupied Nanjing and Wuhan, the three sisters moved to Hong Kong. In the 1940, they returned to Chongqing and established the Chinese Industrial Association, which opened job opportunities for people through weaving, sewing and other crafts. The sisters frequently visited schools, hospitals, orphanages, air raid shelters and aided war torn communities along the way. While both parties failed to unite at the most critical time in the 1940s, the sisters made a valiant effort in financing and assisting in all national activities.

The three sisters

{|class="wikitable"
! width=20% | English name
! width=20% | Chinese name
! width=60% | Description
|-
|Soong Ai-ling||Simplified Chinese:宋蔼龄
Traditional Chinese:宋藹齡
Pinyin:Sòng ?ilíng|| The eldest and the one who "loved money," was married to the richest man and finance minister of China, H.H. Kung.
|-
|Soong Ching-ling||Simplified Chinese:宋庆龄
Traditional Chinese:宋慶齡
Pinyin:Sòng Qìnglíng|| The one who "loved China," was married to and first President of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen. She became joint President of the People's Republic of China with Dong Biwu from 1968 to 1972 and Honorary in 1981, just before the passing of the Constitution of 1982.
|-
|Soong May-ling||Simplified Chinese:宋美龄
Traditional Chinese:宋美齡
Pinyin:Sòng Méilíng|| Youngest and the one who "loved power," was a prominent political leader in her own right, the wife and partner in power of the leader of the Kuomintang , Generalissimo of the Chinese armies, and later , Chiang Kai-shek.

Parents

* Their father was American-educated Methodist minister Charlie Soong, who made a fortune in banking and printing. Their mother was Ni Kwei-tseng.
* Their three brothers were all high ranking officials in the Republic of China government, one of whom was the famous T. V. Soong.

Cultural materials

*, the award winning 1997 Hong Kong film depicting the lives of the sisters.
*The Soong Sisters, a 1941 book by Emily Hahn.

Quote

In some literary works, there is a popular characterization said that:



In this characterization, Soong Ai-ling, who married a business tycoon, was described as a person who "loves the money", while Soong May-ling, who married the military leader, was described as who "loves the power", and Soong Ching-ling, who married the father of nation, was described as "loves the country", or, in other words, a patriotic person.

Soong May-ling

Soong May-ling or Soong Mei-ling, also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek (; 1897 She was the third of six children, she was born in Shanghai to Charlie Soong, a Hakka Chinese Methodist minister and businessman who made a fortune selling Bibles in China. Her siblings were: Oldest sister , middle sister , Mayling herself, then her brothers , T.L., and last T.A.

In Shanghai, May-ling attended the McTyeire School for Girls with her sister, Ching-ling, before their father arranged to have them further their education in the United States in 1907. Initially, May-ling and Ching-ling were attending a private school in Summit, New Jersey. In 1908, Ching-ling was accepted by her sister Ai-ling's alma mater, Wesleyan College, at the age of 15 and the two sisters moved to Macon, Georgia to join Ai-ling. However, problem rose as May-ling could neither gain permission to stay with her sister on campus as a family member nor could she gain acceptance as a student due to her young age. May-ling spent the subsequent year in Demorest, Georgia, where one of Ching-ling's Wesleyan friends' family resided. The friend's mother took care of May-ling and enrolled her as an 8th grader at the Piedmont College. A year later, in 1909, Wesleyan's newly appointed president, William Newman Ainsworth, gave May-ling special permission to stay at Wesleyan and assigned her special tutors. May-ling was officially registered as a freshman at Wesleyan in 1912 at the age of 15. She then transferred to Wellesley College a year later to be closer to her older brother, T.V, who, at the time, was studying at Harvard. By then both her sisters had graduated and returned to Shanghai. She graduated from Wellesley as one of the 33 Durant Scholars on June 19, 1917 with a major in English literature and minor in philosophy. As a result of being educated in English all her life, she spoke excellent English, with a pronounced accent which helped her connect with American audiences .

Madame Chiang

Soong May-ling met Chiang Kai-shek in 1920. Since he was eleven years her elder, already married, and a , May-ling's mother vehemently opposed the marriage between the two, but finally agreed after Chiang showed proof of his divorce and promised to convert to Christianity. Chiang told his future mother-in-law that he couldn't convert immediately, because religion needed to be gradually absorbed, not swallowed like a pill. They married on December 1, 1927. While some biographers regard the marriage as one of the greatest love matches of all time, others describe it as a marriage of convenience. The couple never had any children.

Madame Chiang initiated the New Life Movement and became actively engaged in Chinese politics. She was a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1930 to 1932 and Secretary-General of the Chinese Aeronautical Affairs Commission from 1936 to 1938. In 1945 she became a member of the . As her husband rose to become Generalissimo and leader of the Kuomintang, Madame Chiang acted as his English translator, secretary and advisor. She was his muse, his eyes, his ears, and especially his most loyal champion. During World War II, Madame Chiang tried to promote the Chinese cause and build a legacy for her husband on par with , and . Well versed in both Chinese and western culture, she became popular both in China and abroad. Her prominence led Joseph Stilwell to quip that she ought to be appointed minister of defense.

In the United States, she drew crowds as large as 30,000 people and made the cover of TIME magazine, first with her husband as "" and second under the title "Dragon Lady." Both husband and wife were on good terms with Time Magazine senior editor and co-founder Henry Luce, who frequently tried to rally money and support from the American public for the Kuomintang. On February 18, 1943, she became the first Chinese national and second woman to address the .

After the defeat of her husband's government in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Madame Chiang followed her husband to Taiwan, while her sister Soong Ching-ling stayed on the , siding with the communists. As the Generalissimo aged, Madame Chiang seized power by assuming the role of "interpreter". Madame Chiang continued to play a prominent international role. She was a Patron of the International Red Cross Committee, honorary chair of the British United Aid to China Fund, and First Honorary Member of the Bill of Rights Commemorative Society. Through the late 1960s she was included among America's 10 most admired women.

Later life

After the death of her husband in 1975, Madame Chiang assumed a low profile. Chiang Kai-shek was succeeded to power by his eldest son Chiang Ching-kuo, from a previous marriage, with whom Madame Chiang had rocky relations. In 1975, she emigrated from Taiwan to her family's 36 acre estate in , Long Island, where she kept a portrait of her late husband in full military regalia in her living room.

Madame Chiang returned to Taiwan upon Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 1988, to shore up support among her old allies. However, Chiang's successor as president, Lee Teng-hui, proved to be more adept at politics than she was, and consolidated his position. As a result, she again returned to the U.S.

Madame Chiang made a rare public appearance in 1995 when she attended a reception held on in her honor in connection with celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Madame Chiang also made her last visit to Taiwan in 1995.

In the , the Kuomintang produced a letter from her in which she purportedly supported the KMT candidate Lien Chan over independent candidate James Soong . James Soong himself had never disputed the authenticity of the letter.

Soong sold her Long Island estate in 2000 and spent the rest of her life in her Gracie Square apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan surrounded only by black-suited bodyguards who cleared the lobby as she passed.

When Madame Chiang was 103 years old, she had an exhibition of her Chinese paintings in New York. To this date her work is not for sale.

Death

Soong died in her sleep in New York City, in her Manhattan apartment on October 23, 2003, at the age of about 105. Her remains were interred at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, pending an eventual burial with her late husband who was entombed in Tzuhu, Taiwan. The stated intention is to have them both buried in mainland China once political differences are resolved.

Quotations about Soong May-ling

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Soong Ching-ling

Soong Ch'ing-ling , also known as Madame Sun Yat-sen, was one of the three Soong sisters—who, along with their husbands, were amongst China's most significant political figures of the early 20th century. She was the . She was the first non-royal woman to officially become head of state of China, acting as from 1968 until 1972. She again became head of state in 1981, briefly before her death, as President of China.

Biography

She was born to the wealthy businessman and missionary Charlie Soong in Nanshi , Shanghai, attended McTyeire School for Girls in Shanghai, and graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, United States. Her Christian name was Rosamond.

She married Sun Yat Sen in Japan on 25 October 1915; he had previously been married to Lu Muzhen. Ching-ling's parents greatly opposed the match, as Dr. Sun was 26 years her senior. After Sun's death in 1925, she was elected to the Kuomintang Central Executive Committee in 1926. However, she exiled herself to Moscow after the expulsion of the Communists from the KMT in 1927. She became the first female Chairman and President of the People's Republic of China.

Although Soong reconciled with the KMT during the Sino-Japanese War , she sided with the in the Chinese Civil War. She did not join the party but rather was part of the united front heading up the Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang.

In 1939, she founded the China Defense League, which later became the China Welfare Institute. The committee worked for peace and justice, and now focuses on maternal and pediatric healthcare, preschool education, and other children's issues.

In the early 1950s, she founded the magazine, China Reconstructs, now known as China Today, with the help of Israel Epstein. This magazine is published monthly in 6 languages .

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, she became the Vice Chair of the People's Republic of China , Head of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association and Honorary President of the All-China Women's Federation. In 1951 she was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize , and in 1953 a collection of her writings, ''Struggle for New China'', was published. From 1968 to 1972 she acted jointly with Dong Biwu as head of state.

On 16 May 1981, two weeks before her death, she was admitted to the Communist Party and was named Honorary President of the People's Republic of China. She is the only person ever to hold this title.

Media portrayal

In the 1997 Hong Kong movie '''' , she is portrayed by Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung.

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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Solomon Hochoy

Sir Solomon Hochoy , , , , was the last Governor of Trinidad and Tobago, the first non-white Governor and the first Governor General after independence and the first viceroy of non-European descent.

Hochoy is of Hakka background and migrated to Trinidad at the age of 2, and grew up in Blanchisseuse. After rising through the civil service, Hochoy was appointed Governor in 1960 . When Trinidad and Tobago became independent in 1962 Hochoy was appointed Governor General. He retired from that position in 1972 and was succeeded by Ellis Clarke. After retirement he returned to Blanchisseuse where he spent the remainder of his life.

He was married to Lady Thelma Hochoy , a social activist. The ''Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway'' and the ''Solomon Hochoy Trophy'' are named in his honour.

References

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