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IT’S been 32 years now since Soong Ching Ling, hon- orary president of the People’s Republic of China, left this world. Today, we continue to cherish her memory and value her contributions to mankind. I had the honor of working alongside Soong, and learned a great deal from her.
In my mind, Soong was like a glittering jadestone that refuses to hide itself in the ground. The shifting sands of time were never able to obscure her radiant spirit. In her life, she was a ray of sunshine that pierced through the dark clouds of domestic turmoil, bringing hope to all.
She subscribed to the same revolutionary ideals as her husband, Sun Yat-sen, and continued to champion them long after his death in 1925.
In her time, she was widely regarded as the mother of the new nation, an epithet recognized even by Chiang Kai-shek. She was born into a wealthy family, and could have lived a carefree life of abundance. Instead, she chose to stand together with the common man. She fought against reactionary elements within the Kuomintang government and devoted herself to the revolution.
After the liberation of China, she gave all her energy to the construction of New China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), exerting her utmost to fulfill her duties until her death. She insisted on knowing, and telling, the truth. She was a good friend of the CPC who did not shy away from constructive criticism.
There is an old photo in the former residence of Sun Yat-sen in Cuiheng Vil- lage, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, which shows Soong keeping vigil over her husband’s coffin. I used to stand admiring the photo. It was difficult for me to believe that the young and seemingly fragile woman in the photo had such a strong, determined soul. It sounds like a cliché, but in the pursuit of the truth and the betterment of citizens’ lives, Soong was immune to the temptations of wealth and rank. For this, the people held her in high esteem.
A Life Dedicated to the Rights of Women and Children
“Give your best to children,” Soong once said. In her efforts to better the lives of the country’s children, she personally founded the China Welfare Institute (CWI), through which she opened China’s first “children’s palace,” or youth center, and the country’s first children’s theater. Soong spared no effort to create the best conditions for the CWI kindergarten and nursery. On being awarded an international peace prize, Soong contributed all the prize money to the establishment of the International Peace Maternity and Children Hospital. She also founded Children’s Epoch, a publication well known for its playful language and vivid illustrations. My own, personal experience serves to show that Soong’s reputation as early New China’s most concerned philanthropist was fully deserved. My first job after graduation was at the CWI. World War II had just ended. Numerous lives were lost in the brutal war, leaving hundreds of thousands of orphans. To spare these children a parentless upbringing, Soong, using her reputation abroad, asked for support from an American civil organization, the Foster Parents’ Plan, to establish a branch office in China under the CWI. I worked in the office. Every month, we used donations from the Foster Parents’ Plan to provide orphans with living expenses and supplies. We handed out food and clothing and placed them in schools. Nowadays human rights are championed throughout the world, but back then, they were still just a legal concept. Soong set an outstanding early example in defending the rights of Chinese women and children. She is not only a great role model for China, but also one for the whole world.
My colleagues and I have never forgotten the things Soong taught us. We have inherited her cause, and will carry it forward into the future. We will ensure the CWI and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation continue to be steadfast protectors of the rights of women and children everywhere.
A Champion of International Friendships
To gain more international support for China’s resistance against the Japanese invasion, Soong founded the China Defense League in 1938. Later it was renamed the China Welfare Institute. The China Defense League was based in Hong Kong in order to attract foreign members. Soong established contact with many international figures of eminence, including George Bernard Shaw, Agnes Smedley, Jawaharlal Nehru, Paul Robeson and Pearl S. Buck. With help from Soong, a number of them ventured into the liberated area of China, and participated in the war against Japanese invaders. Edgar Snow, a famed American journalist, owed much to Soong for arranging his successful interviews in Yan’an, which allowed him to write his best-selling Red Star over China.
Some, including Georges Hatem and Hans Müller, became directly involved in Chinese people’s fight against Japanese aggression. Others, such as Dr. Norman Bethune, even sacrificed their lives for China’s revolutionary undertaking.
Soong was always kind and amicable in her communications with foreign friends and never put on airs of officialdom or doctrinarism. Although she liked to talk politics, she never gave the impression of being distant or abstract. She was, in short, a consummate communicator. Soon after the founding of New China, in order to present China’s development achievements in a wide range of fields to the broader world, Soong founded an English magazine named China Reconstructs. Today the monthly publication is known as China Today. I was invited to work there when China Reconstructs was just getting on its feet.
The magazine was warmly received by foreign readers and became the only Chinese publication allowed to be sold in the United States. China’s central government leaders displayed enthusiasm for the magazine’s guiding mission. I remember Premier Zhou Enlai once told the editing staff: “This magazine was founded by Soong Ching Ling, so your writing style should be like hers. It should avoid empty lecturing and explain viewpoints using factual evidence. Your target readers are foreign citizens, and to make your stories more persuasive, your writing style must adapt to their reading requirements.”
In the early days, Soong often wrote for China Reconstructs. Her articles were perfect examples of how to construct political discussions that were fully intelligible to, and engaged with, the lay reader. She wrote beautifully.
To carry forward Soong Ching Ling’s legacy, the China Welfare Institute and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation have jointly set the goal of promoting international people-to-people exchanges as one of their top priorities. For example, CWI’s Little Companion Art Troupe regularly put on performances abroad, which have deepened people’s understanding of China and enhanced international friendship. Its young actors are called “little ambassadors.” Moreover, every three years we hold the Shanghai International Children’s Cultural and Art Festival to give children from all over the world the chance to meet and get to know each other. We also carry out regular international exchanges on women and children issues and hold seminars, the number and frequency of which are set to grow in the future.
Although Soong Ching Ling left us three decades ago, her spirit endures. Part of our mission is also to ensure greater recognition of her achievements and to promote her spirit around the world. This task is also the guiding mission of China Today.
Currently, many countries have established their own Soong Ching Ling foundations with local financial backing. This demonstrates the widespread appeal of her charitable cause. As we look toward the future, we hope that more people, regardless of nationality, race or faith, will champion the rights of women and children, and embrace all the other causes to which this exemplary individual devoted herself.
In my mind, Soong was like a glittering jadestone that refuses to hide itself in the ground. The shifting sands of time were never able to obscure her radiant spirit. In her life, she was a ray of sunshine that pierced through the dark clouds of domestic turmoil, bringing hope to all.
She subscribed to the same revolutionary ideals as her husband, Sun Yat-sen, and continued to champion them long after his death in 1925.
In her time, she was widely regarded as the mother of the new nation, an epithet recognized even by Chiang Kai-shek. She was born into a wealthy family, and could have lived a carefree life of abundance. Instead, she chose to stand together with the common man. She fought against reactionary elements within the Kuomintang government and devoted herself to the revolution.
After the liberation of China, she gave all her energy to the construction of New China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), exerting her utmost to fulfill her duties until her death. She insisted on knowing, and telling, the truth. She was a good friend of the CPC who did not shy away from constructive criticism.
There is an old photo in the former residence of Sun Yat-sen in Cuiheng Vil- lage, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, which shows Soong keeping vigil over her husband’s coffin. I used to stand admiring the photo. It was difficult for me to believe that the young and seemingly fragile woman in the photo had such a strong, determined soul. It sounds like a cliché, but in the pursuit of the truth and the betterment of citizens’ lives, Soong was immune to the temptations of wealth and rank. For this, the people held her in high esteem.
A Life Dedicated to the Rights of Women and Children
“Give your best to children,” Soong once said. In her efforts to better the lives of the country’s children, she personally founded the China Welfare Institute (CWI), through which she opened China’s first “children’s palace,” or youth center, and the country’s first children’s theater. Soong spared no effort to create the best conditions for the CWI kindergarten and nursery. On being awarded an international peace prize, Soong contributed all the prize money to the establishment of the International Peace Maternity and Children Hospital. She also founded Children’s Epoch, a publication well known for its playful language and vivid illustrations. My own, personal experience serves to show that Soong’s reputation as early New China’s most concerned philanthropist was fully deserved. My first job after graduation was at the CWI. World War II had just ended. Numerous lives were lost in the brutal war, leaving hundreds of thousands of orphans. To spare these children a parentless upbringing, Soong, using her reputation abroad, asked for support from an American civil organization, the Foster Parents’ Plan, to establish a branch office in China under the CWI. I worked in the office. Every month, we used donations from the Foster Parents’ Plan to provide orphans with living expenses and supplies. We handed out food and clothing and placed them in schools. Nowadays human rights are championed throughout the world, but back then, they were still just a legal concept. Soong set an outstanding early example in defending the rights of Chinese women and children. She is not only a great role model for China, but also one for the whole world.
My colleagues and I have never forgotten the things Soong taught us. We have inherited her cause, and will carry it forward into the future. We will ensure the CWI and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation continue to be steadfast protectors of the rights of women and children everywhere.
A Champion of International Friendships
To gain more international support for China’s resistance against the Japanese invasion, Soong founded the China Defense League in 1938. Later it was renamed the China Welfare Institute. The China Defense League was based in Hong Kong in order to attract foreign members. Soong established contact with many international figures of eminence, including George Bernard Shaw, Agnes Smedley, Jawaharlal Nehru, Paul Robeson and Pearl S. Buck. With help from Soong, a number of them ventured into the liberated area of China, and participated in the war against Japanese invaders. Edgar Snow, a famed American journalist, owed much to Soong for arranging his successful interviews in Yan’an, which allowed him to write his best-selling Red Star over China.
Some, including Georges Hatem and Hans Müller, became directly involved in Chinese people’s fight against Japanese aggression. Others, such as Dr. Norman Bethune, even sacrificed their lives for China’s revolutionary undertaking.
Soong was always kind and amicable in her communications with foreign friends and never put on airs of officialdom or doctrinarism. Although she liked to talk politics, she never gave the impression of being distant or abstract. She was, in short, a consummate communicator. Soon after the founding of New China, in order to present China’s development achievements in a wide range of fields to the broader world, Soong founded an English magazine named China Reconstructs. Today the monthly publication is known as China Today. I was invited to work there when China Reconstructs was just getting on its feet.
The magazine was warmly received by foreign readers and became the only Chinese publication allowed to be sold in the United States. China’s central government leaders displayed enthusiasm for the magazine’s guiding mission. I remember Premier Zhou Enlai once told the editing staff: “This magazine was founded by Soong Ching Ling, so your writing style should be like hers. It should avoid empty lecturing and explain viewpoints using factual evidence. Your target readers are foreign citizens, and to make your stories more persuasive, your writing style must adapt to their reading requirements.”
In the early days, Soong often wrote for China Reconstructs. Her articles were perfect examples of how to construct political discussions that were fully intelligible to, and engaged with, the lay reader. She wrote beautifully.
To carry forward Soong Ching Ling’s legacy, the China Welfare Institute and the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation have jointly set the goal of promoting international people-to-people exchanges as one of their top priorities. For example, CWI’s Little Companion Art Troupe regularly put on performances abroad, which have deepened people’s understanding of China and enhanced international friendship. Its young actors are called “little ambassadors.” Moreover, every three years we hold the Shanghai International Children’s Cultural and Art Festival to give children from all over the world the chance to meet and get to know each other. We also carry out regular international exchanges on women and children issues and hold seminars, the number and frequency of which are set to grow in the future.
Although Soong Ching Ling left us three decades ago, her spirit endures. Part of our mission is also to ensure greater recognition of her achievements and to promote her spirit around the world. This task is also the guiding mission of China Today.
Currently, many countries have established their own Soong Ching Ling foundations with local financial backing. This demonstrates the widespread appeal of her charitable cause. As we look toward the future, we hope that more people, regardless of nationality, race or faith, will champion the rights of women and children, and embrace all the other causes to which this exemplary individual devoted herself.