1893.1.27.–1981.5.29.
○ Natural causes
Sun Yat-sen’s widow who stayed with the Kuomintang left and became a vice-chair of the People’s Republic
At the 1922 mutiny she stayed behind to cover Sun Yat-sen's escape, saying 'China can do without me; it cannot do without you.' On 16 May 1981, weeks before her death, she was admitted to the CCP and named honorary chairman of the PRC.
The second of the three Soong sisters of a wealthy Christian Shanghai family, she married Sun Yat-sen in 1915. Opposing Chiang Kai-shek’s anti-Communist coup in 1927 she became the symbol of the Kuomintang left, went to Moscow, and in the 1930s led the China League for Civil Rights in Shanghai. During the war with Japan she organised the China Defence League in Hong Kong to supply the Communist base areas. In 1949 she became a vice-chair of the Central People’s Government; shortly before her death in 1981 she joined the Communist Party and was named honorary president. Her younger sister Soong Mei-ling was Chiang Kai-shek’s wife.
Also known as: Song Qingling · Madame Sun Yat-sen
Activities and affiliations
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1926–1927
Political and party leadership
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1938–1949
China Defence League (China Welfare Institute from 1945)Main
Social movements and organizing -
1949–
People’s Republic of China state institutionsVice-Chair of the Central People's Government, Vice-President
Government and administration -
1954–1959
People’s Republic of China state institutionsVice-Chair, NPC Standing Committee
Legislature and state representation -
1968–1972
People’s Republic of China state institutionsActing head of state of the PRCHeads of state, government and party of China
Political and party leadership -
1975–1981
People’s Republic of China state institutionsVice-Chair, NPC Standing Committee
Legislature and state representation -
1981
Social movements and organizing
Career Timeline
- 1938Organized the China Defence League for wartime relief
- 1949–1954Vice-Chair of the Central People’s Government
- 1954–1959Vice-Chair, NPC Standing Committee
- 1959–1975Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China
- 1968.10.31–1972.02.24Acting head of state as Vice Chairman of the PRC
- 1975–1981Returned as Vice-Chair, NPC Standing Committee
- 1981Joined the CCP and became Honorary Chairman of the PRC
Related historical events
- 1924–1927The first united front, the Northern Expedition and the catastrophe of 1927Kuomintang left opponent of the coupIn 1927 she opposed Chiang Kai-shek’s anti-Communist coup and became a symbol of the Kuomintang left.
- 1927–1936From Jinggangshan to Yan’an: the soviet bases and the Long MarchArranged Snow's visit to the Communist areaGave Edgar Snow his letter of introduction in 1936.
- 1937–1945The war with Japan and the second united frontOrganizer of a war-support organizationIn 1938 she founded the China Defence League in Hong Kong to mobilize support for China’s war effort.
- 1949Establishment of the People’s Republic of ChinaNon-Communist vice-chairman of the Central People’s GovernmentShe took part in the CPPCC and became one of the six vice-chairmen.
- 1949–1956From New Democracy to socialist transformationVice-chair of the Central People’s GovernmentA non-Communist figure symbolising the coalition.
Anti-Japanese and relief work in Shanghai and Hong Kong after 1931
After returning from Germany in 1931, Soong Ching-ling criticized the Nationalist government's policy of suppressing the Communists and warlords before confronting Japan, arguing that it stifled popular resistance. With Comintern backing, she maintained contact with Moscow and helped secure the release of Communist leaders including Chen Geng, Liao Chengzhi, and Chen Duxiu. She also communicated with the Chinese Communist Party through her secretary Li Yun and, at Mao Zedong's request, sent the physician Ma Haide and journalist Edgar Snow to Yan'an. According to a 1934 Comintern memorandum, the local Soviet representative considered admitting her to the Communist Party a mistake that would cost her her distinctive value. These activities do not establish that she was then a Party member.
After moving to Hong Kong in December 1937, she published appeals for resistance and international solidarity. In 1938 she founded the China Defence League there to mobilize international support for China's war effort, provide relief supplies, and publish newsletters. In December 1945 the organization was reorganized as the China Welfare Fund; in August 1950 it was renamed the China Welfare Institute. The organization continued to support Communist groups and their army while also undertaking child-welfare and broader social-welfare work.