Song Qingling, (1893-1981) was wife of Dr Sun Yatsen,
founder of the Republic of China and one of the famous "Soong
Sisters". She has been described as one of China’s outstanding
women of the 20th century and was a great advocate of civil rights,
democracy and freedom from aggression.
After her husband’s death in 1925, Song Qingling
supported the Communist government and was eventually made honorary
President of the People’s Republic - in spite of the fact that most
of her family were key members of the Kuomintang - her younger sister
Meiling was married to Chiang Kaishek and older sister Ailing was
married to H.H. Kung, finance minister for the Kuomintang.
All the interior furnishings in Song's former home
are as they were in her lifetime. Visitors can visit the living
room where Song held meetings with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. In
the front annex, you can read her correspondence with famous leaders
as Jawaharlal Nehru and Joseph Stalin, as well as personal family
letters.
