Movies - Soong sisters

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The Soong sisters (宋家姐妹 pinyin: Sòngjiā Jiěmèi, or 宋氏三姐妹) were three women whose husbands were amongst China's most significant political figures of the early 20th century. It was popularly said that "one loved money, one loved power, and one loved China" (一個愛錢、一個愛權、一個愛國; Hanyu pinyin: yí gè aì qián, yí gè aì quán, yí gè aì guó).

The three sisters were:

Soong Ai-ling, 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, the one who "loved China," was married to Father of the Nation and first President of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen.
Soong May-ling, youngest and the one who "loved power," was married to the leader of the Nationalist Party, Generalissimo of the Chinese armies, and later President, Chiang Kai-shek.

Their father was American-educated Methodist minister Charlie Soong, who made a fortune selling Bibles in China.

Their three brothers were all high ranking officials in the Republic of China government.

Film: The Soong Sisters (1997)

The 1997 Hong Kong movie The Soong Sisters (宋家皇朝) is a dramatization of their lives from 1911 to 1949, the period the Republic of China administed the mainland. While the focus is on the politics and political figures of republican China, the movie itself is heavily influenced by the politics of the time of its creation.

The most obvious influence is the time frame. The attitude of the movie seems to suggest that regardless of past differences due to conflict in the politics they espoused, there were strong ties that prevailed because of familial love. With the imminent handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, the desire to start relations on favourable grounds may have biased the movie. The most blatant example is one of Soong Ai-ling's last lines in the movie.

Another feature of note is the characterization of the historical figures. Sun Yat-sen, Soong Ching-ling and Zhang Xueliang are portrayed as noble individuals while Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling are portrayed less favourably. A reason for this may be because filming occurring on Mainland China, as China has rules regarding the portrayal of national enemies, which in this case was Chiang Kai-shek. In fact, director Mabel Cheung (張婉婷) has stated that 14 minutes of the film were cut, which included scenes of tenderness between Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling.

The film has also been characterized as having a feminist stance. Aside from the 3 sisters, there were also their three brothers who were prominent within the Republic of China. None of these three were mentioned in the movie, written out entirely.

The movie presents one intepretation of the Xi'an Incident as the actual event was never documented. Other pivotal moments include the founding of the Republic of China in 1911, the Northern Expedition in 1927 and the Japanese invasion of China during the Mukden Incident in 1931.

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