Beschreibung
iv, [6], 381, [1] pages. Soiling inside boards and flyleaves. Ex-library with usual library markings. Library bookplate on front flyleaf. Boards stained and edges quite worn and threadbare. Small tear and small piece of spine missing. The Editor's note on page iv states: "This first edition is a limited one: later editions of this book will be printed abroad in a manner that should do more justice both to this writer and this material." As regards the wartime production of this rare limited edition, the Editor's note also states that: "The million or so individual letters were picked from type compartments and hand set by Chinese compositors who knew little English. Type--so small unfortunately--was available only for forty pages at a time. There were delays in paper shipments as Japanese planes subjected the Kowloon-Hankow Railway to daily bombings." There were further delays due to difficulties obtaining the services of compositors. The selection in this work is my no means exhaustive, for Madame Chiang's writings are as voluminous as they are varied, but those addresses, interviews, messages and press dispatches included in the first section of this book can be taken as representative. The second collection from the writings of Madame Chiang Kai-shek contains her thoughts on pre-war problems and vital movements in China, her Christian faith, and her skilled steps along the path of short-story writing. Soong Mei-ling or, legally, Soong May-ling (March 5, 1898 - October 23, 2003), also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek or Madame Chiang, was a Chinese political figure who was First Lady of the Republic of China, the wife of Generalissimo and President Chiang Kai-shek. Soong played a prominent role in the politics of the Republic of China and was the sister-in-law of Sun Yat-sen, the founder and the leader of the Republic of China. She was active in the civic life of her country and held many honorary and active positions, including chairwoman of Fu Jen Catholic University. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, she rallied her people against the Japanese invasion; and in 1943 conducted an eight-month speaking tour of the United States of America to gain support. Her life traversed three centuries. Soong Mei-ling met Chiang Kai-shek in 1920. Since he was eleven years her elder, already married, and a Buddhist, Mei-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 could not convert immediately, because religion needed to be gradually absorbed, not swallowed like a pill. They married in Shanghai on December 1, 1927. While biographers regard the marriage with varying appraisals of partnership, love, politics and competition, it lasted 48 years. The couple had no children. In 1928, she was made a member of the Committee of Yuans by Chiang. They renewed their wedding vows on May 24, 1944 at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City. 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 Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang. 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 his most loyal champion. During World War II, Madame Chiang tried to promote the Chinese cause and build a legacy for her husband on a par with Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. 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. Soong Mei-ling made several tours to the United States to lobby support for the Nationalis.
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