Political Symbol And Social Roles

May-ling Soong,also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek,and a very important member of"the Soong’s Family",has played many important roles.She was born on May 5th,1897,and died on October 24th,2003.The turning point of Soong’s life,which went through 3 centuries,was in 1948 when she went to the US to seek support.The latter half of Soong’s life started since Kuomingtang’s retreat to Taiwan.Here the " latter half’ not only means she was over 50 years old then,but also refers to her descending career in politics,international relations,social activities and women and Children’s movement.Since Soong spent more time in Taiwan and the United State than in Main-land China,and due to the tradition of Chinese people to value the later life,the latter half of Soong’s life is a history that should not be neglected.By looking into the latter half of May-ling Soong ’s life,this study intends to reveal the roles she chose and played and the contribution she made in that particular age and under particular circumstances.According to this study,the latter half of May-ling Soong ’s life started when the Kuomingtang Government was defeated and retreated to Taiwan.Since 1947,Kuomingtang had been losing in every aspect:the military troops lost multiple battles;the politics,economy and foreign affairs were all faced with adversity.By 1948,the collapsed economy,severe inflation,and the lost three major battles had almost torn Chiang Kai-shek,and the Kuomingtang’s regime apart.Under such circumstance,in late 1948,May-ling Soong went to the United States to seek help,but failed.In early 1950,Soong went back to Taiwan to face the difficulties together with Chiang Kai-shek,and then began the latter half of her life.At that time,the sudden increase of population,the severe inflation,the low living standard of common masses,the conflict among different races,and the chaos caused by the loss of America’s support,all lead to the great instability in Taiwan.The return of Soong is the best consolation for Chiang Kai-shek.This study points out that "the first lady" is the most important political role of May-ling Soong in her latter half of life,which also serves as a means to maintain the political status of Chiang Kai-shek.Soong and Chiang managed to create a "two in one" public image in Taiwan.Wherever Chiang made his appearance,Soong would be by his side.Also,it was Soong’s duty to publicize and argue for Chiang and seek support for his regime.When Soong was engaged in foreign affairs,women’s movement and other social activities,she was always introduced as "the first lady".Looking through the various activities in her latter half of life,it is not hard to find that Soong has been presenting herself as "the first lady" in order to show the public that the regime of Chiang Kai-shek is stable and "orthodox".This study believes that as "the first lady",May-ling Soong has played many social roles.On the diplomatic front,Soong was the senior supervisor of foreign affairs and the representative of Chiang’s international image.In order to better the relationship between Taiwan and America,she consolidated "China Lobby" in America,actively promoted the diplomatic activities with America,and tried hard to lobby important American political and military figures,etc.Also,she had paid many visits to America for different reasons,such as to receive medical treatment or to go on a vocation.The length of her stay in the U.S.ranged from half a year to over a year.These diplomatic activities with the U.S.had not stopped until the late 1960s when it was clear that Chiang Ching-guo would succeed Chiang Kai-shek to be the leader of Kuomingtang.May-ling Soong was very good at playing the role of a leader in women’s movement.As a very important source for her political capital,women’s movement helped her obtain domestic political support and was as important as the diplomatic front.After Kuomintang’s retreat to Taiwan,Soong promoted the women’s movement through "Women’s Federation","Women’s Union" and"Taiwan Women’s Association",and thus won herself an important political status in Taiwan.The social works Soong engaged in was closely connected with her religious belief.After the retreat to Taiwan,Soong converted from a Christian only in name to a pious true believer.Religion has become her best placebo.Under the influence of religious belief,she founded Women’s Christian Association of China immediately after she arrived in Taiwan,through which she formed alliance of common interest with many important people.Also,she set up the Huaxing School and the Zhenxing Medical Rehabilitation Center,served as the President of Furen University,and so on.These all show that May-ling Soong was driven by her religious belief to promote the development of social works and also the close relationship between her religious passion and political needs.This study also investigates how May-ling Soong related to Chiang Kai-shek,the Chiang’s Family,the Kong’s Family,and the Soong’s Family,as well as Soong’s political activities in America.According to the author,the Soong’s Family was May-ling Soong’s support.For May-ling Soong,the Chiang’s Family and the Soong’s Family shared common interests and should assist each other.Only by prospering the Chiang’s Family could the Soong’s Family be protected,which would in turn maximize the interests of the Chiang’s Family.After Chiang Kai-shek’s death,in order to ensure the smooth succession of Chiang Ching-guo,Soong went to the United States and assumed a low profile.Though she was in the U.S.,Soong was very concerned about the political situation in Taiwan,especially about shaping the historical image of Chiang Kai-shek and assisting the reign of Chiang Ching-guo:all for the sake of the Chiang’s Dynasty.