Customer Reviews

The Last Empress: Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Birth of Modern China

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Madame Chiang Kai-shek was, as journalists like to say, a good story. It is a story of wartime travails, of high-stakes political gambling, of an epic fight-to-the-finish between authoritarian Nationalists and radical Communists. It's also a story of a tempestuous partnership between an ascetic military man and his glamorous, winsome, shrewd and luxury-loving wife. He needed her connections to American money. She needed his access to power. Time magazine named them "Man and Woman of the Year" for 1937, essentially colluding in their myth-making. Together, they led China, and then lost it.

Madame Chiang dazzled Franklin Roosevelt, bedded Wendell Wilkie, backstabbed Gen. Joseph Stilwell and, for a time, enthralled the greater American public. Dynamic, vain, literary and ambitious -- she's a great subject for a long biography.

This is a beautifully designed book, with an inviting cover and an excellent array of photographs inside. Unfortunately, what lies between the covers is not as magical. The writing is OK, but Pakula often seems tone-deaf to the subtleties of Chinese culture and history. Then again, Madame Chiang's story is so engrossing that, for those who like an old-fashioned approach, this long-form rendering is still pretty absorbing. Madame Chiang's life spanned the entire 20th century, and she lived through a period of considerable upheaval, intersecting with quite a cast of characters.

Born in the last years of the 19th century, May-ling Soong was the youngest of three sisters whose father, Charlie, a Christian who made millions printing Bibles, bucked Chinese tradition by raising his daughters to be independent, savvy and ambitious. The eldest became one of China's richest women. The second married Sun Yat-sen, China's first president, and then cast her lot with Mao and the Communists. May-ling went to the U.S. for schooling at age 10, first in Georgia and then at Wellesley. When she returned to Shanghai, she said: "the only thing Oriental about me is my face." Before long, however, she took to wearing elegant, body-hugging Chinese gowns on her slender figure. She drew many suitors, but none had quite the promise of young Chiang Kai-shek, a general who believed himself destined to lead China into a modern era. Chiang had to divorce one wife, pack off a second to graduate school in New York and promise to convert to Christianity before May-ling's mother would approve the match.

"In seeking out a wife with money and power behind her, Chiang had found a woman with ideas and energy as well," writes Pakula. May-ling had more than ideas and energy. She soon became a poised partner who could soften his imperiousness, write his speeches and eventually become his best diplomat and public relations agent. When Chiang joined Roosevelt and Churchill for a summit in Cairo, his wife simultaneously translated and refashioned his remarks.

Her finest hour came in 1943, when she went to the U.S. to appeal for support in the war against Japan. With a Georgia lilt in her fluent English, and impassioned speeches about an ancient culture transforming into a democracy, Madame Chiang charmed Washington and Congress. By the time she was done touring the country, she had secured political support for billions in aid. How much of it ended up in the pockets of the Chiangs and Soongs is an enduring mystery. Pakula made considerable efforts to find a paper trail, with limited success.

Madame Chiang suffered mysterious illnesses, and took lengthy stays in U.S. hospitals, with long separations from her husband. Their relationship was complex. There are signs of tenderness in surviving letters and telegrams, as well as eyewitness accounts of vicious arguments. Pakula airs some intriguing anecdotes. One has May-ling confiding to a friend that she and Chiang were never intimate, because he wanted no more children. Another suggests that he had been rendered infertile from venereal disease, and never told her. She did have a passionate affair with Wilkie, Roosevelt's ex-rival for president. But she remained childless.

Eventually, Mao and the Communists defeated Chiang, chasing him to the island of Taiwan. The Chiangs vowed to retake China, but hope faded as the U.S. moved onto other wars in Korea and Vietnam. After Chiang died in 1975, Madame moved to New York, living until 2003. She was 105 years old. Or maybe 106. (She consistently hid her true age.)

Pakula has an annoying habit of abandoning judgment when she encounters conflicting evidence, resorting to phrases like "some say . . ." or "whatever the truth or falseness of these stories. . . ." From a historian who evidently spent 10 years with her material, we deserve more.

Madame Chiang trailblazed the role of first lady in China, and surpassed it. Her advocacy for the Nationalist cause was doomed, but she certainly cut a deep path on the consciousness of modern China.

A good biography tells a good story. With grace and great sympathetic imagination Hannah Pakula gives us a flesh and blood heroine, never a mere historical figure. For all that she is aware of her subject's faults, she does justice to her courage, her wit, and her sheer endurance. Thanks to its epic scope and rich cast of characters, this biography reads at times like one of those great three-volume nineteenth century novels. By showing May-ling Soong not only in the context of her powerful and problematic family but also at the very center of China's tumultuous modern history, Pakula makes clear how tangled the choices became for this Wellesley girl who dreamed of making something of her life. Having made a great match, by allying herself with what looks to be the man of the hour, the young Madame Chiang Kai-shek soon finds herself struggling to put a good face on the ill-advised decisions of a corrupt and capricious dictator. Not only is she serving as his translator but once Japan invades Manchuria and the Communists begin to present a serious threat to her husband's government, she increasingly assumes the role of his ambassador to the Western World. If power corrupts, then absolute power can be said to corrupt absolutely. It is to Hannah Pakula's credit that the reader leaves this book wondering what would have happened to May-ling if, instead of her older sister, she'd had a chance to marry Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Or, perhaps better yet, if her romantic attachment to Wendell Wilkie hadn't been brought to an abrupt end by his death.

Her name was May-Ling Soong. She lived from 1897 to 2003. She came from a wealthy household. Her father Charlie Soong raised himself from peasanthood to become a rich businessman. One of her sisters married Mr. Kung a millionaire businessman, another married the legendary Sun Yat-Sen the founder of modern China. One of her brothers T.V. Soong had a PH.D from Columbia in finance and was among the richest men in the world. What a family and what a lady! May-Ling studied in Georgia and graduated from Wellesley where her best friend was American Emily Mills.
May-Ling spoke perfect English, was materialistic and a beautiful and sexy woman. In the 1920s she wed Kai-Shek. He became the dictator of China who lost in the Chinese Civil War against Mao's Communists. CKS and Mayling retreated to Taiwain in 1949 where they set up the nationalistic Chinese government. CKS died in 1975. May-Ling often spent a good deal of time in America during the power couple's long marriage. She often had skin problems and other ailments. She could be nervous and demanding of those around her. She could also charm the pants off famous men. Her spouse CKS was often cruel having no problem with eliminating those who opposed his policies.
May-Ling was a devoted Methodist Christian and talked CKS into becoming a Christian. May-Ling spent much of her life in America. She lived in New York from 1975 until her death. She probably did not love CKS and had no children. During World War II she was adroit at bringing in millions of dollars to Chinese coffers as they fought the Japanese. She often visited the White House becoming friendly with Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR. President Truman did not like her since he felt she supported a corrupt regime. (which she did!). In many ways, as Pakula notes, CKS operated like a Chinese warlord.
May-Ling and US presidential contender Wendell Wilkie had an affair. She could be kind or cruel depending upon her mood or political strategy. May-Ling could also be warm or aloof. She was adept at treating her servants like coolies!
One of her sisters lived in Communist China and there were many quarrels and disagreements in her distinguished family.
Author Pakula has written a massive 800 page book on Madame CKS and her times. It is excellent not only for the biography of May-Ling but also for examining in depth China's troubled 20th century history. The book is well illustrated with maps and photos. This is the best book available on May-Ling. It is a detailed and illuminating account of the life of one of the twentieth century's greatest women.
Love her or loath her this is one of the best biographies of the year! Kudos to Hannah Pakula!

This is a well researched and interesting story of Madame Chiang Kai-shek. The story also includes biographical background on her sisters Soong Ching-ling and Soong Ai-ling, her brother T. V Soong, Chiang Kai-shek, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and a few others.

Accurate information in China can be difficult to determine. It is sometimes a mix of gossip, rumors, and lies. Believe me, I lived in China 10 years. Nevertheless, I think Hannah Pakula has brought us some good history. I think her insights into Chinese culture are accurate.

I was not at all well informed on this topic before opening the book, which is one of the reasons I read it.

On the plus side, I can say I learned quite a bit.

On the minus side, I found Pakula's wandering focus made it quite hard to concentrate on the subject matter. I nearly gave up on this book several times, which is rare for me. Specifically:

1. Pakula makes leaps backwards and forwards in time to follow certain themes and sequences of behavior. However, I didn't find those themes sufficiently compelling or well articulated to warrant the dislocations in time. One consequence is that Pakula seems to actually provide inconsistent data from one page to the next; for example, at one point she says Chiang Kai-Shek was in his early 80s in 1967, while a few pages later she says he was 78. In general, I found the discussion extremely rambling.

2. The narrative did not really help me understand why Madame Chiang Kai-Shek was considered the Dragon Empress of China. Certainly a human being is more than a four-word caricature, but Pakula casts her net so broadly in trying to describe May-Ling's character that she focuses more on matters I would consider distractions. My overwhelming impressions from Pakula's narrative are that May-Ling was a pedantic hypochondriac, somewhat ineffectually adrift on the currents of her Christianity, totalitarianism, corruption and humanism. I doubt that is an accurate understanding of someone characterized as the most powerful woman in modern history, but that's the impression that Pakula imparts.

This book escorts the reader through the exotic life of May-ling Soong. Along the way one gets a unique perspective of twentieth century Chinese history. The larger story is as fascinating as the biography; it is good the author devotes time to both. I found the many chapters devoted to the second world war to be the most interesting, mainly because in the US, very little discussion is given to this part of the war. But US involvement was large, and the dynamics of many important decisions are not well known today--though they affect present day affairs. The Taiwan years and beyond are discussed, but the zest of the previous years is lost.

My few criticisms are smallish. The author quoted secondary sources (e.g. Tuchman) a few too many times. I got tired of too many footnotes, especially the continued updating of monetary values into present day values (which will be out of date in a few years anyway). Overall, this is a well-written biography with a fitting subject.

Even though Hannah Pakula is not a specialist in Chinese history, she sticks closely to the sources on Madame Chiang Kai-shek, and uses those sources skillfully and skeptically. Pakula is not trying to write a history of China; she is apparently after something else. The book provides enough background on the conditions in early 20th century China to make it clear that a person of high morals and great integrity would not last long in such a corrupt and chaotic environment as the warlord era. Given that background, what is interesting is not whether Mai-ling Soong is honest, but how she plays her hand once she marries Chiang Kai-shek. She has wealth, intelligence, and beauty. But even a wealthy, intelligent, beautiful woman could not rise to power in either China or the U.S. at that time. Perhaps not even now. Mai-ling finds her place as an intermediary at the intersection of two nations that desperately need and thoroughly misunderstand each other. She became a persuasive public speaker on behalf of China, speaking before the U.S. Congress at a time when a woman would ordinarily not be welcome. She secured huge amounts of American money for her people. That the KMT did not use the money the way Americans intended it to be used should not surprise anyone. That Madame CKS got the money at all is the interesting fact, and how she did it is a lesson in power. Bismarck would have understood.

The book is 700 pgs. and at times the political complications are confusing but overall it is very interesting. It helps to understand today's China and how they got there and
some of the problems the country has had. The lives of the families involved are most
interesting.

I worked for many years for L. C. Kung who was the nephew of Chiang Kai-shek. Although President Kai-shek had already passed away, I had the honor of meeting the Madame on many occasions during the 1980's when she came to Texas to see her nephew. She was completely devoted to her family, a woman of pure elegance and humble attitude. In her presence I was always in awe of her kindness to everyone. No matter any negative comments made about the family, during times of war and rule, they were good people. I feel blessed that I was able to see inside their lives on a daily basis and take with me the feelings of standing before a magnificent woman.

My wife, who is Asian, is reading this biographical history - she's
very impressed, to say the least!

Bought it as a gift for her with the proviso that I get to read it after she's finished with it...only problem is that she likes it so much, she may never put it down!

A terrific look at a country that is now verging on global dominance in so many ways - and how one woman with brains, toughness, and perseverence, not to mention a charm that could win over an entire American Congress, helped her country battle the Japanese just before and during WWII when their formidable and often brutal military was overrunning not only China, but all of South East Asia!

And, of course, the transition - during which she played a major, and often tragic role - from a budding democracy to a Communist state. Had she succeeded, along with her husband, Chang Kai Shek,
in keeping Mao and his cohorts out of the picture, we would be looking at an entirely different global partner, economically, militarily, and ideologically!

What a woman to still accomplish what she did! - her speech to our Congress, imploring America to send aid and men to join the "Flying Tigers" - a group of volunteer fighter pilots that wreaked havoc on
the Japanese bombing squadrons who were so indiscriminate - as were their soldiers - in murdering innocents was a triumph of pure genius, laced with a charm made all the more warming by her beauty, grace, wit, and PERFECT ENGLISH! (SHE WAS EDUCATED AT AN ELITE
PRIVATE COLLEGE, WELLESLEY, IN THE U.s., BEGINNING AT AGE 15!

LIKE I SAID - WHAT A WOMAN! ALL POLITICIANS AND LEADERS OF TODAY'S WORLD COULD LEARN SO MUCH FROM HER LIFE; UNFORTUNATELY, THEY DON'T
PUT TOO MUCH STOCK IN WORLD HISTORY!

READ THIS BOOK! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED...UNLESS YOU ARE A COMMUNIST!