The Soong Dynasty

‘Fast paced and jammed with racy details’ – New York Times Book Review The Soong Dynasty is the first full behind-the-scenes account of the extraordinary Soong family whose power and wealth dominated China and American policy towards Asia in the twentieth century. Descendants of a runaway, the sisters grew up in America under the protection of the Methodist church and returned to their homeland to make a fortune selling Western bibles. From there, each sister rose meteorically through the political ranks to take their place at the tables of power in China. Older sister Ai-ling married the richest man in China and, alongside her husband, came to exert significant influence on the policies of the government in the 1930s and 40s. Holding positions in the upper echelons of government, middle sister Ching-ling became the new republic's Vice Chairman. Married to Sun Yat-sen, the first President of the Republic of China and legendary "Father of the Nation", she wielded significant power before and after 1949. May-ling, the youngest sister, lived until 105, her life crossing three centuries. Working to unite the country against Japanese invasion, she was often in the USA lobbying on behalf of her country in her position as First Lady of the Republic of China, through her marriage to the infamous Generalissimo and President, Chiang Kai-shek. Spanning decades and continents, The Soong Dynasty is a fascinating and acclaimed analysis of three women who held immense power in the 20th century. Praise for The Soong Dynasty: ‘Seagrave knows China … he has shed light into so many dark places, and turned a difficult piece of history into an engrossing narrative’ - Daily Telegraph ‘Brings much pungent material to light … [it is] a story unravelled with fluency and flair’ - TIME ‘A gripping book. Seagrave has tackled a mighty subject with resourcefulness and spirit’ - Washington Post ‘Seagrave is a fine investigative reporter — digging up information from a multitude of sources, much of it original, and piecing together a gripping account of epochal events’ – Wall Street Journal Sterling Seagrave, who grew up on the China-Burma border in the 1940s (his father was Dr Gordon Seagrave, author of Burma Surgeon), is the author of Yellow Rain, The Marcos Dynasty, Dragon Lady, and Lords of the Rim and has written many articles for major newspapers and magazines. In preparing The Soong Dynasty, he drew on half a lifetime in Asia and on many sources, including the files of TIME, the National Archives, many individuals, and the FBI, to produce a riveting and revealing narrative of major historical importance supplemented with much new material. Read more