A century before Instagram Influencers and the phenomenon of famous-for-being-famous, the Soong Sisters were celebrities because of their glamour, their position within Shanghai society, and their marriages. In 1915, Ching-ling married revolutionary organizer Sun Yat-sen, nearly 25 years her senior. May-ling became Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Oldest sister Ei-ling, who was a less public figure, married H.H. Kung, who served in Chiang’s government and would become one of the richest men in China.
Jung Chang’s latest book, Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China, is the story of the Soong Sisters: Big Sister Ei-ling (1889-1973), Little Sister May-ling (1898-2003), and “Red Sister” Ching-ling (1893-1981).