The Soong Sisters

In 1997, a movie based on the Soong sisters' 1911–1949 real-life experiences

was released. The three sisters Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling, and Soong Mei-ling
are the major characters, although other characters with significant roles in the movie
include Kung Hsiang-hsi, Sun Yat-sen, and Chiang Khai-shek, who played the sisters'
respective husbands. In this movie, 1990s Chinese political events and individuals are
shown. The Second Sino-Japanese War, the Kuomintang's northern campaign against
the government in 1926–1927, and the Founding of the Republic of China in 1911 are
all seen in this movie. The battle between Chinese Nationalists and Chinese
Communists is another major theme in the movie. By the end of the film, the nationalists
had fled to Taiwan while the Communists had taken over mainland China and
established the People's Republic of China. The Japanese, on the other hand, gave up.

In line with this, the 1911 revolution is linked to the key Chinese events that were
depicted in the movie. The 1911 revolution against the Manchus and the end of the
imperial dynasty were both sparked by the collapse of the Qing dynasty. For barely 44
days, Sun Yat-sen ruled over the republic but in order to prevent a civil war between
north and south China, he volunteered to step down in favor of military strongman Yuan
Shikai. A second revolution was initiated in Japan by Sun Yat-sen.

The Warlord Era, which followed Yuan Shikai's death, was marked by the army's
division into numerous factions vying for dominance. Sun Yat-sen established the
Kuomintang (KMT) to bring order and peace to China. After completing his military and
political studies abroad, Sun Yat-sen's successor, Chiang Kai-shek took over as the
head of a Military Academy. He defeated the Beiyang warlords between 1926 and 1928
and effectively unified the country in 1928. The KMT split into left-wing and right-wing
movements after Sun Yat-sen's passing. Early in 1927, the left wing of the Kuomintang
(KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) transferred the government to Wuhan,
while the Chiang-led KMT moved to the east (Jiangxi). Chiang Kai-shek attempted to
eradicate the communist influence but was unsuccessful. The CCP and KMT left-wing,
he continued, had compromised Sun Yat-three sen's principles of the people by
following orders and receiving assistance from the Soviet Union.

As a result of the ongoing conflict in China and the KMT's daily killing spree, the
people grew terrified and pleaded with Chiang to put an end to it. He disregarded the
resentment and anger of the Chinese people towards the KMT policy. As this was
happening, the Japanese took advantage of the Chinese civil war to attack China.
Chiang was abducted during the Xian incident in 1936 and pushed into joining the CCP
so that the two of them could fight Japan together. Chiang agreed, believing that in
order to overcome his greatest enemies, he should first form an alliance with the
second. Even though the CCP and KMT's partnership was merely symbolic, they were
nevertheless able to defeat Japan and liberate China.

Although the film was somehow inaccurate, the film director probably wanted to
show the influence of women in history. Why was it inaccurate? Turns out that the three
Soong sisters also had three brothers that were not, at least once, mentioned in the film.
Despite this, I found the film beautiful as it highlighted the lives of these three women,
their love for their own desires, and their love for their families.