The Soong Sisters is a historical and biographical drama which premiered in 1997. This drama covers the lives of the three famous sisters of the Soong family.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Director: Mabel Cheung (born 1950)
** Writer: Alex Law Kai Yui (1952-2022)
** Language: Chinese and occasionally English
** Run time: 144 minutes
The cast includes the following:
THE THREE SISTERS
** Michelle Yeoh as Ai-ling Soong (1889–1973)
** Maggie Cheung as Ching-ling Soong (1893–1991)
** Vivian Wu as Mei-ling Soong (1898–2003)
THE THREE HUSBANDS
** Zhen Hua Niu as Kung Hsiang-hsi
(also known as H. H. Kung) (1860-1967)
** Winston Chao as Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925)
** Wa Hsing-kuo as Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975)
THE PARENTS
** Jiang Wen as Charlie Soong (1861-1918)
(the father of the three sisters)
** Elaine Jinas as Ni Kwei-tseng (1868-1931)
(the mother of the three sisters)
*****
This historical drama is based on a true story. What about historical truth? How accurate is the drama about the Soong sisters?
According to the director Mabel Cheung, the film is a combination of fact and fiction. Some details have been added, altered or excluded for practical purposes and dramatic reasons. But the basic story is true.
In the drama, Ai-ling (big sister) marries the rich businessman Kung Hsiang-hsi. This is true.
In the drama, Ching-ling (red sister) marries the well-known political activist Sun Yat-Sen. This is true.
In the drama, Mei-ling (little sister) marries the well-known general Chiang Kai-shek. This is true.
The three Soong sisters are remarkable, because they represent three different trends in the history of modern China.
Here are two cases where some basic details have been altered or excluded:
# 1. The Chinese businessman Charlie Soong and his wife Ni Kwei-tseng had three daughters and three sons.
But the three sons are never seen or mentioned in the drama. They have been excluded from the story.
# 2. The father Charlie Soong had visited the United States as a young man. When he got married and when he had children, he decided to send them to the US where they could get a western education.
In the drama, the three sisters travel from China to the US at the same time. But this is not quite correct.
The oldest sister Ai-ling travelled to the US in 1904 and she stayed there until 1909.
The two younger sisters Ching-ling and Mei-ling travelled to the US in 1907 and they stayed there until 1913.
*****
What do reviewers say about this historical drama?
Here are some answers:
** 68 percent = Letterboxd
** 69 percent = IMDb
** 79 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
The ratings are quite good, as you can see. Perhaps because the level of historical truth is relatively high.
I understand the numerous positive reviews and I agree with them.
In my opinion, this historical drama about the Soong sisters deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent)
REFERENCES
The Soong Sisters
By Emily Hahn
(1941)
The Soong Dynasty
By Sterling Seagrave
(1985)
Madame Chiang Kai-shek:
China's Eternal First Lady
By Laura Tyson Li
(2006)
Madame Chiang Kai-shek:
Face of Modern China
By Sandy Donovan
(2006)
The Last Empress: Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Birth of Modern China
By Hannah Pakula
(2009)
Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China
By Jung Chang
(2019 = hardcover)
(2020 = paperback)
*****
The Soong sisters in 1940
From the left:
Ai-ling Soong (1889-1973)
Mei-ling Soong (1897-2003)
Ching-ling Soong (1893-1981)
*****
The Chinese political activist
Sun Yat-sen
(1866-1925)
*****
The Chinese politician
Chiang Kai-shek
(1887-1975)
*****
The Soong Sisters
By Emily Hahn
(1941)
*****
Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister
By Jung Chang
(2019)
*****
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