Charlie Soong
| Charlie Soong | |
|---|---|
Charlie Soong at Vanderbilt University
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| Native name | 韓教準 |
| Born |
Han Jiaozhun February 1863 Wenchang, Hainan, Qing Empire |
| Died | 3 May 1918 (aged 55) Shanghai, Republic of China |
| Other names | 宋嘉樹 Pinyin: Sòng Jiāshù |
| Alma mater |
Vanderbilt University Duke University |
| Known for | Prominent player in the Xinhai Revolution and patriarch of the Han family |
| Spouse(s) | Ni Kwei-Tseng |
| Children | Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling, T. V. Soong, Soong Mei-ling, T.L. Soong, T.A. Soong |
Charles Jones "Charlie" Soong (Chinese: 宋嘉樹; pinyin: Sòng Jiāshù; February 1863 – May 3, 1918), courtesy name Yaoru (耀如 Yàorú, hence his alternate name: Soong Yao-ju), was a Chinese businessman who first achieved prominence as a Methodist missionary in Shanghai. He was a close friend of Sun Yat-sen and a key player in the events that led to the Xinhai Revolution in 1911. His children became some of the most prominent people in the history of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China.
Charlie Soong was born as Han Jiaozhun (韓教準) in the western suburbs of Wenchang City in Hainan province as the third son of Han Hongyi (韓鴻翼 Hán Hóngyì) sometime between 1863 and 1866. He was a Wen Chang Hainanese, whose ancestors were Hakka people. At the age of 15, he sailed with his uncle to Boston in the United States and became a migrant worker. After working for his uncle for some time, he left on his own and was soon taken in by a group of Methodist missionaries. Soon thereafter he converted to the Christian faith and was baptized Charlie Jones Soon—Charlie Soon was probably an anglicized version of his given name Chiao-Shun, but there is more confusion towards from where he got his middle name Jones. It was not until years after he changed his name that the Gwoyeu Romatzyh added the extra g to his surname, spelling it Soong.
The Methodists arranged for Charlie Soong to live with the industrialist and philanthropist Julian Carr in North Carolina. Carr had been a great contributor to Trinity College (now Duke University), and was subsequently able to get his Chinese protégé into the school in 1880, even though he met none of the qualifications for entry to university. The prospect of having a native Chinese as a missionary in China thrilled some of the ministers there. They set him to mastering the English language and studying the Bible. One year later, Soong transferred to Vanderbilt University, from which he received a degree in theology in 1885. In 1886 he was sent to Shanghai on a Christian mission after spending almost half of his life to that point abroad.
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Wikipedia