The four big families of the Republic of China ()Chinanews.com.cn.
Chinanews.com.cn
"四大家族"后人:蒋家凋零落寞宋、孔、陈家低调. Retrieved on 2009-08-26. are four politically influential families in the Republic of China, first in Mainland China, then Taiwan. They were responsible for much of China's management of finance, politics, economy, and law. The four big families begin with the Chinese surnames Chiang, Soong, Kung, and Chen. The concept was believed to be coined by

Chen Boda Chen Boda (; 29 July 1904 – 20 September 1989), was a Chinese Communist journalist, professor and political theorist who rose to power as the chief interpreter of Maoism (or "Mao Zedong Thought") in the first 20 years of the People's Republic ...

, a political figure and political theorist of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Families

The following families and their descendants are listed below. Each indentation is at least one generation down, but not necessarily the next generation. Not all the descendants are shown.

Chiang family notables

* Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正, 1887–1975), first President of the Republic of ChinaBig5.news365.com.cn.
Big5.news365.com.cn
". 歷史研究外的“四大家族”. Retrieved on 2009-08-26. **

Chiang Ching-kuo Chiang Ching-kuo (27 April 1910 – 13 January 1988) was a politician of the Republic of China after its retreat to Taiwan. The eldest and only biological son of former president Chiang Kai-shek, he held numerous posts in the government ...

(蔣經國, 1910–1988), President of the Republic of China, son of Chiang Kai-shek *** Eddie Chiang (蔣孝勇, 1948–1996), politician ***

Winston Chang Winston Hsiao-tzu Chang (; 1 March 1942 - 24 February 1996) was a president of Soochow University in Taipei. Biography He and his identical twin brother, John Chang, were born the sons of Chiang Ching-kuo and Chang Ya-juo maybe at what is now ...

(章孝慈, 1941–1996), Soochow University president *** John Chiang (蔣孝嚴, 1941–), politician

Soong family notables

* Charlie Soong (宋嘉樹, 1863–1918), businessman, friend of Sun Yat-Sen **

T. V. Soong Soong Tse-vung, more commonly romanized as Soong Tse-ven or Soong Tzu-wen (; 4 December 1894 – 25 April 1971), was a prominent businessman and politician in the early 20th-century Republic of China, who served as Premier. His father was Char ...

(宋子文, 1891–1971), businessman **

Soong sisters The Soong sisters () were Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling, and Soong Mei-ling, three Shanghainese (of Hakka descent) Christian Chinese women who were, along with their husbands, amongst China's most significant political figures of the early ...

***

Soong Ai-ling Soong Ai-ling (), legally Soong E-ling or Eling Soong (July 15, 1889 – October 18, 1973) was a Chinese businesswoman, the eldest of the Soong sisters and the wife of H. H. Kung (Kung Hsiang-Hsi), who was the richest man in the early 20th cent ...

(宋藹齡, 1890–1973), married to H. H. Kung ***

Soong Ching-ling Rosamond Soong Ch'ing-ling (27 January 189329 May 1981) was a Chinese political figure. As the third wife of Sun Yat-sen, then Premier of the Kuomintang and President of the Republic of China, she was often referred to as Madame Sun Yat-sen. ...

(宋慶齡, 1893–1981), married to Sun Yat-sen, Honorary President of the People's Republic of China (1981), acting President of the People's Republic of China (1968–1972), acting Chairperson of the National People's Congress (1976–1978),

Vice President of the People's Republic of China The vice president of the People's Republic of China (), also known as state vice chairman (), is a senior position in the government of the People's Republic of China. It was formerly translated as the vice chairman of the People's Republic of ...

***

Soong Mei-ling Soong Mei-ling (also spelled Soong May-ling, ; March 5, 1898 – October 23, 2003), also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek or Madame Chiang, was a Chinese political figure who was First Lady of the Republic of China, the wife of Generalissimo a ...

(宋美齡, 1898–2003), married to Chiang Kai-shek, First Lady of the Republic of China ** Soong Zi-on (宋子安, 1906–1969), Guangzhou bank chairman

Kung family notables

* H. H. Kung (孔祥熙, 1881–1967), businessman, politician

Chen family notables

Chen Qimei Chen Qimei (; 17 January 1878 – 18 May 1916), courtesy name Yingshi (英世) was a Chinese revolutionary activist and key figure of Green Gang, close political ally of Sun Yat-sen, and early mentor of Chiang Kai-shek. He was as one of the found ...

(陳其美, 1878–1916), politician ** Chen Guofu (陳果夫, 1892–1951), politician **

Chen Lifu Chen Lifu or Ch'en Li-fu (; 21 August 1900 – 8 February 2001) was a Chinese politician and anti-communist of the Republic of China. Chen was born in Wuxing, Zhejiang, China (modern Huzhou). In 1925, Chen formally joined Kuomintang (KMT) in Sa ...

(陳立夫, 1900–2001), politician

References