''The Soong Sisters'' is a 1997 Hong Kong historical drama film based on the lives of the

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 ...

from 1911 to 1949. The three sisters married the most important historical figures – Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek and K'ung Hsiang-hsi – in the founding of the Republic of China, making their family the focal point of every major decision made in modern Chinese history. Directed by

Mabel Cheung Mabel Cheung (, born 17 November 1950) is a film director from Hong Kong. She is one of the leading directors in Hong Kong cinema and is considered one of the three women (along with Ann Hui and Clara Law) to achieve acclaim in the New Wave/Se ...

, the film starred Maggie Cheung,

Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...

and

Vivian Wu Vivian Wu ( Wu Junmei; ; born February 5, 1967) is a Chinese-American actress.Chen Nan ''China Daily'', 27 April 2007. Her big break came in 1987, appearing in the biographical film '' The Last Emperor''. She later went to starring in films '' ...

as the sisters. The screenplay was written by Mabel Cheung's husband, Alex Law, whom she frequently collaborates with.

Plot

The Soong family is a wealthy family who run a successful printing business in China during the final years of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

. The family patriarch, Charlie Soong, sends his three daughters abroad to study at

Wesleyan College Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. History The school was chartered on December 23, 1836, as the Ge ...

in Macon, Georgia, United States. Of the three sisters, the eldest, Soong Ai-ling, is the first to get married in 1914. Her husband is K'ung Hsiang-hsi, a wealthy banker and descendant of

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

. Around the same time, Sun Yat-sen is living in exile in Japan after failed attempts to end imperial rule in China. He weds

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. ...

despite strong opposition from Charlie Soong, once his friend and supporter. After the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a ...

overthrows the Qing dynasty in 1911, Sun Yat-sen becomes the Republic of China's first provisional president and leader of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

(Nationalist Party). He dies of liver cancer in 1925 and leaves his wife with his dying wish of reunifying a fragmented China in the wake of the fall of the Qing dynasty. Chiang Kai-shek succeeds Sun Yat-sen as the leader of the Kuomintang. In 1927, he marries

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 ...

, the youngest of the three sisters. The Chiang couple are at odds with the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

. The widowed Soong Ching-ling often quarrels with the family, accusing Chiang Kai-shek and his followers of persecuting the Communists and hindering the process of Chinese reunification. She leaves the Kuomintang and openly voices dissent against Chiang Kai-shek. The three sisters are never reunited again except at their parents' deathbeds and on a few special occasions. While the Kuomintang and Communists are fighting with each other, the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

takes advantage of the situation to invade China in the 1930s. In 1936, Chiang Kai-shek is kidnapped by

Zhang Xueliang Chang Hsüeh-liang (, June 3, 1901 – October 15, 2001), also romanized as Zhang Xueliang, nicknamed the "Young Marshal" (少帥), known in his later life as Peter H. L. Chang, was the effective ruler of Northeast China and much of northern ...

in the

Xi'an Incident The Xi'an Incident, previously romanized as the Sian Incident, was a political crisis that took place in Xi'an, Shaanxi in 1936. Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Nationalist government of China, was detained by his subordinate generals Chang ...

. He is forced to make peace with the Communists and focus on dealing with the Japanese invaders. After the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

concludes with the Japanese surrender in 1945, the Kuomintang and Communists continue fighting in a

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, which ends with a Communist victory in late 1949. The Kuomintang, having lost control of Mainland China, relocates the

government of the Republic of China The Government of the Republic of China, is the national government of the Republic of China whose ''de facto'' territory currently consists of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other island groups in the "free area". Governed by the ...

to Taiwan. On 1 October 1949, Communist leader

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

announces the establishment 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 ...

Cast

* Maggie Cheung as

as Soong Ai-ling *

Winston Chao Winston Chao Wen-hsuan (born 9 June 1960) is a Taiwanese actor. He came to international attention for his performance in the 1993 film ''The Wedding Banquet'' and ''Kabali''. He is also known for his roles in '' Red Rose White Rose'' and ''Eat ...

as Sun Yat-sen *

Wu Hsing-kuo Wu Hsing-kuo () is a Taiwanese actor of the silver screen and theater, known for both his performance of complex movie roles as much as for his innovative adaptations of Western classics into traditional Peking Opera. Wu was trained in classical ...

as Chiang Kai-shek *

Jiang Wen Jiang Wen (born 5 January 1963) is a Chinese actor, screenwriter, and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "Sixth Generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred wit ...

as Charlie Soong *

Elaine Jin Elaine Yan-ling (; born 15 December 1954), also known as Elaine Kam, is a Hong Kong–Taiwanese actress. She began her career in Taiwan in 1973 before moving to Hong Kong in 1981. She has been nominated seven times in the Hong Kong Film Award ...

as Ni Kwei-tsen (Mrs Soong) * Niu Zhenhua as K'ung Hsiang-hsi * Liu Jin as

Production note

The film premiered at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

in 1997. While the focus is on the politics and political figures of the Republic of China, the film is heavily influenced by Chinese politics in the 1990s. Its release in 1997 coincided with the British

transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admini ...

to the People's Republic of China. The desire to start relations on favorable grounds may have created some biased screenwriting, even though the perspective will vary depending on the audience. Lines such as "Before we were slaves of Old China. Now we are slaves of slaves of Old China" may have multiple meanings. The film seems to suggest that regardless of past differences and conflicts, there were strong ties that prevailed because of familial love. Another feature worth noting is the characterisation of historical figures. Sun Yat-sen,

and

are portrayed as noble individuals while Chiang Kai-shek and

are portrayed less favourably. A reason for this may be that filming took place in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, where the Chinese government imposed rules on the portrayal of controversial figures such as Chiang Kai-shek. In fact, director

has stated that in the 14 minutes that were cut from the final release, there were scenes of romance between Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling. ''The Soong Sisters'' presents one interpretation of the 1936

as the event was never documented. Other pivotal moments include the founding of the Republic of China in 1911, the Kuomintang's

Northern Expedition The Northern Expedition was a military campaign launched by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Kuomintang (KMT), also known as the "Chinese Nationalist Party", against the Beiyang government and other regional warlords in 1926. The ...

in 1926–27 against the

Beiyang government The Beiyang government (), officially the Republic of China (), sometimes spelled Peiyang Government, refers to the government of the Republic of China which sat in its capital Peking ( Beijing) between 1912 and 1928. It was internationally ...

and other warlords, and the 1931 Mukden Incident which marked the outbreak of the

. The film was not released in cinemas in the United States and United Kingdom.

Perspective

The film has been characterised as having a feminist stance. Apart from the sisters, there were also their three brothers, who were equally prominent in the Republic of China. None from the latter group appear or are mentioned in the film. Scenes of bloodshed were toned down to appeal to a mass audience for educational purposes, and the film avoids describing the violence associated with that era. Key figures from the Communist Party such as

Zhu De Zhu De (; ; also Chu Teh; 1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party. Born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan, he was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...

and

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Ma ...

do not make any appearances in the film, even though historically they played significant roles in the

. Instead, the Communists are portrayed as a whole entity without any personification. On most accounts, those who support the Communist Party are portrayed as victims at the mercy of Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang.

History inaccuracy

When the sisters are handing out military equipment to the National Revolutionary Army during a parade, some of the helmets appear to be U.S. M1 helmets, even though the M1 was not issued in the U.S. military until 1941. The standard combat helmet worn by Chinese soldiers at the time was the German-made Stahlhelm.

Awards and nominations

1997

Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...

* Won: ** Best Art Direction (Eddie Ma) ** Best Original Score (

Kitarō , born (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age musi ...

and Randy Miller) ** Best Sound Effects (Zeng Jingxiang) 1998 Hong Kong Film Awards * Won: ** Best Actress ( Maggie Cheung) ** Best Supporting Actor (

) ** Best Art Direction (Eddie Ma) ** Best Cinematography (

Arthur Wong Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai (, born July 2, 1956) is a nine time Hong Kong Film Awards-winning cinematographer, actor, screenwriter, film producer and film director. Career As a cinematographer, Wong was inspired by his father, who was, himself, a ren ...

) ** Best Original Score (

and Randy Miller) ** Best Costume and Makeup Design (

Emi Wada was an Academy Award-winning theatrical, movie and ballet costume designer from Japan. Life and career Wada was born in Kyoto Prefecture. At 20, she married Ben Wada, a television director. Wada had initially gone to school to become a painte ...

) ** Best Sound Effects (Zeng Jingxiang) * Nominations: ** Best Director (

) ** Best Supporting Actress (

) ** Best Screenplay ( Alex Law) ** Best Picture (

Ng See-yuen Ng See-yuen ( zh, , t=吳思遠; born 6 June 1944) is a Hong Kong film producer, director, screenwriter and businessman. He has been active in the Hong Kong film industry since 1970, particularly in action films. He was one of the first filmm ...

)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soong Sisters, The 1990s Cantonese-language films 1990s Mandarin-language films Hong Kong biographical films History of China on film Second Sino-Japanese War films 1997 films 1990s biographical films Films set in the Qing dynasty Cultural depictions of Sun Yat-sen Films directed by Mabel Cheung 1990s multilingual films Hong Kong multilingual films 1990s Hong Kong films