- Table of Contents
- Summary Information
- Biographical/Historical Note
- Scope and Content
- Arrangement
- Administrative Information
- Related Materials
- Collection Inventory
- I. General/Biographical
- II. Wellesley College
- III. Correspondence
- IV. Writings
- Wellesley College Archives
- Clapp Library, 4th Floor
- Wellesley College
- 106 Central Street
- Wellesley, MA 02481
- (781) 283-2127
Papers of May-ling Soong Chiang, 1916-2003 : a guide.
MSS.1
Summary Information
- Repository
- Wellesley College Archives
- Creator
- Chiang, May-ling Soong, 1897-2003
- Title
- Papers of May-ling Soong Chiang, 1916-2003
- Date
- 1916-2003
- ID
- MSS.1
- Extent
- 15.9 Linear feet (8 file boxes, 11 oversize boxes)
Preferred Citation
Papers of May-ling Soong Chiang, MSS.1, Wellesley College Archives.
Biographical/Historical Note
Madame Chiang Kai-shek (1897-2003) was born in Shanghai in a prominent Chinese family of six children under the name of May-ling Soong. As a child, Mayling lived in the United States between 1908 and 1917. All her siblings graduated from US colleges and universities and some obtained high political and social status through marriage and/or career advancements. May-ling Soong herself graduated from Wellesley College in 1917. She majored in English Literature and minored in Philosophy, became a member of Tau Zeta Epsilon (T.Z.E.) student society, and was named a Durant Scholar, the highest academic distinction conferred by the College. Her marriage in 1927 to Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) placed her in the spotlight, and her subsequent active involvement in the decades-long struggle against communist forces and their political power in China contributed to her rise to prominence. Chiang Kai-shek, who became the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang, after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925, distinguished himself as Generalissimo, served as Chairman of the National Military Council of the nationalist government of the Republic of China and participated in several military campaigns. After losing the battle for Mainland China, he remained as the President of the Republic of China in Taiwan until the end of his life. Madame Chiang Kai-shek's excellent education, rich life experience and dedication to the cause of preserving Chinese democracy, as well as her intellectual capabilities and charismatic personality, explain her influential role in Chinese politics and culture and her international fame.
Scope and Content
Contains materials created and/or presented by Madame Chiang Kai-shek (1897-2003) and members of the Wellesley College community; dating from 1916 through 2004; consisting of articles, essays, clippings, and photographs providing general biographical information; materials (printed, manuscript, and artifacts) related to her academic years and subsequent relationship with Wellesley College, including correspondence, speeches, addresses, visits, publicity, class letters, photographs, scrapbooks, and gifts to the College; and materials representing her political career, including publications (books, articles, addresses, and speeches) by her and scrapbooks and clippings about her and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into four series: I. General/Biographical; II. Wellesley College; III. Correspondence; IV. Writings. Each series is further subdivided into subseries based on format or content.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Wellesley College Archives
Conditions on Access
Unrestricted.
Conditions on Use
Copyright in some papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright publishing quotations from any material in the collection.
Acquisition Information
The papers were transferred to the archives from campus offices such as the President's Office, the Alumnae Office and the Publicity Office in the 1970s. Additional materials were donated by alumnae and Mme. Chiang herself. Some materials were originally part of the library's Historical Collection according to a list compiled in 1939.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Mariana Oller, under the guidance of Jane A. Callahan, Spring 2011.
Related Materials
Related Materials
Additional archival material may be found in the Papers of Emma DeLong Mills, the Records of the President's Office, Records Of the Mayling Soong Foundation Program Committee, Records of the Class of 1917, and Records of the Publicity Office. The class of 1917 Legenda (yearbook) is available online: http://repository.wellesley.edu/legenda/43/. A list of published materials by or about Chiang housed at the archives may be found here: http://bit.ly/p5EqaT.
Collection Inventory
I. General/Biographical
Scope and ContentContains articles, biographical abstracts and essays, newspaper and magazine clippings, obituaries, and photographs of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek and the Generalissimo. Also contains scrapbooks of clippings and illustrations from Chinese (Nationalist) newspapers chiefly from Formosa (Taiwan), dated January-May 1950. Contains framed and unframed individual portraits, family photographs, a wedding portrait, photographs from public events and appearances in China; unframed photographs from 1943 visit to the US. Photographs from Mme. Chiang Kai-shek's undergraduate years at Wellesley College and subsequent visits there are located in Series II: Wellesley College. |
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A. General | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
General Biographical Information | 1 | |||
Speeches about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1941, 1943 | 1 | |||
Obituaries, Memorials | 1 | |||
B. Articles and Clippings | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek n.d. | 1 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1927-1936 | 1 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1937 | 1 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1937-1943 | Oversize 1 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1938 | 1 | 1 | ||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1938 | 1 | 2 | ||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1939-1940 | 1 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek January-August, 1941 | 3 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek September 1942-February 1943 | 3 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek March 1-4, 1943 | 3 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek March 5-31, 1943 | 3 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek April-May, 1943 | 4 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek June 1941-August 1943 | Oversize 2 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek June-December, 1943 | 4 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek September 1941-August 1942 | 4 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1944-1947 | 4 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1948-1960 | 4 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1948-1960 | Oversize 3 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1961-1970 | 5 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1971-1978 | 5 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1979-2003 | 5 | |||
Articles about Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek 1997? | Oversize 2 | |||
Soong Family 1937-1982 | Oversize 3 | |||
Chiang Kai-shek and Chinese Politics 1937-1945 | 5 | |||
Chiang Kai-shek and Chinese Politics 1946-2004 | 5 | |||
Scrapbook of Clippings from Chinese Newspapers January 9-28, 1950 | Oversize 4 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 1 January 9-28, 1950 | Oversize 4 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 2 January 29-31, 1950 | Oversize 4 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 3 February 1-9, 1950 | Oversize 4 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 4 February 10-13, 1950 | Oversize 4 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 5 February 12-17, 1950 | Oversize 4 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 6 February 19-23, 1950 | Oversize 4 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 7 February 12-28, 1950 | Oversize 5 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 8 March 1-16, 1950 | Oversize 5 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 9 March 27-April 20, 1950 | Oversize 5 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 10 April 17, 1950 | Oversize 5 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 11 April 8-19, 1950 | Oversize 5 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 12 April 23-May 2, 1950 | Oversize 5 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 13 May 5-7, 1950 | Oversize 5 | |||
Scrapbook from Chinese Newspapers, No. 14 May 3-10, 1950 | Oversize 5 | |||
C. Photographs | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek: Portrait Type Poses | 2 | |||
Oversize materials moved to Oversize Box 2. |
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Wedding Photographs December 1, 1927 | Oversize 2 | |||
Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kai-shek in China | 2 | |||
Oversize materials moved to Oversize Box 2. |
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Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek | 2 | |||
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek visit to US (not including Wellesley) 1943 | 2 | |||
II. Wellesley College
Scope and ContentContains speeches and addresses of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College in various formats (manuscripts, typescripts, printed, audio and video recordings); materials covering her visit to Wellesley College in March, 1943: newspaper/magazine clippings, Wellesley College Publicity Office correspondence, press releases, documents, and clippings, books documenting her visit to North America in 1943; various interactions of Mme. Chiang with Wellesley College such as class letters, Mayling Soong Foundation, Mayling Soong Chair in Chinese Studies, and T.Z.E. Student Society; scrapbooks made by classmates; photographs (Individual and class portraits: 1916-17; Wellesley visits: 1943, 1953, 1958, 1965); gifts to classmates; and Chinese flags presented to Wellesley College. Non-Wellesley photographs from the 1943 visit to the US are located in Series I, General/Biographical. |
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A. General | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Class Letters and Open Letters to Wellesley Community 1928-1947 | 6 | |||
Mayling Soong Foundation 1942-1947 | 6 | |||
TZE Student Society 1943 | 6 | |||
B. Visits | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Speech by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College March 7, 1943 | Oversize 3 | |||
Title | Box | |||
Audio Recording of Speech by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College | Oversize 6 | |||
Oversize 6 | ||||
Oversize 6 | ||||
Oversize 7 | ||||
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek visit to Wellesley College, silent film 1943 | Oversize 7 | |||
Address by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College March 20, 1953 | Oversize 3 | |||
Publicity Office: Correspondence and Press Releases about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1941-1943, 1965 | 6 | |||
Publicity Office Volume I, Part I: Publicity concerning the visit of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek to Wellesley College March 6-8, 1943 | 6 | |||
Publicity Office Volume I, Part II: Publicity concerning the visit of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek to Wellesley College March 6-8, 1943 | 6 | |||
Publicity Office Volume II: Publicity concerning the visit of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek to Wellesley College March 6-8, 1943 | 6 | |||
Publicity Office Volume III: Publicity concerning the visit of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek to the US 1943 | 6 | |||
Publicity Office Volume IV: Publicity concerning the visit of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek to the US 1942-1943 | 6 | |||
C. Scrapbooks | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Scrapbook about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1943-1962 | 7 | |||
Clippings about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1943-1944 | 7 | |||
Scrapbook of items by or about Mme. Chang Kai-shek 1935-1940 | 7 | |||
Scrapbook of items by or about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1941-1942 | 7 | |||
Scrapbook of items by or about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek January-March 7, 1943 | 7 | |||
Scrapbook of items by or about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek March 8-31, 1943 | 7 | |||
Scrapbook of items by or about Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1944-1947 | 7 | |||
D. Photographs | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College 1916-1917 | 2 | |||
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College 1943 | 2 | |||
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College 1953 | 2 | |||
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College 1958 | 2 | |||
Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Wellesley College 1965 | 2 | |||
E. Realia | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Class Gift: Chinese National Anthem Broadside and Small Cloth Flag 1938 | 8 | |||
Class Gift: Three Piece Chinese Teacup and Silver Spoon Set 1938 | Oversize 9 | |||
Class Gift: Chinese Teacup and Saucer 1942 | Oversize 10 | |||
Class Gift: Two Teacups, Two Saucers, One Spoon, One Wooden Teacup Tray 1942 | Oversize 11 | |||
Class Gift: Reproduction of Painting by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1967 | Oversize 1 | |||
Chinese Flags 1937-1938 | Oversize 8 | |||
III. Correspondence
Scope and ContentIncludes correspondence from Chiang to classmates and professors such as Mary S. Case, Sophie Hart, and Elizabeth Manwaring, as well as president Mildred McAfee. |
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Title | Box | Folder | ||
Correspondence 1916-1917 | 2 | |||
Correspondence 1934-1939 | 2 | |||
Correspondence 1940-1947 | 2 | |||
Correspondence 1950-1987 | 2 | |||
Open/Published Letters n.d., 1938 | Oversize 3 | |||
IV. Writings
Scope and ContentContains publications by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek (n.d.; 1930-1979); articles, addresses & speeches including audio and film recordings of speeches by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek during her visit to the US in 1943, and articles by Mme. and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. A list of published materials by or about Chiang housed at the archives may be found here: http://bit.ly/p5EqaT. |
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A. Speeches | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Speeches by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek n.d.; 1938-1945 | Oversize 3 | |||
Speeches by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek n.d.; 1950-1972 | Oversize 3 | |||
Title | Box | |||
Audio Recording of Address by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek to the United States House of Representatives | Oversize 6 | |||
Oversize 7 | ||||
Film of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek in Washington 1943 | Oversize 7 | |||
Audio Recording of Speech by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek out of Madison Square Garden, New York City March 2, 1943 | Oversize 6 | |||
Audio Recording of Speech by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Chicago Stadium March 22, 1943 | Oversize 6 | |||
Audio Recording of Speech by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Civic Auditorium, San Francisco March 27, 1943 | Oversize 6 | |||
Film of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek in San Francisco 1943 | Oversize 7 | |||
Audio Recording of Speech by Mme. Chiang Kai-shek at Hollywood Bowl April 4, 1943 | Oversize 6 | |||
B. Articles | ||||
Title | Box | Folder | ||
Articles by Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kai-shek | Oversize 3 | |||
Articles by Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1930-1937 | 8 | |||
Articles by Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1938-1942 | Oversize 3 | |||
Articles by Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1943-1945 | 8 | |||
Articles by Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kai-shek 1950-1979 | 8 | |||