better known as TV Soong

better known as TV Soong

Song Ziwen (December 4, 1894 - April 26, 1971) was a politician, diplomat and financier in the period of the Republic of China. He was born in Wenchang, Hainan. Song Ziwen is the son of song Jiashu. His brothers and sisters are Song Qingling, Song Meiling, song ailing, song Ziliang and song Zian.

Song Ziwen was born in Shanghai and graduated from St. John's University in Shanghai in his early years. Later, he went to Harvard University to study economics and got a master's degree. Then he went to Columbia University and got a doctor's degree. He was the Minister of finance of the national government in 1925. From 1928 to 1930, China regained its tariff autonomy through negotiation, which gave China the right to determine tariff rates and supervise taxes. After becoming the foreign minister of the national government in 1942, he signed the Sino US agreement on mutual assistance in resisting aggression with US Secretary of state Cordell hull. The next year, he negotiated with foreign countries to recover the extraterritorial jurisdiction of all countries in China. In 1945, he attended the general assembly of the United Nations as China's chief representative. In June of the same year, he went to Moscow to talk with Stalin on the Sino Soviet Treaty of friendship and alliance. He went to Hong Kong in 1949 and then moved to New York. He died in San Francisco on April 25, 1971.

Life of the characters

Early experience

On December 4, 1894, Song Ziwen was born in Tongren Hospital, Shanghai. In his childhood, Song Ziwen received enlightenment education under the guidance of his tutor. A few years later, he entered the junior class of St. John's University in Shanghai, then transferred to the preparatory and university classes, and graduated in 1912. He often attends lectures held by the school and can speak both English and Chinese at the same time, leaving a deep impression on the teachers and students of the school. It is said that his ability to memorize numbers also amazes the school teachers.

In 1912, Song Ziwen went to the United States to study in Harvard University. He graduated with excellent results in 1915 and obtained a master's degree in economics. Later, he came to New York, the largest metropolis in the United States, where he worked for Citibank while attending lectures at Columbia University to pursue a doctorate in economics. Although Song Ziwen was only an ordinary clerk in Citibank, mainly helping to deal with the remittance to China, he had a better understanding of international financial business, which not only broadened his horizons, but also laid a certain foundation for his future financial career.

In 1917, Song Ziwen graduated from Columbia University with a doctorate. In the same year, he left the United States with his sister Song Meiling. Later, he was employed as the Secretary of Shanghai Office of Hanyeping company, which was founded by Sheng Xuanhuai, a bureaucrat in the late Qing Dynasty. During this period, Song Ziwen fell in love with Sheng Jinru, sister of Sheng Zecheng, son of Sheng Xuanhuai. In order to break up the two lovers, Han Yeping company transferred Song Ziwen to Hanyang, and Song Ziwen announced his resignation in a rage. After that, he returned to Shanghai and became the general manager of Lianhua commercial bank. At the same time, he set up Dazhou Industrial Company and Shenzhou trust company to engage in financial and commercial activities.

Entering politics

In February 1923, Sun Yat Sen established the army and Navy Da Yuan mansion in Guangzhou, which was in urgent need of financial talents. Song Qingling recommended his younger brother Song Ziwen to him. In March 1923, Song Ziwen came to Guangzhou and worked as a secretary in the headquarters of the Grand Marshal of the army and navy. On April 24, Song Ziwen was appointed as the preparatory member of the central bank. On May 29, Sun Yat Sen appointed Lin Yunxin as the president of the central bank in preparation and Song Ziwen as the vice president. 19 days later, on June 17, Lin Yunxin resigned and Song Ziwen acted as president. At that time, Guangdong's finance and economy were in disorder. Song Ziwen introduced modern western monetary and banking theories and related systems, and presided over the formulation of central bank regulations and organizational rules. After more than a year of preparation, on August 2, 1924, the central bank was established, and Sun Yat Sen appointed Song Ziwen as the governor of the central bank.

In January 1925, Sun Yat Sen was seriously ill in Beiping and sent a telegram to Song Ziwen to Beijing. On March 12, Sun Yat Sen died. Song Ziwen, one of the witnesses, signed two wills of Sun Yat Sen and participated in funeral activities. His status in the Kuomintang was greatly improved. On July 15, 1925, the national government was established in Guangzhou. Song Ziwen was appointed Minister of finance, director of the Department of finance of Guangdong Province and governor of the central bank. Soon after, Song Ziwen was also the director of Guangdong commerce department and the audit manager of Guangdong and Guangdong Salt affairs, taking over the finance of the central government and Guangdong government. Due to his outstanding management ability, the government's financial situation was further improved, which provided a guarantee for the national government to consolidate the base area and set out for the northern expedition. Therefore, Song Ziwen also established his authoritative position in the financial sector.

Financial leaders

After the beginning of the northern expedition in 1926, Song Ziwen, who was the manager of Guangdong and Guangxi salt audit institute, actively raised funds to ensure the war. In December 1926, the Central Committee of the Kuomintang decided to move its capital to Wuhan, and Song Ziwen and Song Qingling left for northern Guangdong. After the establishment of Wuhan National Government, Song Ziwen became a member of the Standing Committee of the Kuomintang and Minister of finance, and became one of the decision-makers.

After the split of Nanjing and Han Dynasty, Song Ziwen was sent to Nanjing by Wuhan government on March 27, 1927. On the one hand, he "dissuaded Jiang's split"; on the other hand, he tried to control the Jiangsu Zhejiang Financial Group. On March 29, song arrived in Shanghai and immediately set up the Shanghai Office of the Ministry of finance to take over the financial affairs of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In April 1927, Chiang Kai Shek launched a coup d'etat on April 12, and another government was set up. Song Ziwen drifted away from it, and did not go with Chiang until the end of the year. After Chiang Kai Shek came to power again in February 1928, Song Ziwen became the finance minister of Nanjing National Government. On November 1, 1928, the central bank was listed. Song Ziwen served as president and chairman of the Council. He later served as a member of the national government, a member of the National Defense Council, a vice president of the special foreign affairs committee, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Economic Commission, and a vice president of the Executive Yuan.

After the September 18th Incident in 1931, Chiang Kai Shek came out of power on December 15th. In order to show that he was advancing and retreating together with Chiang Kai Shek, Song Ziwen submitted a petition to the national government on December 20 to address the vice president of the Executive Yuan and the Minister of finance. After Sun Ke stepped down, Song Ziwen was re appointed Vice President and Minister of finance of the Executive Yuan on January 30, 1932. Soon after, Chiang Kai Shek came back to power, and the two resumed their cooperation.

After that, Chiang Kai Shek asked Song Ziwen to provide a large amount of military expenditure for "suppressing the Communist Party", which intensified the contradiction between the two. In addition, the pro Japanese Party resisted the pro american Song Ziwen, which led to Song Ziwen's resignation as Minister of Finance and vice president of the Executive Yuan on October 29, 1933.

After his resignation, Song Ziwen visited the northwest, which promoted the development and construction of the northwest to a certain extent. On May 31, 1934, Song Ziwen initiated the establishment of China Construction Bank Corporation, which took the introduction of foreign capital as its important goal. In March 1935, Song Ziwen became the chairman of the Bank of China and actively participated in the currency reform, but it also caused the sharp expansion of bureaucratic monopoly capital.

After the Xi'an Incident broke out in December 1936, song was in favor of a peaceful settlement and went to Xi'an with Song Meiling to negotiate with Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng and representatives of the CPC Central Committee, contributing to the peaceful settlement of the Xi'an Incident and the joint anti Japanese war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.

the period of the war of Resistance Against Japan

At the beginning of the all-round Anti Japanese war in 1937, Song Ziwen publicly expressed his determination to fight to the end. He said: "even if Shanghai and the north of the Yellow River are not defended, the Chinese government is not willing to truce with Japan." At the beginning of the Anti Japanese War, he came to Chongqing as director of the board of directors of the Bank of China.

In 1940, in the name of Chiang Kai Shek's representative, Song Ziwen stayed in the United States and won American aid for Chiang. After the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, Song Ziwen became foreign minister and remained in New York. He frequently moved to Europe and the United States to seek support and help. In February 1944, Song Ziwen resigned as the chairman of the Bank of China and Kong Xiangxi took over. On December 4, the acting president of the Executive Yuan was still concurrently Minister of foreign affairs.

On December 18, 1944, Song Ziwen became the cover character of the time weekly published on that day.

On April 7, 1945, Song Ziwen went to the United States from Chongqing to attend the San Francisco Conference and participate in the formulation of the Charter of the United Nations. In May 1945, Chiang Kai Shek resigned as premier, and Song Ziwen took over on June 25. On June 30, 1945, Song Ziwen, together with Vice Foreign Minister Hu Shize and Jiang Jingguo, went to Moscow to negotiate with Stalin and Molotov. On July 30, he resigned as the foreign minister and became the full-time premier. On July 8, after receiving further instructions from Chiang Kai Shek, Song Ziwen held the fourth meeting with the Soviet side and expressed his willingness to make substantive concessions, that is, under the condition that the Soviet Union would not assist the Communist Party of China and the provisional people's Government of the three regions of Xinjiang in any material or moral way, and respect China's sovereignty in the northeast, he agreed to hold a referendum in Mongolia after the war. If the majority of the people were in favor of independence, the Chinese government would not support it We recognize Mongolia's independence. On August 14, China and the Soviet Union made concessions to each other and signed the Treaty of friendship and alliance between China and the Soviet Union, which recognized the independence of Outer Mongolia.

during the civil war

In 1946, Song Ziwen was concurrently chairman of the supreme Economic Committee, regaining financial and economic power. However, due to the deterioration of inflation in the KMT controlled areas caused by the civil war, Song Ziwen opened the gold foreign exchange market and sold a lot of gold to attract hot money. On the contrary, he triggered a gold storm and a postwar economic crisis. In February 1947, Song Ziwen was forced to resign and was approved. On May 11, Song Ziwen was removed from the post of vice chairman of the joint general handling Committee of the four banks of China, the central government, communications and farmers.

In April 1947, Song Ziwen was appointed a member of the national government. In September, at the Fourth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Kuomintang, song was re elected to the Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the Kuomintang. On September 20, Song Ziwen was appointed member and chairman of the Guangdong provincial government. On October 1, 1947, Song Ziwen officially took office in Guangdong.

In charge of Guangdong

Chinese PinYin : Song Zi Wen