ABSTRACT
Sung Ch'ing-ling known as Soong Ching Ling, was a controversial celebrity throughout most of her long life. As widow of Sun Yat-sen, who was esteemed as the leader of the 1911 Revolution and the founder of the Chinese Republic by both the Nationalist and Communist parties. When the People's Republic of China was established by the Communists in 1949, Sung was appointed a deputy chairperson of the new government, and her name appeared prominently in a number of Chinese and international Communist organizations. Hua Mu-lan, a Chinese Joan of Arc, is reputed to have led the armies against foreign invasion from the north. Liang Hung-yu, the wife of a famous Sung general, also fought against the invaders. The process began with the upper and middle classes. Women began to appear as doctors, public health workers, and teachers. On the political scene, many of them were self-sacrificing members of the revolutionary parties.
