Madame Chiang Kai-Shek’s US Visit
蒋夫人宋美龄访问美国

18 July 2019
Left:Welcome Madame Chiang Kai-Shek program, March 2, 1943, Courtesy of Douglas J. Chu; Right:Madame Chiang Kai Shek
via San Francisco, The San Francisco Examiner image, Courtesy of Roy Delbyck, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)
Collection
左:欢迎蒋夫人活动安排,1943年3月2日,Douglas J. Chu捐赠;右:蒋夫人访美途径旧金山,The San Francisco
Examiner image,Roy Delbyck捐赠,美国华人博物馆(MOCA)馆藏

Madame Chiang Kai-shek was born Soong May-ling on March 5th , 1898, the youngest of three daughters. In 1912, May-ling moved to the United States to attend university and eventually graduated from Wellesley College. In 1927, she married Chiang Kai-shek, who later became the leader of the Kuomintang. She wielded tremendous influence in China and abroad through her position as the First Lady of the Republic of China. She made several diplomatic visits to the United States to lobby support for the Chinese war efforts during World War II, drawing crowds of up to 30,000 people during her 1943 tour, pictured here at her stops in New York and San Francisco. She captured audiences with her political tact and eloquent speeches, which emphasized the similarities between China and the US. She further emphasized the need for a united Chinese and American war effort on the Asian front. Her visit fundraised $12 billion in American aid. Moreover, her comments against anti-Chinese discrimination in the U.S. helped to influence American policy. Her legacy prompted more Chinese-Americans to participate in the war effort against the Axis Powers, and effectively helped many leave the traditional restaurant or laundry businesses that defined early Chinese immigration to the United States. Madame Chiang Kai-Shek’s education and confidence empowered Chinese-Americans to see themselves as products of the American Dream, and actively take steps to fulfill their ideals. A global icon in her own right, in 1943, she would grace the cover of Time Magazine for the third time.


蒋介石夫人出生于1898年3月5日,名字叫宋美龄,是宋家三个女儿中最小的一个。1912年,宋美龄来到美国上大学,并最终从卫斯理女校毕业。1927年,她嫁给了蒋介石,蒋介石后来成为了国民党领袖。作为中华民国第一夫人,她在国内外都具有巨大的影响力。她几次对美国进行外交访问,游说民众支持二战时期中国的战争努力,她在1943年的那次访问吸引了近3万人,上面两张图片是她在纽约和旧金山停留期间的活动和照片。她以政治手段和雄辩的演讲俘获听众,强调了中美之间的相似之处。她还进一步强调,需要在亚洲战线上建立中美联合的战争努力。她的这次访问筹集了120亿来自美国的援助。此外,她反对美国的反华歧视的言论也影响了美国的政策。她所留下来的影响促使更多的华裔美国人参与到对抗轴心国的战争中来,并有效地帮助许多人离开了传统的餐馆或者洗衣业,这些行业是早期到美国的中国移民的标签。蒋夫人的教育修养和自信使华裔美国人将自己视为美国梦的产物,积极采取行动实现自己的理想。1943年,凭借自己的全球偶像地位,她第三次登上《时代》杂志的封面。

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