In modern China, there are not many well-educated women with beauty and wisdom, and the Song sisters are undoubtedly the best among these few women. The Soong sisters are not only from famous families in Shanghai, but also from high flyers who studied in the United States. Their three husbands are the most talked about.
In people's traditional consciousness, the eldest Song Ailing is a symbol of money, because she married Kong Xiangxi, the chaebol of the Republic of China and the finance minister of the National Government. Song Qingling, the second child, is a model of patriotism, because she married Mr. Zhongshan, a revolutionary pioneer. The third child, Song Meiling, symbolizes power. Everyone knows that she married Chiang Kai-shek, chairman of the National Army. In the eyes of many people, the Song sisters were born in a famous family and received a good education from an early age. It can be said that they are very cultured, but they never thought that they were stuck with cigarettes.
During 1959, Soong Ching Ling smoked with Queen Elizabeth of Belgium. The photographer took this scene, which is a rare publicity of Soong Ching Ling's secret history of smoking.
Soong Ching Ling's smoking may be a habit formed by studying abroad. A whirlwind of popular female smoking has been set off in the United States and spread to the west. In addition, during the Republic of China, when Soong Ching Ling and Song Meiling were living, the then tobacco company entered China.
At that time, advertisements of cigarette beauties were everywhere in the streets of old Shanghai, which stimulated many female consumers to buy cigarettes. Many ladies in the upper class are eager to try, taking smoking as a fashion and becoming a fashion vane. ?
Song Meiling's hobby is also smoking. Although Chiang Kai-shek advised her to quit smoking many times, she never quit. Both Song Meiling and Soong Ching Ling have a hobby of smoking, which has little to do with whether they have received higher education.
As rich women, they did not live in boudoir like ordinary ladies when they were young, but went abroad to study, accepted western ideas and culture, and learned to smoke in social occasions.
It is said that Song Meiling smokes because of skin diseases. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, after the fall of Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek moved to Chongqing, and Song Meiling came to Chongqing together. Due to the humid environment, Song Meiling contracted urticaria.
Because of urticaria, the skin is very itchy when it attacks. Later, Song Meiling found a waitress with a pack of cigarettes in her pocket. Like it or not, she lit a cigarette and took a drag. She found that smoking can refresh her mind and eliminate itchy skin. From then on, Song Meiling learned to smoke and became addicted.
Until later, Song Meiling's health was not very good, and the doctor told her to smoke less, and she gradually gave up smoking. Soong Ching Ling also has a long history of smoking. According to Li Yan 'e (nanny Soong Ching Ling), the death of Mrs. Sun Yat-sen began in 1925, when she was depressed and sad, and she began to learn to smoke.
Soong Ching Ling needs a pack of 20 cigarettes a day. When she goes out, she carries a small cigarette case three inches square in her pocket and takes out a lighter when necessary, but she seldom smokes in public.
We can see pictures of Soong Ching Ling and Song Meiling smoking in many photos that have been preserved to this day. It is hard to imagine that such an elegant and noble woman is also a cigarette lover. What's going on here?
Song Ailing is actually the head of the Kongsong family. For a long time, Song Ailing lived in seclusion, rarely appeared in public, and people rarely knew whether she had the habit of smoking. But in fact, Song Ailing not only has strong control over Kong Xiangxi and his children, but even Song Meiling and Chiang Kai-shek are respectful to him. Song Ziwen, Song Ziliang, Song Zian and other young players all paid tribute to him. According to my estimation, most people in Song Ailing also smoke. After all, in the ladies' mahjong field, it is disgraceful to have no cigarettes as a companion.
To sum up, Soong Ching Ling and Song Meiling are addicted to smoking because of their specific cultural background and personal habits, which has little to do with whether they have received higher education or not. They are purely personal hobbies.