Soong
Ching-ling's Former Residence is located Huaihai Road of Shanghai and
was built in 1920. It is a boat-shaped building in German style with red
roof and white walls, covering an area of over 40,000 square meters. It
had originally been the private villa of a German shipowner called Bauer.
MadameSoong Ching-ling lived here from 1948 to 1963.
Soong
Ching-ling (1893-1981) has been honoured and worshipped by the Chinese
and foreigners for her legacy - her lifelong devotion to democracy, independence
and the development of China as well as her stateliness, so natural to
the Mother of the State.
She was the wife of Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Chinese Republic (1912-1949).
Soong Ching-Ling died of illness in Beijing on May 29, 1981, at the age
of 90. Her splendid life will be cherished and remembered forever.
Soong
Ching-ling's Former Residence served as her residence from 1948 to 1963. The yard is surrounded by luxuriantly
green camphor trees, which isolates it from the noise on bustling nearby.The
residence is kept in the original look.Downstairs are the lobby, sitting
room, dining room and study, all plainly but tastefully furnished.
The
living room remains as it was when Soong was alive, and reflects the taste
of an educated and intelligent woman. In the middle of the north wall
hangs a portrait of Sun. Directly opposite is a picture of Soong and Chairman
Mao Zedong taken when he visited Soong there in 1961.
On
display in the dining room are precious gifts presented to her by foreign
friends. In the study all kinds of books she had collected and read are
kept intact, totaling over 4,000 copies in nineteen languages of Chinese,
English, French, Russian, etc.
Upstairs
are Soong Ching Ling's bedroom and office, both simply furnished. It was
in this house that Soong Ching Ling lived, worked and studied diligently
for many years, overworking herself for our country and devoted her whole
life to the cause of Chinese people's democracy and socialism.
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