Married to Dr Sun when he was 19, Lu Muzhen (1867 - 1952) was Dr Sun's fellow villager. She bore him a son, Sun Ke, and two daughters, Sun Yan and Sun Wan, among others.
Due to her bound feet, she was unable to follow Dr Sun on his revolutionary path.
She accompanied Dr Sun on a few occasions to Singapore and Penang, though, and stayed in Penang with their children during the crucial period before the success of the revolution.
Lu resided in Macao after Dr Sun divorced her to marry Song Qingling in 1915.
| The Forgotten Revolutionary Companion |
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The Honglou, or Red Chamber, where Dr Sun and Chen Cuifen stayed in Hong Kong. |
Before Dr Sun married Song Qingling, his revolutionary companion was Chen Cuifen (1873 - 1954).
Said to be born in Nanyang, Mdm Chen lived in Hong Kong at a young age and met Dr Sun in Hong Kong.
Also known as Fourth Aunt Chen, she was his ardent follower when he brought his revolutionary activities to Japan and Southeast Asia.
Extremely dedicated to Dr Sun and his cause, Chen washed and cooked for many of Dr Sun's comrades, delivered important documents and even smuggled dangerous explosives.
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Snapshot at Chen Cuifen's grave in Cuiheng Village, Guangdong. |
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During his stay at Wan Qing Yuan, Chen was there to take care of his needs.
After the success of the revolution, Chen retired to Zhongshan county with her adopted daughter Su Zhongying and son-in-law Sun Qian (grandson of Sun Mei).
Though never formally-married to Dr Sun, Chen was recognised as a
second wife by his first wife Mdm Lu, and was allowed to be buried in the family cemetery upon her death.
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| Song Qingling
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American-educated Song Qingling (ËÎÇìÁä) (January 27 1893 - 1981), is second of three famous daughters of Charlie Soong, a former missionary and owner of a printing firm. Her sisters were also prominent figures in China's modern history -- Song Ailing (ËΰªÁä), or Eling Soong (1890 - 1973), wife of Kong Xiangxi; and Song Meiling (ËÎÃÀÁä) (1897 -
2003), wife of Chiang Kai Shek.
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Qingling and Dr Sun
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Song Qingling, or Rosemonde Soong as she was also known, was educated at the Wesleyan College for Women in Macon, Georgia, USA.
Qingling married Dr Sun in October 1915 in Japan, even though he was 26 years her senior. Her father, a financier of Dr Sun's revolutionary activities, was furious with Dr Sun for wanting to marry his daughter.
It was said that her parents insisted on him divorcing his first wife to make Qingling his lawful
spouse.
Though their age gap was wide, Qingling stood by Dr Sun till his death from liver cancer on 12 March, 1925. She continued his work and became known as the "Mother of Modern
China." She suffered a miscarriage during Chen Jiongming's rebellion in 1922 when he attacked Dr Sun's
residence, and was childless after that.
After Dr Sun's death in 1925, she was elected to the KMT Central Executive Committee in 1926. She left China after the expulsion of the Communists in 1927. She was reconciled with the KMT during the Sino-Japanese War (1937 - 1946). From 1949 until her death, she served as vice- chairperson of the government of the People's Republic of China. In 1951, she was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize, and in 1953, a collection of her writings "Struggle for New China" was published.
Threat of the Royalists