Shanghai Former Residence of Song Qingling (Soong Ching Ling), China

> China Travel Tour Guide > Attractions

Former Residence of Song Qingling

Madam Song Qingling (Soong Ching Ling) was once the "Honorary President" of the People's Republic of China. She was also the wife of Dr. Sun Yat-sen who was the great revolutionary pioneer of 1920s and the founder of the National Party of China (kuomintang).

Madam Song used to live in Shanghai for a long time, and her former residence is located in 1843 Huaihai Road, in the former French Concession area. She began to live in this house since 1948 until she died in 1981 when she was already ninety years old.

This house was built in 1920, and is a pretty western-style three-storey villa with a large lawn in the front and a beautiful garden at the back. There are some precious paintings from her friends hung on the walls downstairs.

You can also see the portraits of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and the photo of Chairman Mao Zedong and Madam Song taken when Mao came to visit her in 1961. It was in this house that Madam Song met leading members of the party and the government, and entertained numerous foreign heads of government.

In the dinning-room some important souvenirs and precious gifts were displayed, and a lot of important guests once had dinner here with Madam Song. In the study room, some records and disks of Dr. Sun's famous speeches, as long as his manuscripts were kept.

Upstairs are Song Qingling's bedroom and office, and a quaint display of what are designated to be "cultural relics" that she used during her lifetime, including a set of furniture given by her parents as her wedding gift, and a piano played by her.