The Soong Dynasty Sterling Seagrave 9781541338494 Books
Download As PDF : The Soong Dynasty Sterling Seagrave 9781541338494 Books
‘Fast paced and jammed with racy details’ – New York Times Book Review
The Soong Dynasty is the first full behind-the-scenes account of the extraordinary Soong family whose power and wealth dominated China and American policy towards Asia in the Twentieth Century.
It is an extraordinary work of historical detection which traces the family’s roots from the middle of the last century and their explosive rise thereafter.
Descendants of a runaway, they grew up in America under the protection of the Methodist church and returned to their homeland to make a fortune selling Western bibles.
The Soong Family became the principal rulers of China during the first half of the Twentieth Century.
In The Soong Dynasty, Sterling Seagrave describes for the first time the intricate and fascinating rise to power of Charlie Soong and his children, whom he married to some of China’s most powerful men to create a network of power and influence which was to last for over fifty years.
It is a classic tale of power, money, corruption and greed with elements of tragedy and comedy.
Praise for The Soong Dynasty
‘Seagrave knows China, and has caught the atmosphere of that weird, melancholy place … he has shed light into so many dark places, and turned a difficult piece of history into an engrossing narrative’ - Daily Telegraph
‘Seagrave s marathon probe includes much new evidence … It is an important segment of twentieth century world history … People should therefore be encouraged to read it’ - Dervla Murphy, Irish Times
‘The Soong Dynasty brings much pungent material to light … [it is] a story unraveled with fluency and flair’ - Time
‘A gripping book. Seagrave has tackled a mighty subject with resourcefulness and spirit’ - Washington Post
‘Compulsively readable’ – International Herald Tribune
‘Mr Seagrave is a fine investigative reporter — digging up information from a multitude of sources, much of it original, and piecing together a gripping account of epochal events’ – Wall Street Journal
Sterling Seagrave, who grew up on the China-Burma border in the 1940s (his father was Dr Gordon Seagrave, author of Burma Surgeon), is the author of Yellow Rain, The Marcos Dynasty, Dragon Lady, and Lords of the Rim and has written many articles for major newspapers and magazines. In preparing The Soong Dynasty, he drew on half a lifetime in Asia and on many sources, including the files of Time Inc., the National Archives, many individuals, and the FBI, to produce a riveting and revealing narrative of major historical importance supplemented with much new material. He lives in Europe.
The Soong Dynasty Sterling Seagrave 9781541338494 Books
I bought the kindle version of this book. I wish that the descrirption had indicated that the kindle version of the book did not contain any of the illustrations that were in the original edition (if the NYT review I read is correct, there should be peraps 20 or 30 pages of illustrations. The price was good, but it is unfortunate htat thte kindle edition descriptions are not terribly clear about what is NOT available in that particular edition. I'm very disappointed, but hesitate to go ahead and buy another version in order to get the illustrations, since none of the descriptions I have seen so far on Amazon indicate either the presence or the absence of illustrations.Product details
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Tags : The Soong Dynasty [Sterling Seagrave] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. ‘Fast paced and jammed with racy details’ – New York Times Book Review The Soong Dynasty is the first full behind-the-scenes account of the extraordinary Soong family whose power and wealth dominated China and American policy towards Asia in the Twentieth Century. It is an extraordinary work of historical detection which traces the family’s roots from the middle of the last century and their explosive rise thereafter. Descendants of a runaway,Sterling Seagrave,The Soong Dynasty,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1541338499,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Historical
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The Soong Dynasty Sterling Seagrave 9781541338494 Books Reviews
This book reads like a textbook. It was very dry and off putting. It was a struggle to finish. Had it not been for a bookclub discussion I would have put aside before 100 pages.
This book tears into a subject of immense importance the incredible intertwining of American missionary work, monopolist money, diplomatic and intelligence secret plots and policy, organized and pandemic crime in China and political venality in the USA. It is hard to separate the KMT government, which the USA has supported unfailingly for seventy-five years, from massive theft and misappropriation of American loans and payments, the China drug trade, and mega-crime operations which seem to blend seamlessly into American finance and politics. Seagrave's writing is vivid and enormously thought provoking, as his claims are questioned by the stolidly academic. As the academics say, his work should be viewed as opening discussion and raising questions rather than resolving anything irrefutably.
A majestic book, the story it tells and written so wonderfully. Fascinating to read. The bopok in excellent condition, at a good price. I will recommend this seller to anyone who is thinking of buying a book from them.
I am too young to remember the hegira of the Kuomintang, but I've heard the story in one form or another all my life. I've met people on both sides who have vastly different views of the events and personalities of the time. One thing that is clear, though, and that is that Stillwell hated Chiang, which is expained in lucid detail in Tuchman's Stillwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45. Seagrave takes the same view, namely that Chiang was a gangster who got to the top at a time when China was in chaos.
Chiang's hagiography, as touted by the Mandarins in Taiwan is an example of the amazing curative powers of propaganda. (That is why you should turn off CNN if you want to be able to think.)
This book is not just about Chiang, but about the Soong's, the family he married into. The story of Madame Chiang growing up as a young girl in Georgia, and learning to speak English with a southern accent is fascinating. The Soongs were bicultural and bilingual. They were also fantastically wealthy, and that combination helped them find their way to the top in the USA. Mrs. Chiang had unprecedented access to FDR during the time that the US was helping the Chinese fight Japan. The Chiangs used that access to extort huge sums of money from the Americans and they used it to enrich themselves while letting Mao and Cho carry the war.
Madame Chiang's sister was married to Dr. Sun Yat Sen, about whom Seagrave has little good to say, but who has been considered the father of the republican revolution in China. Whether he was or not is a question that Seagrave discusses at length in the book.
Another great book about Chinese history from a man who has spent much of his life in Asia. A great read.
This book starts slow, with the childhood and youth of Charlie Soong, but it became like a thriller. Madre me want to know more.
This is a very long and detailed history of China from about 1880 to the 1960‘s. It gives a full biography of Charlie Soong, the founder of a powerful family which included his son-in-law Chiang Kai-Shek.
This book details Chiang's cruelty. When his sister-in-law begged for the life of a friend and political associate, he let her plead for an hour before telling her that the man had already been put to death. Some of Chiang's prisoners were garrotted by an executioner who was skilled at prolonging death for half an hour.
The American public was not allowed to know what kind of monster they were supporting with money and arms. The publisher Henry Luce, for instance, dedicated his magazine to lavish and incessant praise of Chiang and his wife.
Mme. Chiang's ambition had no limits. She was a monstrous woman who did not deserve to live as long as she did. She died in the Waldorf-Astoria where she occupied several floors.
A truly sickening history, when Japan occupied much of China during the thirties and Chiang and his wife battled the Chinese communists instead of the foreign invaders of their country.
History is told in a smooth and readable fashion by this author.
This is an excellent book about a part of Chinese history that is sometimes confusing. The author does a great job of digging and uncovering the real events and business connection of the people in the Soong family and their relations. This is an essential book if you want to understand the China of 1900-1960. It certainly explains why a lot of things are the way they are today.
The only criticism I have is that he occasionally gets overly poetic in his descriptions of certain places, people and events. Fortunately, these episodes are few and far between
I bought the kindle version of this book. I wish that the descrirption had indicated that the kindle version of the book did not contain any of the illustrations that were in the original edition (if the NYT review I read is correct, there should be peraps 20 or 30 pages of illustrations. The price was good, but it is unfortunate htat thte kindle edition descriptions are not terribly clear about what is NOT available in that particular edition. I'm very disappointed, but hesitate to go ahead and buy another version in order to get the illustrations, since none of the descriptions I have seen so far on indicate either the presence or the absence of illustrations.
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