The Evolution Of Soong Ching-ling’s Understanding Of Japan(1913-1981)

On the way of exploring China’s modernization,Soong Ching-ling attached great importance to Japanese factors and formed her own unique understanding of Japan.At present,the study of Soong Ching Ling is still in the stage of memorial history,especially the study of Soong Ching-ling’s understanding of Japan is very weak.This paper attempts to focus on the evolution of her understanding of Japan,and make a thematic research from the aspect of modern history.On the whole,the evolution of Soong Ching-ling’s understanding of Japan went through the following three stages.The first stage was the time before the War of Resistance against Japan(1913--1931).During her stay in Japan,she formed her initial understanding of Japan as a beautiful and powerful country that could be a foreign aid for China’s revolution.When she returned to China in 1916 to engage in the revolution,she gradually realized that Japan was a power that interfered in the Chinese revolution,and it could also be called the imperialism,but at the same time,she still had fantasies about Japan.The second stage was the time during the War of Resistance against Japan(1931--1945).After the September 18 th Incident,she realized the aggression of Japanese imperialism,but the awareness of its harm seems to be a little insufficient.In1932,she soon had a new promotion of the understanding of Japan after the Shanghai Hostilities and realized that Japanese imperialism was the greatest threat to the survival of the Chinese nation now.The third stage is from the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan til her death(1945--1981).From the period of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan to the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan,as the policy of the United States towards Japan changed from demilitarization and democratization to support,Soong Ching-ling’s understanding of Japan also changed from the colony of the United States to the revival of Japanese militarism,which was the new tool of aggression of the United States imperialists in Asia.However,she believes that the Japanese people,who are different from the Japanese government,are an important force in changing Japanese politics and promoting the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations.The main factors affecting Soong Ching-ling’s understanding of Japan,in addition to the changes of the current situation,are the following factors: patriotism formed by special family backgrounds,democratic spirit given by western education experience,Sun Yat-sen’s Three Principles of the People and three policies,and the Communist Party of China’s anti-imperialist United front policy and the thought of protracted war.Objectively speaking,although Soong Ching-ling was not a thinker and had limitations,she was able to keep pace with the times and constantly transcend herself when China and the world were in an era of drastic changes.Her understanding of Japan had quite profound and broad connotations,and was epochal,accurate and forward-looking,making great contributions to China’s revolutionary cause.