NHK General's "The Butterfly Effect of Images" (Mondays at 10 PM) will air "Song Mei-ling: The 'Dragon Lady' Who Lived for Three Centuries" on June 15th. Soong Mei-ling, the wife of Chiang Kai-shek, who played a leading role in diplomacy with the United States, negotiated with world leaders with her perfect English skills and overwhelming presence. The program traces the noble yet tragic story of this extraordinary woman known as the "Dragon Lady."
Soong Mei-ling, wife of Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, was one of the most striking "faces of China" encountered in 20th-century America. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, she became the first Asian woman to deliver a speech to the U.S. Congress, appealing for support for China and moving members of Congress to their feet. After the war, she steered American hostility toward communism and secured aid for Taiwan, but as the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party grew closer, Mei-ling lost her power. After Chiang Kai-shek's death, she also lost her place in Taiwan and died in despair at the age of 105. Narrated by announcer Yoji Itoi.
