It is not so common to see a book by a national leader translated by his wife, but the book of the day is an example of that. Chiang Kai-shek 蒋介石 (Jiang Jieshi, also known as 蒋中正 Jiang Zhongzheng, 1887-1975) was the leader of the Republic of China 中华民国 from the late 1920s until his death. However, he was defeated by the Communist forces in 1949 and had to leave for Taiwan, where the Republic of China still lives on. Chiang led the Kuomintang 国民党 (Guomindang) as well, the ruling nationalist party. ”Madame Chiang Kai-shek”, as she was often called, had the name Soong Mei-ling 宋美龄 (Song Meiling 1898-2003), and was only Chiang’s fourth wife. However, she had a great impact on him, made him become a Christian, and helped raise support from the USA through her good connections there. Chiang Kai-shek never learnt English, and Soong Mei-ling often acted as his translator.
In the 1930s China was torn apart by civil war, Japanese invasion, corruption and what Chiang Kai-shek, his wife and many others in the Kuomintang saw as moral decay. Therefore they started The New Life Movement 新生活运动 in 1934, and argued for a life ruled by four principles: 禮 ”proper rite”, 義 ”righteousness” (or justice), 廉 ”honesty and cleanness”, and 恥 ”shame” (sense of right and wrong). Confucian morals and self-cultivation were central elements, paired with Soong Mei-ling’s Methodist perspective. Notably, the ultranationalist faction ”Blue Shirt Society” 蓝衣社 within Kuomintang was prominent among the leadership of the New Life Movement. The movement never had the intended success, partly due to the difficult circumstances in the country, and partly because it lacked appeal for many people. However, one may see morality campaigns in contemporary China (PRC) as echoes of the New Life Movement.
The national flag of the Republic of China (ROC) features prominently in the little leaflet, and the aim is to respect and honour the flag as national symbol. Interestingly, the blue field with the white sun is the party symbol of Kuomintang. This flag was made the national ROC flag in 1928 when Kuomintang had taken control of most parts of the country. It is still the ROC national flag, despite Kuomintang losing power in Taiwan several years ago.